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The National Herald
www.thenationalherald.com
May 28 - June 3, 2016
101
anniversary
1915-2016
A wEEkly GrEEk-AmEriCAN PuBliCATiON
VOL. 19, ISSUE 972
st
cv
$1.50
The Illustrious Career Greece to Get a Third Bailout – 11 Million Euros
Tsipras Agrees to
Of HBO Impressario
Demands for More
Anne Thomopoulos
Taxes and Austerity
By Vasilis Papoutsis
LOS ANGELES, CA - Anne Thomopoulos is a prolific television
and film producer. As Senior
Vice President of HBO, she was
instrumental in the development of Emmy and Golden
Globe-winning series From the
Earth to the Moon and Band of
Brothers among others.
She is the daughter of Tony
Thomopoulos, the former President of ABC Broadcast Group,
and a graduate of Georgetown
University.
THE ROAD TO HBO
Thomopoulos began her career at Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions, which produced 25
American primetime television
series, mostly sitcoms. She then
worked for Michael J. Fox' Production company in charge of
development. When the president of the company resigned,
Thomopoulos offered to take
over the position temporarily,
Anne Thomopoulos is responsible for many of HBO’s highly
acclaimed hit series.
keeping the same salary, with
the understanding that if she
was successful she would retain
the position. She remained
there until HBO knocked on her
door. Thomopoulos was brought
in to establish a dramatic series
department and she created the
popular and critically acclaimed
series Oz.
With a budget rivaling that
of the motion picture industry
but without the content constraints of conventional broadcast television, HBO became the
place filmmakers wanted to be.
MAXING MINIS
Then came another highly
acclaimed production, the
miniseries From the Earth to the
Moon. “Tom Hanks pitched it to
us right after Apollo 13 and we
loved it, Thomopoulos told
TNH. “It was a great story and
we approached it like a feature
film.”
The cost was $68 million and
traced the history of the American space program from its inception to the Apollo 17 moon
landing. It won an Emmy for
Outstanding Miniseries and
helped spur HBO into historical
miniseries dominance.
The story about the making
of Band of Brothers has an interesting twist. Thomopoulos
had read an article in the Los
Angeles Times about another
book by the same author, the
eminent historian Stephen Ambrose, titled Citizen Soldiers,
and she was in the process of
inquiring about film rights. Tom
Hanks who was in the 1998
Academy Award winning film
Saving Private Ryan had already
secured the rights to Band of
Brothers and the switch to another award-winning miniseries
was made.
FRENCH CONNECTION
Thomopoulos' dual citizenship, American and French, has
Continued on page 5
TNH Staff
moral to this story and yet there
is a finish line.
“I didn’t start it, by the way,”
she said of the interest in her
hairstyle. “A high school team in
Oregon had tweeted me a picture of all of them wearing the
‘Alexi Bun.’ I retweeted it. It took
off from there,” she told The
Times.
Her grandmother was born in
Greece, earning Pappas dual citizenship, her celebrity making it
a lot easier likelier than for other
Greeks of the Diaspora who find
ATHENS – Greece’s European
lenders are ready to reward
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras
with 11 billion euros from a
third bailout in return for reneging on anti-austerity promises.
Tsipras, the Radical Left
SYRIZA leader, came to power
last year on the back of promises
to reverse pay cuts, tax hikes,
slashed pensions, worker firings
and privatizations but agreed to
implement more, completing his
surrender to the creditors.
The Quartet of the European
Union-International Monetary
Fund-European Central BankEuropean Stability Mechanism
(EU-IMF-ECB-ESM) last year approved a rescue package of 86
billion euros ($96.44 billion)
but has withheld most of it until
Tsipras rammed more austerity,
including pension cuts, through
Parliament.
The new monies are ready to
be disbursed, the Bloomberg
news agency reported but will
be used mostly to repay the
same lenders providing the rescue package and 240 billion euros ($269.12 billion) in two previous bailouts.
The funds will be used to
clear arrears and to cover debt
servicing needs, including a 2.3
billion-euro ($2.58 billion) to
the ECB in July, according to a
draft of the European Commission’s compliance report for the
Greek economic program seen
by Bloomberg.
Of the 11 billion euros
Athens may receive, 7.2 billion
euros will go towards covering
debt servicing costs and the remaining 3.8 billion euros will
be used to reduce state arrears,
leaving nothing for a Greek society hammered by big pay cuts,
tax hikes, slashed pensions and
worker firings.
Continued on page 6
Continued on page 11
EurOkiNiSSi
Tsipras-Bartholomew Meet at the UN’s World Humanitarian Summit
Greek PM Alexis Tsipras traveled to Constantinople on Sunday, in order to attend the UN’s World
Humanitarian Summit. On the sidelines of the UN summit meeting, Tsipras met with Archbishop
Bartholomew and discussed the Greek minority and reoperation of the Theological School of Chalki.
Run Alexei Run! Write Alexei Write!
TNH Staff
She’s as far from a self-absorbed professional athlete as
you can imagine and that’s the
allure of Alexei Pappas, 26, of
Eugene, OR: a world-class 5,000
and 10,000-meter runner who
will compete for Greece in the
Olympics but is adored just as
much by her young fans for her
unconventional and literate life
– along with the “Alexi bun” on
the back of her hair.
She’s a track star with rock
star appeal, an athlete who
quotes Faulkner from memory,
Tweets poetry about her workouts, writes poetry and a
monthly poetry column for
Women’s Running magazine, essays, a play, a film and will appear in a semi-autobiographical
movie, Tracktown at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 4.
She’s only among the seven
best American women runners
at her distance yet the most recognizable for a personality so alluring it was the subject of a feature in the New York Times by
writer Sam McManis, rhapsodizing her life’s bio-rhythms and
running for space and time, no
Former Priest Metropoulos, Onassis Center Presents Greek Gods & Mortals
In Jail for Sexual Abuse, is
Now Being Sued by Victim
TNH Staff
TNH Staff
BANGOR,
ME
– Adam
Metropoulos, a 53-year-old former Greek Orthodox Priest, who
in March was convicted on four
felony counts of sexual abuse of
a minor, and in April was sen-
Evening of
Food, Film
At NYAC
By Eleni Sakellis
Aliana Productions presented
a Spring Soiree, An Evening of
Fine Food & Film at the New
York Athletic Club (NYAC), on
May 23. The event began with
a reception and tasting of signature dishes from Eataly, The
Spotted Pig, Breslin, Loi Estiatorio, Molyvos, Sarabeth's, Weinstock Cakes, and Billy's Cupcakes. A flavorful taste of
octopus was on the menu at the
Loi table, presented in charming
tasting spoons for guests to enjoy. The table also displayed the
pasta products now available
from chef Maria Loi and her
cookbook The Greek Diet: Look
and Feel like a Greek God or
Goddess and Lose up to Ten
Pounds in Two Weeks. Foodies
and cookbook fans could bid in
a silent auction of signed books
by the featured chefs and selections of wine.
A Greek wine tasting with
wines from Amethystos, DoContinued on page 6
For subscription:
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[email protected]
tenced to 12 years in prison, is
now being sued by the victim,
the Bangor Daily News reported.
The name of the plaintiff,
now 24, is not being released
publicly because he was the victim of sexual abuse, the News
reported. The lawsuit also
names
as
co-defendants
Metropoulos’ supervisors and
the Greek-American community
in Bangor, although it does not
specifically name St. George
Greek Orthodox Church, where
Metropoulos served.
The victim claimed to have
sustained severe and permanent
physical injury, emotional distress, mental anguish and future
and past medical expenses because of Metropoulos’ sexual
abuse, which occurred in 2006
and 2007, and he claimed, the
News reported, that the Boston
Metropolis, its leader Metropolitan Methodios, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America,
and the Greek Orthodox community in Bangor were negligent in their supervision of
Metropoulos.
The Boston Metropolis removed Metropoulos from his
position the day following his
arrest.
Metropolitan Methodios did
not respond to TNH’s request
for comment, and the Archdiocese told us that Archbishop
Demetrios was out of the office
when we called.
Metropoulos is incarcerated
at the Maine Correctional center
in Windham, the News reported, with 5 ½ years of his
sentence suspended, resulting
in 6 ½ years of jail time actually
imposed.
The civil suit was filed on
May 20 in Penobscot County Superior Court.
Metropoulos served St.
George for 13 years.
As TNH reported, in September 2013 Metropoulos was arrested for child pornography
and for videotaping a relative of
his wife, who was visiting at the
time, taking a bath in their
home. When she spotted the
Continued on page 5
The Onassis Cultural Center
(OCC) presents Gods and Mortals at Olympus: Ancient Dion,
City of Zeus at its galleries at
the Olympic Tower, 645 Fifth
Avenue. This extraordinary exhibition which opened on March
24 and runs through June 18,
is free and open to the public.
Ancient artifacts the result of
finds during four decades of excavations in the ancient city of
Dion are on display in the basement galleries of the OCC. Located on the lower slopes of
Mount Olympus, Dion flourished with Macedonian king
Archelaus I, great-grandfather
of Alexander the Great, as its
ruler. The exhibition was organized by curator Dr. Dimitrios
Pandermalis, President of the
new Acropolis Museum in
Athens and Director of Excavations at Dion on Mount Olympus and Professor of Archaeology at the Aristotle University
of Thessaloniki.
The variety, nature, and qualContinued on page 4
The artifacts on display at the Gods and Mortals exhibition at the Onassis Cultural Center on
Fifth Avenue represent over 40 years of excavation finds.
Philoptochos Spring Luncheon a Big Success
By Fotis Papagermanos
NEW YORK – Eleni Kounalakis,
former U.S. Ambassador to
Hungary, was honored on May
24 by the Philoptochos Society
of the Holy Trinity Cathedral
during its annual Spring Luncheon at the Central Park Boat
House. The luncheon’s proceeds
will go to the Philoptochos
Scholarship Fund.
Kounalakis, cited as one of
her most impressive experiences
a wild boar hunt with military
staff in the Hungarian mountains. She described the incident
in vivid detail, just as she relayed it in Madam Ambassador,
her memoir which was published last year.
She left it up to the audience
to figure out if she ultimately
shot the wild boar, which naturally was not spared, as she is a
skilled hunter. In that particular
case, her performance was exceptional, leaving the high-ranking Hungarian officers speech-
TNH/COSTAS BEJ
Dr. Miranda Kofinas, President of Philoptochos.
less.
The new Consul General of
Greece, Konstantinos Koutras,
extended his greetings and congratulated the Philoptochos on
the work they do. Vasilis Philippou, Consul General of the Republic of Cyprus, also praised
the ladies of the Philoptochos
for their work and congratulated them on their contribution.
Bishop Sevastianos of Zela
pointed out the significance of
the fact that the luncheon was
once again a success, without as
much as an empty spot.
Philoptochos President Miranda Kofinas expressed her appreciation for the exceptionally
high turnout for the luncheon,
chaired by Ourania Soumas and
Pauline Kosilimbas. Kofinas
thanked Kounalakis, and reiterated the Philoptochos’ goals of
providing assistance to the
homeless, to children in need of
therapy, to people who are victims of abuse, among many
other causes.
Further elaborating on her
experience as ambassador,
Kounalakis emphasized how important it is to be aware of
America’s role on the world
map.
She went on to discuss her
family’s origins and pointed out
that when her father, Angelo
Tsakopoulos, came to America,
he worked on the land as a
farmer. “When I went to Sacramento, my father urged me to
get involved with the GreekAmerican community and local
issues. This gave me the experience to be involved in issues relating to diplomacy. I was an
‘unusual’ ambassador, as I was
appointed by the president and
did not come from the diplomatic corps.
“So when I arrived in Budapest,” she added, “I felt I was
out of my league. However, I realized that I held a very serious
post, after the fall of the Iron
Curtain. Hungary had turned to
the United States for cooperation and for aid in its recovery.
After 2010, however, there was
Continued on page 5
COMMUNITY
2
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 28-JUNE 3, 2016
PHOTOS: STEvE lAmBrOu
Wreaths and flowers were laid at the St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Upper Darby,
PA, monument to the victims of the Pontian Genocide, which features the carved icon of the
Virgin Mary of Soumela, the Protectress of the Pontians.
Ioanna Gerasimidou and Despina Nakou in traditional Pontian costume stand by the icon of
the Virgin Mary at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Upper Darby, PA at the memorial
service in honor of the victims of the Pontiac Genocide.
Heracles, Maria, and Victoria Kaltsidis, Christina and Theodoris Vlastaridou dressed in traditional
Pontian costume at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Upper Darby, PA at the memorial
service in honor of the victims of the Pontian Genocide.
Members of the Pontian Society Akritai of Philadelphia attended and Fr. Georgios Kouzelis
presided over the special memorial service at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Upper
Darby, PA in honor of the 353,000 victims of the Pontian Genocide.
Pontian Genocide Memorial Held at St. Demetrios in Upper Darby, PA
TNH Staff
UPPER DARBY, PA – A memorial was held on May 22 to remember those who perished in
the Pontian Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks
from 1916 until 1923.
The Pontian Society of
Philadelphia Akritai was present
at the service held at St.
Demetrios Greek Orthodox
Church in Upper Darby to commemorate the hundreds of thousands – the total ranges from
about 350,000 to 750,000, the
Pontian Society recognizes
353,000 – who died during the
genocide. The same genocidal
policy was responsible for the
genocide against the Armenians
and Assyrians who once lived in
Anatolia and included deportations,
massacres,
death
marches, arbitrary executions,
and the destruction of Orthodox
Christian cultural, historical, religious monuments, and houses
of worship. The solemn service
highlighted the importance of
remembering the dead as part
of the Greek Orthodox Christian
faith for so many souls who in
all likelihood never received
Christian burial.
Akritai members attended
the ceremony, and Fr. Georgios
Kouzelis presided. May 19 is recognized as the anniversary of
the Genocide when Kemal
Ataturk landed in Samsounda
on the Black Sea coast and began the assault on Pontos.
A procession to the Genocide
Monument located just outside
of St. Demetrios Church followed the Divine Liturgy.
Wreaths and flowers were laid
at the monument, which features the carved icon of the Virgin Mary of Soumela, the Protectress of the Pontians.
A prayer service followed
and Dimitris Giannakaris of the
Akritai read a monologue about
genocide and the Diaspora.
Among those attending were
Heracles, Maria, and Victoria
Kaltsidis,
Christina
and
Theodoris Vlastaridou, Ioanna
Gerasimidou, and Despina
Nakou who wore traditional
costume for the event. Open to
the public, the event was also
attended by members of the
Greek community who were not
of Pontian descent, showing
their support for the Pontian
Greeks and remembering those
who lost their lives in the genocide.
On May 15, following Greek
afternoon school, the St.
Demetrios students, grades K
through 8, also participated in
a ceremony at the memorial
square for the Pontian Genocide.
The students placed white
carnations at the base of the
Pontian monument. Fr. Kouzelis
led Greek school teacher Vasiliki
Tsanaktsidou, who was one of
the event’s organizers, along
with the students and their parents in prayer.
Students read poems and
held signs that stated: “Yes it
was genocide” and “We will
never forget.”
American School of Classical Studies Celebrates its 135th Anniversary
By Eleni Sakellis
The American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA)
celebrated its 135th Anniversary
with a gala held at the Metropolitan Club in New York City.
The May 12 event began
with a cocktail hour and then a
dinner and awards presentation
attended by 300 guests. Executive Director George T. Orfanakos served as Master of Ceremonies. Father Alexander
Karloutsos, Protopresbyter of
the Ecumenical Patriarchate offered the invocation. A video
presentation followed, commemorating ASCSA’s 135-year
history, detailing its many
achievements, and dynamic
plans for the future. Director of
ASCSA Professor James C.
Wright offered words of welcome for all those attending.
Among the notable guests, Consul General of Greece Konstantinos Koutras, Chief Operating
Officer of the Stavros Niarchos
Foundation Vasili Tsamis, and
Dr. Maria Georgopoulou, Director of the Gennadius Library
who introduced the Gennadius
Prize. The Honorable E. Leo
Milonas, Board of Overseers of
ASCSA presented the award to
the A.G. Leventis Foundation for
outstanding contributions to the
advancement of knowledge of
post-antique Greece. Anastasios
Leventis accepted the award on
behalf of the foundation which
was established in 1979 to support educational, cultural, artistic, and philanthropic causes in
Cyprus, Greece, and around the
world.
After dinner, William T.
Loomis, Acting President of the
Board of Trustees introduced the
Athens Prize and a video tribute
to John McK. Camp II. Camp received the Athens Prize for his
outstanding contributions to the
advancement of knowledge of
ancient Greece and in recognition of the 50th anniversary of
his association with the excavations of the Athenian Agora. Professor Camp is the Director of
the Athenian Agora Excavations
of ASCSA and is the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Professor of
Classics at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, VA. His daughter
Katherine was among those present at the gala and mentioned
to TNH how a misunderstanding
led to Camp’s initial involvement
with the excavations at the
Athenian Agora. She said her father wrote a letter applying to
the ASCSA saying he was in his
second year at Harvard and it
was assumed he was in his sec-
ond year of graduate school,
since at that time only graduate
students were accepted into the
program, Camp was accepted
anyway, and thus began his career as an archeologist while
only a college sophomore. In his
speech, Camp gave thanks for
the honor and mentioned how
archeology was a difficult profession, lightheartedly noting
that he found one coin every ten
years. His contributions to the
field of archeology are many and
he is regarded as the foremost
expert on the topography of
Athens and Attica.
With dedicated scholars and
archeologists, ASCSA continues
the extraordinary work begun at
its founding in 1881, by a consortium of nine American universities in collaboration with
leading businessmen of the time.
A privately-funded, nonprofit educational and cultural institution, ASCSA is now a consortium
of 193 North American colleges
and universities with a mission
to “advance knowledge of
Greece of all periods… by training scholars, sponsoring and promoting archeological fieldwork,
providing resources for scholarly
work, and disseminating research.”
Recent innovations are revolutionizing the way archeologists
excavate sites around the world.
Most recently, iDig, an iPad app
has been developed by Bruce
Hartzler, who has worked for the
past 18 years as the IT Specialist
for the Agora Excavations in
Athens. The app will allow archeologists to dig and catalog excavations as never before. As Hartzler observed in the video
presentation, “It’s our primary
way of collecting data now. It
rides the line between data collection and data analysis. With
the immediate plotting of data,
you get that visual check and can
catch errors much easier. The
faster the feedback, the cleaner
and tighter the data. Also, the
integration with archival data
makes a big impact.”
The Gennadius Library
opened in 1926 with the collection of diplomat and bibliophile
Joannes Gennadius (18441932), and now contains over
120,000 volumes, manuscripts,
electronic resources, and works
of art, one of the world's most
significant collections for the
study of Hellenic civilization after the end of antiquity. A re-
TNH STAFF
The cocktail hour at the 135th Anniversary Gala for the American School of Classical Studies at Athens held at the Metropolitan Club in New York City.
The American School of Classical Studies at Athens celebrated
its 135th Anniversary at the Metropolitan Club in NYC.
markable library and research institution, “the Gennadeion” also
serves the Athenian and international community through public
lectures, seminars, concerts, exhibitions, and publications.
The future looks bright for
ASCSA with its multidisciplinary
approach to Hellenic studies, encompassing the fields of archaeology, anthropology, the archaeological sciences, topography,
architecture, epigraphy, numismatics, history, art, language, literature, philosophy, religion, and
cultural studies, made possible
by benefactors, private donors,
and funders. Preserving and promoting Hellenic studies is an
even more important project today, according to one guest at
the gala, in order to ensure the
survival of the noble ideals of
Hellenism from future generations.
A silent auction also took
place at the event with the generous guests bidding on a wide
range of prizes including a trip
on a private yacht, a private tour
of the Metropolitan Museum of
Art’s Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient
World exhibit followed by dinner
at Molyvos Restaurant, and a private tour of the Athenian Agora
with Prof. John Camp and dinner
at The Grande Bretagne. A photographic print, Hotel Belle Hellene, Mycenae, 1955, by Robert
A. McCabe and a private tour of
Mycenae led by Prof. James
Wright were also up for bid in
the silent auction.
COMMUNITY
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 28-JUNE 3, 2016
3
Three Honorary Doctorates Awarded at 74th Commencement of HCHC
By Theodore Kalmoukos
BOSTON, MA – During its 74th
commencement on May 21, the
Hellenic College Holy Cross
Greek Orthodox School of Theology (HCHC) awarded honorary doctorates to worldrenowned expatriate surgeon Dr.
Andreas Tzakis, prominent businessman and philanthropist
George Marcus of California,
and missionary Metropolitan of
Pisidia and formerly of Korea
Sotirios (Trambas), who is essentially the founder of the Orthodox Church of Korea (he was
unable to attend).
Geron Archbishop Demetrios
of America presided, accompanied by Metropolitan Methodios
of Boston, Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco, and
Bishop John of the Diocese of
Worcester and New England
(part of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of
North America).
Dr. Tzakis advised the graduates that “graduation is not
your destination, but the bridge
to fulfill your life goal, to serve
the community as priests.” He
concluded with the Cavafy poem
“Ithaca.”
Marcus encouraged the graduates to “work hard and succeed” while urging them to “give
back to the school.” Marcus was
born on Euboea and immigrated
to the United States at age four.
In the real estate and restaurant
industries, his meals were served
at the White House during the
2014 Greek independence celebration there. Marcus was
among the first donors to contribute to the fund to rebuild
Saint Nicholas Shrine at Ground
Zero donating $1 million. HCHC
is a “remarkable institution” attempting to become a first-rate
liberal arts institution, Marcus
told TNH. “It has the opportunity, the challenges, the community, and the leadership. It’s not
about buildings, it’s about people, it’s about education, it’s
about quality.”
Twenty students graduated
from the Hellenic College, while
33 graduated from the School
of Theology, of which 20 received the Master of Divinity degree which prepares its recipients for a life of ordained or lay
ministry.
The Hellenic College and
School of Theology valedictory
addresses were delivered by
ven by security in our faith.”
Archbishop Demetrios concluded the ceremony, initially
speaking in Greek and conveying the greetings of Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew. He referred to the Holy and Great
Council of the Orthodox Church,
which convenes in Crete next
month, which he characterized
as “a major and unique event
which is being held again after
more than a thousand years and
which will send the message of
unity around the world.” He
congratulated the honorees and
administered to each suitable
verses from the Bible.
He told they graduates they
are “in a missionary state” and
emphasized that “we are in need
of an internal mission.”
Demetrios noted that “the
churches are full on Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday” and wondered where
these people are on the remaining Sundays.
Demetrios told TNH that it
was a “beautiful ceremony.
There is something special about
PHOTOS: TNH/THEODOrE kAlmOukOS
ABOVE: The honored businessman George Marcus surrounded by (from the left)
Demetrios Katos, Dean of Hellenic College, Rev. Fr. Christopher T. Metropulos, Metropolitan Gerasimos of San
Francisco, George Marcus,
Archbishop Demetrios, and
Thomas Lelon.
RIGHT: HCHC honorary doctorate recipient Dr. Andreas
Tzakis surrounded by (from
the left) Board of Trustees
President Rev. Fr. Christopher
T. Metropulos, Bishop John of
the Diocese of Worcester and
New England, Metropolitan
Methodios of Boston, Dr. Andreas Tzakis, Archbishop
Demetrios, Thomas Lelon, and
Demetrios Katos.
Sarah-Elizabeth Hunt and by
Deacon Lucas Christensen, respectively.
HC Board of Trustees President Rev. Fr. Christopher T.
Metropulos, National Philoptochos Society President Maria Logus, Chairman of Leadership
100 George Tsandikos, and
Thomas C. Lelon, the Board’s
Vice Chair, also extended messages.
The commencement speech
was given by Ifigenia Kanara,
Consul General of Greece in
Boston, who pointed out the “incomparable beauty of the Greek
language” which she urged the
graduates “to continue to study.”
Furthermore, Kanara stated
“when I was asked if I would be
your commencement speaker I
have to admit, I was a little
taken aback… What would I talk
about? And then I thought that
the best thing I could offer is to
just share with you my perspective as a peer- colleague of sorts.
Someone who just few years
ago, or at least it was few until I
counted them, made her entry
into the real world. And while I
am far from figuring out where
my career will take me, I can
share with you what I learned
so far hoping that these lessons
will somehow help you navigate
the road ahead: faith counts, education counts, and human connection counts.”
She urged the graduates “no
matter how long and full of peril
your journey may be, you must
never forget where you began.
For all of you, your beginning is
especially significant because
you will be leaving here above
all with a mission which spans
millennia… In a world which is
constantly changing, where our
principles and beliefs are not
only called into question, but are
also in real danger, your mission
is to help make this a better
world, each in your own way, to
the best of your ability and dri-
it each year. This year’s special
feature were the three honorary
distinctions of very interesting
persons. The archbishop pointed
out that “this is a school of
value” and invited the GreekAmerican community through
TNH to “embrace and support
it.”
The HC choir, under the direction of Assistant Professor of
Byzantine Music Grammenos
Karanos, performed liturgical
hymns and Greek songs.
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COMMUNITY
4
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 28-JUNE 3, 2016
Anna Vissi
Wows Crowd
at Melrose
Ballroom
Concert
TNH Staff
ASTORIA – On May 20, pop superstar Anna Vissi took the stage
at midnight and dazzled the
fans who had gathered for the
concert at Melrose Ballroom in
Astoria. The fans waited for two
hours for the concert to begin,
many expecting an opening act
before the star performed, but
Vissi appeared on her own with
her band, performing her hit
songs from a career that spans
four decades and shows no sign
of slowing down.
Enthusiastic fans cheered the
star, and some shared their
thoughts on the concert, including Chris Semers host of Greek
in the City, a YouTube talk show,
who spoke exclusively with The
National Herald about Vissi.
“I grew up listening to Anna
Vissi and met her at the Greek
Music Video when I was eight
years old,” he told TNH. “She
spotted me in the back of the
line and had her security pick
me up to bring me to the front.
She signed autographs for the
next 10-15 minutes with me by
her side.
“The concert at Melrose Ballroom was an amazing experience,” he continued. Vissi
“started singing around midnight and went until 4:30AM
with a 15-minute intermission.
She sang everything live and
sounded great the whole time.
Usually a Greek artist will have
an opening act, but Anna Vissi
walked on stage before anyone
else, and started singing Erotevmenaki a cappella then went
right into her set.”
Vissi sang her hits and classic
Greek songs in the festive atmosphere at the concert. She
demonstrated her remarkable
range as a singer, performing
laika, nisiotika, and popular
dance music. A cake was
brought out at one point and
Vissi thanked the fans and the
organizers of the concert, Central, and especially Jack Trantides and Popi Vassilakis whose
efforts brought Vissi back to
New York where she had not
performed since 2014.
Though the show lasted for
about four hours, and some of
her fans may have been exhausted by the end, Vissi remained tireless. After her performance, she even met with
friends and fans, including Semers, who remarked, “I stayed
and met her after the show. She
was wonderful and greeted
everyone that came to see her.
The thing that I find funny is
that I’m dragging myself home
tired, and Anna Vissi is walking
out with her band and friends
full of life! Her energy is that of
a 25-year-old girl. She is such a
young, beautiful soul. She was
born to be doing exactly what
she is doing.”
Born and raised in Cyprus,
Vissi won singing contests early
in her career and then moved
to Greece where her work
reached an even wider audience. Her engaging performance style and her boundless
energy continue to draw fans to
her live shows all over the world
more than forty years after she
began her singing career as a
fresh-faced teenager in Cyprus.
The concert itself was not a
benefit as previously reported,
though some of the proceeds of
online ticket sales of 100 tickets
did go to the Cooley’s Anemia
Foundation.
DimiTri EliOPOulOS/EliOS PHOTOGrAPHy
LEFT: Greek pop music superstar Anna Vissi electrifies the crowd. RIGHT: The NHM's annual gala attracted some 700 attendees May 14 at the Hilton Chicago.
National Headline Museum Chicago Gala Headlined by Vissi
By Anthe Mitrakos
CHICAGO, IL – The National
Hellenic Museum (NHM) once
again celebrated Hellenic culture
and traditions abroad with its annual gala held this year at the
Hilton Chicago earlier this
month.
Some 700 members of the
Greek-American community and
museum supporters gathered to
enjoy a night of mingling, dining,
dancing and live musical performances by Anna Vissi and the
Chris Sarlas Orchestra.
“This gala has come a long
way…it was a fabulous turnout,”
said San Francisco-based mythology lecturer and donor to the
NHM, Georgia Anna Stathis,
about the May 14 event. “Everybody at our table tonight was
non-Greek but extremely supportive of the culture.”
A Greek Chicago tradition, all
around, the event was speckled
with avid conversation, elegant
attire and rich décor. Opening
the night was Fox 5 DC news reporter Laura Evans, who was followed by words from Gala Committee Chairman Dr. George
Korkos, and Board of Trustees
Chairman and Calamos Investments Founder John P. Calamos,
Sr.
“This year has been phenomenal because we have the largest
national audience, and that’s our
goal, to grow the museum as a
national treasure for the Greek
American culture,” NHM Executive Director Elizabeth Martin
said.
Serving as a major fundraiser
for the museum, the gala kicked
off at 7:30 pm and extended well
into the night with plenty of attractions including a model posing as the Discobolus of Myron.
Brushed in white color from
head to toe, the living ancient
Greek “statue” subtly looked over
event attendees huddled around
numerous auction booths.
Later on in the dining room,
large posters were hoisted in the
air by bidders aiming to claim
their favorite prize during a live
auction, which raised some
$147,000 for the Museum, according to Martin.
“We did so well, our community is very generous,” Martin
said. “The things we have in the
live auction make it so successful, and our staff worked hard at
that,” she added.
The auction included various
travel, sightseeing and dining experiences such as golf with
Calamos, lunch in Los Angeles
with My Big Fat Greek Wedding
star Nia Vardalos, a five-course
meal for 12 by acclaimed chef
Peter “Kalofagas” Minakis, and
an eight-day journey through
Italy for six.
After dinner was served and
the auction came to an end, the
crowd patiently awaited a live
show with Vissi, the Cyprus-born
pop rock and traditional music
performer.
“Having someone who is so
beloved makes it beyond a gala,”
Martin said of Vissi. NHM has
previously featured performances by Thanos Petrelis and
Michalis Hatzigiannis.
Donning a slit long navy
dress, leather jacket, and large
hat, Vissi made her entrance with
upbeat tunes and mingled with
the crowd, which could not resist
getting on stage for photos and
sing-along. Accordion, electric
guitar, drums and the traditional
bouzouki offered a contrast to
the classic music of the Chris Sarlas Orchestra.
The band’s lively beats got
both the young and old got off
their dinner chairs as they hit the
dance floor for the much-anticipated moment of Greek dance
that lifted spirits throughout the
night.
Touching on the details characterizing the lively culture and
traditions that set Greeks apart,
Dr. Korkos said it’s “laugher, music, parea, our love of family and
friends, our deep faith, and the
heirlooms left by generations in
every one of our families,” that
make Greeks who they are.
“Greek-Americans are very
stylish and friendly and they
know how to have a good time,”
said Toronto-based Nadar Abelnour, who is of Palestinian descent. “The Greeks have an opportunity to really preserve their
culture in a massive country
where it is easy for things to get
diluted…if they pull together
their resources, they can keep
this energy and the Greek culture
alive for generations to come in
Chicago and beyond,” he added.
“Not only did we raise significant funds for the work that we
do, but the gala kind of brings
people together from all over the
country,” said NHM President of
Cultural Affairs Connie Mourtopalas. “We have people here
from California, Utah, DC, and
that is really gratifying because
it is the National Hellenic Museum and it is being recognized
as such,” she said.
The Onassis Center Presents Greek Gods and Mortals in Midtown
Continued from page 1
ity of the objects on display has
drawn a steady stream of Greeks
and Philhellenes to the Olympic
Tower in the heart of Manhattan, as well as the thought and
care lavished on the endeavor
by Dr. Pandermalis and his colleagues. Those attending the exhibition come away enlightened, delighted, and inspired.
The noted archaeologist,
working with dedicated and energetic Onassis personnel, has
not merely brought to New York
exceptional works of art. In approximately one year, by assembling mosaics, sculptures, jewelry, ceramics, coins, glass, and
implements dating from the
tenth century BC to the fourth
century AD, they have built a
window into the world of our
physical and cultural ancestors.
The exhibition explores the relationship between everyday life
in Dion, a city built on the slopes
of Mount Olympus and the
mythological abode of the gods
on its peak and the natural setting of Dion, which can be experienced today, strongly impacted
the spirituality of the ancients.
“It is a place with plentiful
water from springs and wells,
and tall trees. It’s is near the
ocean and there was also river
plied by ships in ancient times,”
Pandermalis said, adding “Dion
is one of the best places to see
how ancient religious practices
emerged from the relationship
The Onassis Center's Gods and Mortals exhibit, at the Olympic Tower, runs though June 18.
with the physical environment.”
Pandermalis, who was raised
in Thessaloniki and has Pontian
roots, explained to TNH that
“this exhibition contains objects
from a single excavation, which
means we have a great deal of
contextual information. It’s one
thing to simply have something,
and another to know it came
from a home or a temple.”
“Around the 5th century BC
the sanctuary was transformed
from a place of local worship of
Zeus with a later significance for
all northern Greece into a Panhellenic Shrine…It was the special sanctuary of the Macedonian royal house with a major
festival in October organized
not by committees as in other
parts of Greece, but by the king
himself,” he said.
With marble sculpture, mosaics, and jewelry from Dion’s
cemeteries, religious sanctuaries, and thermal baths, this wonderful exhibition also includes
an installation with sounds of
birds and wildlife that inhabit
the site today, offering a fascinating counterpoint between
the ancient and the modern life
of Greece. Talks and tours are
available to enhance the experience of the exhibition along
with family programming on
Sundays and a video game, Secrets of the Past: Excavating the
City of Zeus, appropriate for
ages 10 and up, offers an interactive experience for kids. The
Olympus Now campaign, also
connected to the exhibition, allows the public to share their
experiences of the city and the
exhibition on social media by
posting their thoughts and impression with #OlympusNow.
The contemporary art on display
in the foyer and atrium of the
OCC provides a fine counterpoint to the ancient treasures of
the exhibition, demonstrating
the vibrant, creative spirit of ancient and modern Greece. Gods
and Mortals at Olympus: Ancient Dion, City of Zeus is made
possible by the Onassis Foundation and runs through June 18.
More information is available on
the Onassis Cultural Center
website www.onassisusa.org.
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COMMUNITY
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 28-JUNE 3, 2016
5
Traganas, Chorale, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral
By Eleni Sakellis
TNH/ElENi SAkElliS
Alexiad Chorale Director and composer Eleni Traganas and Dr.
Jennifer Pascual Director of the St. Patrick’s Cathedral Choir.
On May 19, the Alexiad
Chorale with director and composer Eleni Traganas performed
at historic St. Patrick’s Cathedral
in Midtown Manhattan along
with St. Patrick’s Choir under
the direction of Dr. Jennifer Pascual in a unique concert entitled
An Evening of Eastern and Western Sacred Music.
The Chorale began with Traganas conducting her own compositions inspired by the sacred
music of the Divine Liturgy of
the Greek Orthodox Church.
Father Dennis Strouzas, Protoprsebyter of the Archangel
Michael Greek Orthodox Church
of Port Washington, NY gave a
blessing to start the concert. Traganas spoke briefly about the
history of the organ, an original
Greek instrument, and how
thrilled and inspired she was to
write for the solo organ, especially the one in St. Patrick’s and
have her work performed in the
magnificent space of the cathedral. The rarity of new Byzantine sacred music compositions
made the evening even more
special, and the achievement of
Traganas even more extraordinary. To hear the familiar hymns
and prayers accompanied by
wonderfully composed music on
the organ played with tremendous skill by organist Michael
Hey was a singular experience
for the music fans present at the
concert.
The closing event of the St.
Patrick’s Cathedral concert series was well-attended by the
season-ticket holders and members of the public. The first
piece, “The Litany of Peace
(Kyrie),” from the Divine Liturgy
of Saint John Chrysostom set to
music is Traganas’ most recent
composition, dating from this
year. The first soloist, Stephan
Kirchgraber impressed the audience with his powerful bass
voice. The Alexiad Chorale’s entire performance can only be described as angelic, their voices
in harmony with the spiritual
quality of the music. Costa
Tsourakis, bass-baritone and Associate Music Director at the
Archdiocesan Cathedral, sang
beautifully, bringing depth and
a clear tone to the performance.
After the concert, he spoke to
TNH about performing at St.
Patrick’s Cathedral, noting the
excellent acoustics of the space.
The organ seemed to fill the vast
space of the cathedral with the
vibrant sound of the sacred music.
Chorale soloists sopranos
Roseanne Ackerley, Olga Xanthopoulou, and Maria Zollo, and
bass-baritone Alessio Farina dazzled the audience with their
The Alexiad Chorale and St.
Patrick’s Cathedral Choir perform An Evening of Eastern
and Western Sacred Music at
St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New
York City on May 19.
technique and the lyrical quality
of their voices. The St. Patrick’s
Choir joined the Chorale for
“Potirion Sotiriou,” the Communion Anthem of the Theotokos,
and “Your Mystical Supper” from
the Chrysostomian Liturgy, with
music composed by Traganas.
The two groups representing
the Eastern and the Western tradition in sacred music performed harmoniously, their
blended talents magnified by
the setting and the quality of
the music. The audience, told at
the beginning of the concert to
hold their applause until the end
of the performance of Traganas’
work, were enthusiastic in their
appreciation of the new Byzantine sacred music.
Daniel Brondel took over on
the organ for the second half of
the concert, accompanying the
Cathedral Choir under the direction of Dr. Pascual. The “Veni
Sancti Spiritus” was sung as a
chant and then in an arrangement demonstrating the splendor of each in its own way. Reverend Monsignor Hilary Franco,
Advisor of the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the
United Nations, was one of the
honored guests in the audience
and at the end of the performance told the Chorale and the
Choir that “John Chrysostom
would be very proud of you.”
He also quoted St. Augustine in
Latin, translating into English,
“He who sings prays twice,”
adding “whoever sings well
prayed for all of us twice.”
The Illustrious Career HBO Impresario Anne Thomopoulos
Continued from page 1
opened up production opportunities for her in France. She produced the Renaissance period
drama Borgia, about the famous
family's rise to power and domination of the Vatican political
landscape. Borgia's Executive
Producer Tom Fontana is an old
acquaintance of Thomopoulos,
and he was Michael J. Fox'
agent. Thomopoulos said “ProCast members
of the cutting-edge HBO
series Oz,
created by Anne
Thomopoulos.
duction is like a war. Relationships are very important and
you want to work with someone
you trust and respect. You want
to collaborate with people that
you know have the required
skills and you want to get back
into the foxhole.” The show was
the highest rated original series
for Canal+ in France and Italy.
Versailles is a Franco-Canadian
television series about the construction of the famed Versailles
Palace during the reign of
French ruler Louis XIV, and premiered in France and Canada
last November. It is slated to
premiere on American television
this October. This series was
also filmed in English, and
French critics were reportedly
furious about that. That the
show now airs on BBC2 in England with great success illustrates that the switch to the English language despite some local
criticism will continue “as more
European production companies
realize that their shows will
have more international commercial value if filmed in English,” she says.
With a budget of 2.7 million
euros per episode, the show
doubles the average cost of an
episode of Downton Abbey. According to Thomopoulos, the
show “feels very truthful to the
period without all of the details
being 100% accurate.”
Thomopoulos was also the
Executive Producer for The Collection, the story of two brothers
who are intent on maintaining
their Parisian fashion company
in France after the end of the
WWII. The fashion industry becomes a “vehicle of reinvention
and transformation as France is
attempting to recover after the
war.”
Is a Greek production inevitable? In Thomopoulos’ future plans could be the development of Alexander the Great,
a project she began developing
on HBO but was never filmed.
She has never filmed in Greece
and perhaps this would give her
the opportunity to do so.
GREEK ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL OF ST. PAUL
PRESENTS OUR FAMOUS
GREEK FESTIVAL
110 CATHEDRAL AVENUE, HEMPSTEAD, NY 11550
Tel: (516) 483-5700 • FESTIVAL.STPAULHEMPSTEAD.ORG
THURSDAY
SATURDAY
JUNE 2ND
JUNE 4TH
6-10 P.M.
2-11 P.M.
FRIDAY
SUNDAY
JUNE 3RD
JUNE 5TH
6-11 P.M.
1-9 P.M.
TNH/COSTAS BEJ
Eleni Kounalakis, former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, was honored on May 24 by the Philoptochos Society of the Holy Trinity Cathedral during its annual Spring Luncheon at the Central
Park Boathouse.
Philoptochos Spring Luncheon a Big Success
Continued from page 1
a different climate which was
not consistent with the so-called
Liberal Democracy. Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb n began to implement reforms, and the then Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton described the reforms and the
changes to the constitution as
backward steps of democracy.”
Kounalakis said her book “is
dedicated to the men and
women who serve in the diplomatic corps of the United
States.”
Speaking about America,
Kounalakis noted how interested Europeans are about the
U.S. system of elections. She described them as “the backbone
of our life.
The power we have as a nation. And you realize this when
you visit other countries, who
do not have the infrastructure
we have here.
Even organizations such as
the Philoptochos.”
Sex Abuse Victim Sues Metropoulos, Church
Continued from page 1
tiny camera, she confronted him
and she reported the incident to
the police. When the police
searched Metropoulos’ computer, they found hundreds of
child pornographic material. He
was placed under arrest and the
Church was alerted.
Metropoulos had previously
been convicted of pedophilia in
Michigan. He went to Maine he
became a teacher and after
eight years was admitted into
the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox
School of Theology and became
Adam Metropoulos, former
priest of St. George in ME.
a priest. Metropoulos was
spending long periods of time
during the summer months at
the Camp of the Metropolis of
Boston in Contoocook New
Hampshire doing catechetical
instruction to the children,
played with them and helped in
the camp program.
It was also reported that
Metropoulos had slept on the
couch at his home with two underage boys and touched them
inappropriately.
Recently, the court rejected
Metropoulos’ petition for early
release.
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6
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 28-JUNE 3, 2016
Dia Pyrros: Brintziki Vineyards Introduces its New Wine – From the Fire
By Aliz Koletas
Dionysi
and
Dionysia
Brintziki, founders and owners
of Ktima Brintziki celebrated the
worldwide release of Dia Pyros
this week in New York.
"Dia Pyros," meaning "from
the fire" has a truly remarkable
story of its grapes surviving the
terrible "Greek Hellfires" of 2007
when the Brintzikis remember
how over 3000 fires raged across
Greece scorching 670,000 acres
of land making it the worst fire
season on record in the past 50
years in Greece. The fires even
reached Brintziki Vineyards outside Ancient Olympia, and while
the vineyards weren't spared, the
grapes somehow still survived
through the scorching flames.
Ktima Brintziki has captured
the uniqueness of vinifying
these grapes which have undergone such an extreme situation
and after one long years of aging, they have come out with a
wine that truly one of a kind.
Upstairs at Kimberly Hotel
was packed with Greeks and
non-Greeks alike who came out
to support the Brintziki Winery.
Groups of New York food bloggers, including Daska Navia
from Tater Thoughts, gathered
together to reflect in the gathering and raise their wine
glasses in salute to the incredible story behind Dia Pyros.
Dean Gamanos, founder of
Greenwich Wine Society in Connecticut, raved about how Greek
wines are finally being discovered in America and how happy
he was to support the event.
As an organic winery and the
first green and energy friendly
winery in Greece, Brintziki Winery and the couple behind it, the
Britzikis are also proud of the
fact that they can now share
their wine with the rest of the
world and tell the miraculous
story of how their grapes came
through the fire to tell this story.
Being released are 2300 individually numbered bottle of
Dia Pyros, which are wax sealed
bearing the handwritten signature of Dionysis and the oenologist George Kotseridis. More
information is available at
brintzikis.com.
Oenophiles filled Upstairs at
the Kimberly Hotel in Midtown for the worldwide release of Dia Pyrros.
An Evening of Fabulous Food and Film at the New York Athletic Club
Continued from page 1
maine Costa Lazaridi, of Drama.
The Amethystos Rosé was refreshingly dry, a wine that could
easily be paired with a variety
of dishes. The Amethystos regional dry red wine of Drama, a
blend of Cabernet, Merlot, and
Agiorgitiko, was a perfect pairing for the roasted beef at the
reception.
Cindy Spera, NYAC Board of
Governors Social Activities committee head welcomed everyone
to the screening and introduced
the honored guests Master
Chefs, Lidia Bastianich, Maria
Loi, April Bloomfield, Sylvia Weinstock, and Valerie James, all
of whom are featured in the feature-length documentary film A
Fine Line, directed by Joanna
James Moschos, daughter of Valerie, and produced by Anastasia
Ganias. Ganias introduced the
sneak preview of the unreleased
trailer of A Fine Line to an enthusiastic audience. The compilation piece from the hundreds
of hours of footage highlighted
the remarkable achievements of
the women chefs in a maledominated industry. As noted in
the film and by the producers
of the film, less than 7% of
restaurants are owned by
women and only 15% of executive chefs are women in the
United States, in spite of the fact
that the overwhelming number
of cooks worldwide are women.
The documentary explores that
discrepancy through the stories
of some of the most successful
women chefs in the industry.
Valerie James’ own story is
especially poignant and uplifting. Divorced at a young age
and with two children to support, she decided to open her
own restaurant. Years of hard
work followed, but as she said,
“I had a vision… and kept on
going.” James observed that she
went into the business because
she loved people, and for her
children, and though she had
ABOVE: Joanna James and
Anastasia Ganias of Aliana
Productions, screened a
trailer of their upcoming feature length documentary A
Fine Line at the New York Athletic Club on May 23. ABOVE
RIGHT: Chef Valerie James
and Richard Grausman, C-CAP
Founder and Chairman.
RIGHT: The Loi Restaurant
table featured a taste of
Greece with flavorful marinated octopus at the Spring
Soiree: An Evening of Fine
Food & Film at the New York
Athletic Club on May 23.
only her parents for support
early on, determination was the
key to her success. From a small
pizzeria in Holden, a town outside of Worcester, MA, Val’s
Restaurant is now 15,000
square feet and James hopes it
will expand to 30,000. Her father, Jimmy, emigrated from
Greece and worked his way up
from dishwasher to restaurant
owner himself, so the business
is in the blood for the James
family. Like many Greek-Americans, the children of the family
worked in the family business.
The tradition continues with Valerie’s son Christos who is the
chef de cuisine at the restaurant.
Following the screening, the
film’s director Joanna James
Moschos said she wanted to
share the stories of these successful women chefs and not
simply throw statistics at people.
The chefs sharing their own experiences will help and inspire
the next generation of young
chefs, especially young women
who make up more than 50%
of the enrollment in culinary
schools. James also mentioned
the rising call for paid family
leave in the United States. In
this way, chefs, men and
women, won’t have to choose
between the restaurant or their
family.
Many women chefs found
they were not taken seriously
early on in their careers, but it
was the quality of their food,
and hard work that made the
difference in the long run. As
Sylvia Weinstock noted when
she began her wedding cake
business, people asked who the
new kid on the block was, and
it was a 50-year-old woman.
Now, she is on second generation wedding cakes. The secret
to her success was simple, she
wanted, “to make cakes that
look good and taste good, too.”
April Bloomfield of The Spotted
Pig, said she, “kept her head
down for two years and worked
hard.” For Bloomfield, a dedication to using fresh, local ingredients from environmentallyconscious,
self-sustainable
farms, was a priority. There was
no time to think about being a
woman in a male-dominated
business. Lidia Bastianich spoke
about the difficulty in getting financial backing for your restaurant if you are a woman. Creating a network of support helped
Bastianich follow her passion
and also raise her family. “Passion, commitment, and lots of
hard work” are essential for her,
and the fact that she is still excited about food and cooking
even as she transitions into
more of a mentoring role in the
business. Maria Loi emphasized
the importance of honest, clean
food and getting back to using
real ingredients and not
processed foods.
Run Alexei Run! Write Alexei Write! Alexi Pappas Greek Olympic Hope Too
Continued from page 1
it an arduous task despite their
kinship with their homeland.
To her teen fans and teen runners she’s the Lady Gagagagagaaga of the sport, a magnet for
idolatry and emulation and a
hair fashion trend. Girl runners
want a bun too and love the
sport’s hippie, a kind of 1960’s
throwback to free thinking.
One young runner and fan
who came to watch her, Rachael
Reiter, was too shy to approach
her at a meet but told the Times:
“Love the bun. Love that about
her. The bun almost has its own
fan club on, like, Twitter. I tried
to run in a bun once. It totally
fell apart. She can pull it off.”
She’s as smart as she is athletic, and turned down scholarships to pursue a Master’s Degree
in writing from Columbia, USC
and UCalifornia-Irvine because
she wanted to run, baby, run.
She’s also done stand-up comedy – showing fearlessness as
anyone who’s tried it will attest
– and understand enough about
herself to advise her followers to
be themselves.
“Whatever I am to these girls,
I’m happy to be,” Pappas said.
“The bun is something that, if
your hair is long enough, anyone
can do. That’s a connection to
make with young runners.
Rather than tweeting out, ‘Just
ran 100 miles this week’ — not
healthy for them, anyway — why
not a picture of my hair?”
She has a hard serious side
too. “I’m not a cartoon character,”
she said. “People read my poetry
and this and that, and when they
meet me at the track, they think
there’ll be a — ta-da! — a show
or something. At home, I’m
mostly quiet and often asleep.”
LOSING A MOTHER
She was raised in Alameda,
California, between Oakland and
San Francisco in a life that didn’t
begin easy. Her mother, Roberta,
committed suicide when her
daughter was only four years
old, leaving the girl to be raised
by her father, John, and older
brother, Louis.
When she got old enough,
Pappas talked to her father of
her mother and sought out her
mom’s friends, trying to find
some answers and understanding about what had happened.
“How can someone be so sad
that they’d want to leave?” Pappas told The Times. “What I
think it was, maybe she didn’t
have someone to share what she
was going through. Her close
friends told me she didn’t talk or
emote, at least not like I do.”
Her boyfriend, Jeremy Teicher, who co-directed Tracktown
said there’s many sides to her
and that she’s not insular or
thinking only of self.
“Alexi tries to be open and
talk honestly with people,” said
Teicher, who met Pappas at Dartmouth when they were studying
film and theater. “She talks about
her fears and how hard things
can be. That’s why people are
drawn to her. That’s also something I, as the boyfriend, actually
admire.”
Pappas has to emote as much
as run, especially when she gets
inside herself about what happened to her mom without
knowing why really.
“When I think of my mom, it
makes me … I don’t know, let’s
just say that’s why at least somebody knows everything about
me,” she said. “I mean, if I have
a bad sandwich, I’ll tell Jeremy.
If I see a weird leaf on a run,
maybe it’ll become a poetry
tweet. I’m making it so that people hold on to the things going
on inside me.”
There are those who question
whether being so multi-faceted
has hurt her running, that marginalizing herself with too many
activities makes her take her eye
off the track even if it’s watching
the road.
“She gets criticized from all
angles — the film and the track
and field,” said Jordan Hasay, an
elite distance runner who was
Pappas’s teammate on the University of Oregon cross-country
team that won the 2012 NCAA
title. Pappas was granted a fifth
year of eligibility after graduating from Dartmouth and ran for
Oregon while completing a Master’s Degree.
“But that’s what works for
her,” Hasay said. “You find happiness in different areas. It
wouldn’t be enough for her to
focus on just one thing. It doesn’t
hinder her, only enhances her.”
Pappas’s coach, the Olympian
Ian Dobson, gives her a lot of
slack, unlike some coaches who
won’t suffer a lack of attention
and focus on the sport. She
missed three weeks of training
last year to film Tracktown and
Dobson said her coming late to
the sport has made it tough.
said he not only accepted but
also embraced her choices. When
“Tracktown” was filming last
year in Eugene, forcing Pappas
to miss three weeks of training,
Dobson did not object, he said.
HER WAY
She was one of the top prep
distance runners in California as
a freshman at Bishop O’Dowd
High School in Oakland but fell
out of favor with coaches who
thought she wasn’t focused.
“I was 16, with frizzy hair and
braces, and wanted to explore
soccer, student government, theater and boys,” Pappas said.
At Dartmouth, she was the
“slowest runner on the team” her
first year because she wanted to
“go to parties and explore the
full college experience,” she said.
Now she trains hard with the
Oregon Track Club Elite in a
state which reveres the sport.
She still fits in all her other
activities. “The film and creative
work have kept me healthy,” Pappas said. “On an average day, I’ll
finish my workout, my postworkout fuel, and come back
here excited to work on the film.
I’ll bring my bowl of mush down
for breakfast into Jeremy’s office
and look at what he’s editing.
She’ll spend some time now
doing high-altitude training with
the Greek Olympic track team in
Font Romeu, on the border of
France and Spain; competing in
the European Championships;
and then returning to Mammoth,
Calif., for more altitude training
with her mentor, Deena Kastor,
before heading to Rio de Janeiro
in August for the Olympics.
“This might open up a whole
new world for me and my running scope,” Pappas said. “I’m officially on the team, and I’m now
the national record holder in the
10K, after my time at Stanford.
There’s already been a bunch of
articles about me in Greece. It’s
very exciting.”
Now she’s added learning
Greek to her repertoire but in a
life with so many swirling
choices made simultaneously
said she has one hard and fast
rule: “You cannot run 24 hours
a day. There’s a mental and physical benefit to having something
else in your life.”
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 28-JUNE 3, 2016
FEATURE
7
ALL HISTORY
The Book Nook: Yet another Important Building in Greek-Am. History
By Steve Frangos
TNH Staff Writer
CHICAGO- When the book on
Greek-American Monuments is
finally compiled a lengthy entry
on the Book Nook in Bloomington IN must see inclusion.
Through various archival collections, historical markers, public
statues and other sustained
preservation efforts it is clear
Americans clearly recognize the
importance of this structure, the
actions of its various Greek owners and how their daily lives
have had a lasting influence on
the people and culture of southern Indiana. My account here is
merely to make these local efforts known more widely.
Now among Greek-Americans there will certainly be
those who know of the both the
existence and contributions of
the tight-knit Greek community
that stretches across southern
Indiana. My singling out the
Book Nook from, say, the various other early Greek-owned establishments of Bloomington
such as the Greek Candy
Kitchen, Nick’s English Hut, or
even the later presence of the
Kerasotes ownership of the Von
Lee Theatre could well be questioned. Nonetheless, as each
book is composed of individual
pages so must we progress in
our presentation of Greek-American historical structure, one historic marker, statue, fountain,
or other monument at a time.
And given the close nature of
the Greek community in Bloomington as well as the specific history surrounding the Book Nook
it will be inevitable that we
mention many of the local Hellenes and their extended kin.
The Book Nook still stands
at 114 S. Indiana Avenue across
from the Indiana University (IU)
School of Law. In 1914, John L.
Nichols, a local architect de-
Hoagie Carmichael at the piano, surrounded by his friends,
during the heyday of the Book Nook.
signed the building in the Spanish Colonial style. In 1919,
George Poolitsan, owner of the
Candy Kitchen on Walnut Street,
purchased the Book Nook from
C.D. Fetzer and C.W. Jewett, a
former mayor of Indianapolis.
Poolitsan died months later, and
his widow sold the business to
relatives Peter, George, and
Harry Costas. It was during this
period that the Book Nook
gained a reputation as a student
hangout hotspot which featured
a soda fountain, book store and
music. But what else would you
expect? It was the Roaring
Twenties! The Jazz Age of F.
Scott Fitzgerald with its college
fraternity men in their raccoon
coats, hot “cool” jazz and dances
like the foxtrot and the collegiate. The Book Nook soon
known for its music and the
Moenkhaus delivered his speech
wearing a bathrobe and holding
a dead fish. “President” Peter
Costas handed out degrees from
the “College of Arts and Appliances.”
The Book Nook Commencements were increasingly elaborate productions, involving a parade from fraternity house to
the Nook, absurd speeches, music, the conferring of fake degrees and diplomas, and “noise”
by the “Book Nook Symphony
Orchestra,” and “additional
noise” by the “Concert Ya Book
Nook Orchestra.” Students arrived attired in cone shaped hats
and bathrobes. Some of the nonsensical degrees handed out included: Master of Hearts, Doctor
of Physique, Doctor of Yell, Vociferatissimus, and Lord Mare of
Hearts, Eroticus, Cum Laude.
During the last Book Nook Commencement, Herman B Wells,
then an instructor in economics,
was presented with the degree
“Doctor of Nookology.” Four
Book Nook Commencement ceremonies were held, three between 1927-1929, and the last
in 1931. In 1930, the depression
caused many students to drop
out, and the mock commencement was canceled. Although it
was revived the next year, soon
after the 1931 commencement
the Depression again put a stop
to
the
production
(http://www.dlib.indiana.edu).
”
Without speaking of any of
the other individuals mentioned
as devotees of the Book Nook
Hoagy Carmichael (1899-1981)
and Bix Beiderbecke (19031931) are two of the most
revered musician/composers of
the Jazz Age. Beiderbecke was
one of the most influential jazz
soloists of the 1920s. His turns
on "Singin' the Blues" and "I'm
Coming, Virginia" (both 1927),
in particular transformed the
genre. Yet it was Carmichael
who is purported to have composed his signature song Stardust in 1927 at the Book Nook
piano. In 1931, the Great Depression forced the Costas
Brothers to sell the Book Nook.
The children of George Poolitsan, Nick, Chris, Charlie, and
Pete, and their sister Katherine
Topolgus still owned the building, and re-opened it as a
restaurant called The Gables.
They ran it until 1968.
The Indiana University Foundation bought the building in
1979 and has leased it out to
several other restaurants, including another Gables restaurant, which was owned by Max
and Linda Wildman and operated from 1997 until roughly
2001. So, before anyone gets
confused this structure was the
Book Nook from c. 1919/1920
until 1931, then The Gables
Restaurant (1931 - 1980), next
Garcia's Pizza (1980 - 1996),
once again The Gables (19972001), then the Roly Poly Sandwich Shop (Downtown) (2002
- 2004) and now Buffalouies
(Gables) at the Gables (2004 ).
Today, a historical plaque
stands out front of the building
at 114 S. Indiana Avenue honoring the fact that Hoagy
Carmichael composed his immortal “Star Dust” in this building. In 2008, a Hoagy
Carmichael Landmark Sculpture
was placed near the northeast
corner of the IU Auditorium. It
shows Hoagy composing Stardust on the Book Nook piano.
More could be written about the
Book Nook as well as the Greek
community of Bloomington.
Which is why more individuals
should take up the task of researching and writing GreekAmerican history.
[email protected]
The Lobster: it’s Weird, Challenging, and Scary
Traveling
Through
Literary
Kalamata
By Penelope Karageorge
By Stephanie
Nicholopoulos
With recently launched nonstop service from London to
Kalamata by British Airways, the
Peloponnesian city is now a hotter tourist destination than perhaps ever before. Renowned the
world over for its olives, Kalamata also is a literary treasure.
There are plenty of writers
to discover from Kalamata and
the famous works set along the
Nedonas River.
Kalamata-born Nikolaos Politis is Greece’s forerunning folklorist. Born in 1852, he studied
in his hometown until he gained
acceptance into the School of
Philosophy at the University of
Athens. After graduating, he
moved to Germany to study on
a state scholarship before returning to teach Greek mythology at the University of Athens.
Politis wrote about Modern
Greek culture for the literary
journal Pandora, founded Parnassos Philological Society, established the Library of the Parliament, and cofounded the
Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece. With poet Georgios Drosinis he published the
journal Estia (Hearth), which
launched a biannual short-story
contest that promoted the literary genre and helped launch
new writers’ careers. Politis,
however, grew increasingly interested in folklore. He began
teaching the subject in 1908,
founded the Hellenic Folklore
Society, published the journal
Laographia (Folklore Studies),
and advised on the creation of
the Folklore Archive. Politis remains known today for his defense of Hellenism.
One of the most significant
Modern Greek poets, Kostas
Karyotakis was born on October
30, 1896, in the nearby city of
Tripoli. Multiple family moves
landed him for some time in
Kalamata. He received his degree from the Athens School of
Law and Political Sciences in
1917 and became a clerk in
Thessaloniki. Miserable on the
job, he wrote prose poems about
the bureaucracy. In 1919, he
published his first collection,
The Pain of Men and Things,
and began publishing a satirical
magazine called The Leg, which
was banned. His radical poetry
was neo-Romantic in its anguish
but verged on surrealism. By
1922 he was working in Attica,
where he got involved with his
colleague Maria Polydouri, a fellow poet from Kalamata. The
two great poets were reportedly
never physically intimate—a
good thing because he had con-
sometimes rowdy behavior of its
customers.
The Indiana University
Archives (IUA) has an array of
historic photographs of the
events held at Book Nook as
well as those of many of the
most notable characters. Notable IU alum musician and
composer Hoagy Carmichael
was a frequent patron, and it is
said he composed his most famous songs, Stardust, at one of
the Book Nook booths. In his
autobiography, Sometimes I
Wonder (1965), Carmichael described the Book Nook as, “a
randy temple smelling of socks,
wet slickers, vanilla flavoring,
face powder, and unread books.
Its dim lights, its scarred walls,
its marked up booths, and unsteady tables made campus history.”
Herman B. Wells (IU grad
and later president of the University) described a slightly less
raucous establishment in his autobiography, Being Lucky
(1980): “in my day it was the
hub of all student activity; here
student political action was plotted, organizations were formed,
ideas and theories were exchanged among students from
various disciplines and from different sections of the campus.
For most of this period the Book
Nook was presided over by
something of a genius, Peter
Costas, a young Greek immigrant who transformed a campus hangout into a remarkably
fertile cultural and political
breeding place in the manner of
the famous English coffee
houses. All in all it was a lively,
exhilarating
place
(http://www.dlib.indiana).”
The Book Nook Commencement ceremonies have their
own unique history: “The first
Book Nook Commencement was
held in 1927 for William
Moenkhaus, a contemporary
and friend of Carmichael.
Moenkhaus was a leader of a
group of students who called
themselves the ‘Bent Eagles,’
known to spend a lot of time at
the Book Nook.” Carmichael
was also a member of the “Bent
Eagles,” others included Bix Beiderbecke (cornetist), “Wad”
Allen, Charles Bud Dant, and Ed
Wolfe. Moenkhaus was often referred to as the “poet of Indiana
Avenue” and was known to perform Dada poetry. When
Moenkhaus was denied his
diploma due to his refusal to
take a required course on hygiene, the owners of the Book
Nook George and Peter Costas
worked with the Bent Eagles to
put together the mock commencement. The Book Nook
Commencement was certainly
infused with the spirit of Dada;
Kalamata is not only rich in
olives, but also in literature.
Seen here is poet Kostas Karyotakis.
tracted syphilis. He fled the
country, coming back only to
spend the last thirty-three days
of his life in Preveza before committing suicide on July 21,
1928.
Maria Polydouri was born in
1902 in Kalamata, where she
studied and began writing at a
young age. Associated with the
Neo-Romantic school, her poetry is intensely personal and
natural – as if snatched from her
diary. Love, death, and sadness
saturated her work, no doubt
partly because her parents died
when she was just a teenager
and because she became entangled with the iconoclastic,
syphilitic poet Karyotakis. She
herself caught tuberculosis in
the 1920s and spent her final
years writing poetry in hospitals
in Paris and Athens. Her first poetry collection, The Chirps That
Faint, was published the year of
Karyotakis’ death. The year after, she published Echo over
Chaos. Her writing has been
translated into Spanish and German. She died on April 29,
1930.
During World War II,
teenager Sotiria Salivaras scribbled away in her diary about
everything she saw in Kalamata
before she immigrated to Argentina. Eduardo D. Faingold
used her diary as well as interviewed her and her sons to write
The Kalamata Diary: Greece,
War, and Emigration. Spanning
from 1940 to 1947, the book is
a revealing look at Axis Poweroccupied Greece and Greek expatriates living in South America.
If you’re looking for a more
scandalous beach read, though,
pick up English writer Anne
Hampson’s romance novel The
Hills of Kalamata (1976). Instead of successfully helping her
girlfriend kidnap a Greek businessman, Sarah Gilmore gets
kidnapped by Charon Drakos.
He traps her in the Greek village
and makes her his wife.
Lobster slathered with
melted butter has always been
one of my favorite treats. It
took Yorgos Lanthimos’ scary,
mindblowing new film, The
Lobster, to make me realize that
this denizen of the deep could
live to a ripe old age if left on
its own. I will never look at lobster the same way again.
Nor at a toaster (an instrument of torture in the new film)
or a steak knife. Will Colin Farrell really gouge his eyes out in
the name of love? As a loner,
how would I feel about being
commanded to “dig my own
grave”? Not good. Did I like the
movie? I don’t know. But I was
utterly fascinated by it.
An admirer of Lanthimos, the
steeped-in-black-humor director
who plays with audiences by
stripping all the niceness off
convention to leave them feeling
emotionally naked and scared –
why are we laughing – I could
not wait to see The Lobster.
Bravo to the director who
stepped out of cult status and
into the main stream without
compromising his bizarre artistic vision. The Lobster proves
his strangest film to date. He
spares us nothing.
There’s much unsettling in
this dark new film that takes the
imperative to mate as its subject. Consider Lanthimos’s previous films, Dogtooth and Alps.
A pattern has emerged. The
three films could stand as a trilogy on the impossibility of freedom. People live entrapped by
society and its leaders. The
most minor infraction and deviance from the rules calls forth
an enormous punishment, even
death. In The Lobster, a person
who does not find a mate in 45
days will be transformed into an
animal of his choice. The newly
divorced Colin Farrell, arrives
at the Hotel with his brother,
now a dog, in tow. In Farrell’s
attempt to team up with the
heartless woman (many of the
characters in this film do not
have names) he displeases her.
She responds by kicking the dog
(brother) to death.
There is no safety in the Lanthimos world. Forget about
atom bombs when a pointed
shoe can become a killing instrument. Sex is absurd, as well
as dangerous, automatic rather
than sensual. In a Lanthimos
film, the characters appear to
suffer from anhedonia, an inability to experience pleasure in
normally pleasurable acts. They
bow down to mysterious leaders, whether a father, or the
head of a resort. They obey.
They conform.
Loew’s West 68th Street Theatre was packed on a Sunday
afternoon. The gal sitting next
to me laughed hysterically
throughout the film, when she
wasn’t gasping from shock. One
couple in my aisle took off halfway through the screening.
Colin Farrell and
Rachel Weisz
(above) star in
Yorgos
Lanthimos’ (left)
The Lobster
When I left the theatre, the
young man who was waiting to
sweep up the popcorn said to
me “Congratulations on staying
to the end.”
The film does not end. It just
stops. But that’s the Lanthimos
style. For better or worse, he’s
an artist, a ground-breaker, as
surely as Picasso or Fellini. After
all the dystopian fun and games,
as the credits roll, a beautiful,
romantic rendition of S’Agapo
plays in Greek. We stumble out
of the theatre, surprised and
elated to see the sun shining.
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S
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4
OBITUARIES CLASSIFIEDS
8
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 28-JUNE 3, 2016
CLASSIFIEDS
WWII Navy Vet Luke John Loukas, Was 90
LEGAL NOTICE
TNH Staff
PORT ARTHUR, TX (from the
Port Arthur News, published on
May 13) – Luke John Loukas of
Port Arthur, TX passed away on
May 12 at Dubuis Hospital-St.
Mary. He was 90 years old. Born
on February 12, 1926 to parents
Helen Thomas and John Loukas
in Port Arthur, Loukas was a lifelong resident of Port Arthur. He
served in the US Navy during
World War II. A salesman with
the Drago Supply Company,
Loukas had retired after 20
years. A loyal church-goer, he
was a member of St. George
Greek Orthodox Church in Port
Arthur and St. Michael Orthodox Christian Church in Beaumont, TX.
Loukas is survived by his wife
Sophie Laskos Loukas, his two
sons, John L. Loukas and wife
Vickie, their son Luke John
Loukas of Sulphur, LA, Peter L.
Loukas and wife Gail of Port
Arthur, and his sister Katherine
Kaffoglou, his brother Thomas
J. Loukas and wife Joyce, all of
Port Arthur, several nieces and
nephews, great nieces and
nephews. The visitation was
held for family and friends on
May 15 with a Trisagion prayer
at the Clayton Thompson Funeral Home in Groves, TX. The
funeral services were held on
May 16 in the Thompson
Memorial Chapel at the funeral
home. The burial followed at
Greenlawn Memorial Park,
Groves, TX. May his memory be
eternal.
Notice of formation EAST EGG PM, LLC.
(DOM. LLC). Articles of Organization filed
with the Secretary of State of New York,
SSNY on 04/19/2016. Office located in
Nassau County. SSNY has been designated
for service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of
any process served against the LLC to: c/o
United States Corporation Agents, 7014 13th
Avenue, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
275216/20001
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of formation CHAT & CHANGE
COUNSELING SERVICES LLC (DOM. LLC).
Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York, SSNY on
01/11/2016.
Office located in Nassau
County. SSNY has been designated for
service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of
any process served against the LLC to: 615
Broadway, Unite 31, Amityville, New York
11701. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
275184/19981
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of formation 269 INVESTORS
CLUB LLC. (DOM. LLC). Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of
New York, SSNY on 05/10/2016. Office
located in K County. SSNY has been
designated for service of process. SSNY shall
mail copy of any process served against the
LLC to: Bentley Shang Zhao, 4918 3rd Avenue,
Brooklyn, NY 11220. Purpose: Any lawful
activity.
DEATH NOTICES
275210/19997
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of Formation of PROSPECT GROUP
REALTY LLC (DOM. LLC) Articles of Organization filed with SSNY on 04/25/2016.
Office location: Kings County. SSNY is designated for service of process and shall mail
to: THE LLC, 1329 65th Street, Brooklyn,
NY 11219. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
275183/19980
n BOURNAKEL, DR. GEORGE
YARMOUTH, ME (from the
Portland Press Herald, published on May 21) – Dr. George
S. Bournakel, 80, of Yarmouth,
passed away in Falmouth on
May 20, 2016, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.
George was born on April 28,
1936, in Lewiston, the son of
Spiro and Antigone Bournakel.
A 1954 grad- uate of Lewiston
High School, he obtained his
Bachelor of Science degree from
Tufts University in 1958, and his
Doctor of Optometry degree
from the Massachusetts College
of Optometry in 1962. After
completion of his studies,
George returned to Lewiston
and established his own practice, Optometric Associates. In
1966, he and Kay Angelides
were married in Athens, Greece,
before settling in Auburn, where
they raised their two children,
Stefan and Christina. George
achieved numerous distinctions
in optometry, in- cluding full
membership in the International
Society of Contact Lens Specialists. In 1981, he was recognized
for his outstanding research
contributions in the development of contact lenses, and was
part of the original "dirty
dozen," a group of 12 renowned
optometrists across the country.
After his retirement from Optometric Associates, George was
honored with the Lifetime Distinguished Service Award by the
Maine Optometric Association
in 2006. Beyond these professional distinctions, George took
incred- ible pride in his connection with his patients, and he is
loved and remembered by many
of them to this day. George was
extremely active in the local
community, working with many
local organizations, including
serving as president of local area
child and family mental health
services. A child of Greek immigrants, George was especially
proud of his heritage and was
active in the Greek Orthodox
church community for many
years, serving as president of the
church council and being instrumental in the development of
the community's new church in
Lewiston. A lover of jazz music
and an avid skier, George had
an incredible passion for boating, and was particularly fond
of summers in Boothbay Harbor,
sailing and spending time with
his family. Friends and family
alike will remember George's
sense of humor and his ability
to relate stories of his many
travels and adventures. George
is survived by his wife of 50
years, Kay Bournakel of
Yarmouth;
his
daughter,
Christina, of Portland; his
grandson, Nicos Bournakel, of
Kentfield, Calif.; and his sister,
Angela Bournakel of Yarmouth.
He was predeceased by his son,
Stefan Bournakel, in 2004; and
his brother, Charles Bournakel;
in 2012. George is also survived
by his sisters-in-law, Cynthia
Arnold of Brunswick and Kiki
Bournakel of Lewiston; and his
nephews, Chris Bournakis and
Nicholas Bournakel, of Portland.
At the family's request, there
will be no visitation. A funeral
service will be held on Tuesday,
May 24, at 10 a.m. at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 155
Hagan Rd., Lewiston. Committal will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery. Arrangements are by Fortin
Group/Plummer & Merrill Funeral Home, Cremation & Monument Services, 217 Turner St.,
Auburn. You are invited to offer
condolences and pay tribute to
George's life by visiting his guest
book
at:
www.thefortingroupauburn.com.
n CHIGAS, FILITSA
CHELMSFORD, MA (from the
Lowell Sun, published on May
19) – Filitsa V. (Papathanasiou)
Chigas, 82, of Chelmsford,
passed away peacefully at home
on May 15, 2016 surrounded by
her loving family. She was the
beloved wife of the late Vess
Chigas, who died in 1989. Born
on May 24, 1933 in Argos
Orestikon, Greece, she was the
daughter of the late Michael and
the late Sevasti (Tsolaki) Papathanasiou. Moving to ThessaDays and dates of funerals,
memorials, and other events directly correspond to the original
publication date, which appears
at the beginning of each notice.
loniki, Greece as a teen to escape the fighting of the Greek
civil war, she graduated at the
top of her class from both the
1st Gymnasion of Thessaloniki
and Paedagogiki Academia of
Thessaloniki. Following her university studies, she taught at the
prestigious "Scoli Schina," the
first private school established
in Thessaloniki during the Turkish occupation. In 1958, she was
introduced to Vess while he was
vacationing in Greece. They
married in 1960, ultimately settling in Chelmsford. Filitsa devoted her life to her family,
friends and community, serving
on the board of the Lowell General Auxiliary, as a Corporator
of Lowell General Hospital, and
on the Board of Directors of the
House of Hope Homeless Shelter in Lowell. Her many interests included travelling, classical
music, gardening and other creative activities. She was passionate about issues of children's
welfare. Filitsa is survived by
her children, Diana Chigas and
her husband George Antoniadis
of Belmont, MA and Daphne
Bogert and her husband
Jonathan of Wallingford, PA,
two grandchildren Anna G. Antoniadis and Charles V. Bogert,
her brother, Dr. Andreas Papathanasiou and his wife Niki of
Thessaloniki, Greece, brotherin-law Dr. William Chigas and
his wife Margaret of Wells, ME,
and numerous nieces, nephews
and godchildren. There will be
no calling hours. Relatives and
friends are invited to attend her
Funeral Service to be celebrated
Friday morning at the Hellenic
Orthodox Church of the Holy
Trinity in Lowell at 10 o'clock.
The burial will be private. Econdolences/directions at odonnellfuneralhome.com. In lieu of
flowers, those wishing may
make contributions in her memory to the House of Hope, 812
Merrimack St., Lowell, MA
01854 or the Lowell General
Hospital Cancer Center, c/o
Philanthropy Office, 295 Varnum Ave., Lowell, MA 01854.
Arrangements by the O'Donnell
Funeral Home In Lowell - (978
or 866) 458-8768.
n COULOURAS, ELAINE
LOWELL, MA (from the Lowell
Sun, published on May 6) –
LOWELL -- Mrs. Elaine (Mitsios)
Coulouras, 94, passed away
Tuesday, May 3rd, at Wingate
at Belvidere. Elaine was born
July 20, 1921 in Lowell, Massachusetts, a daughter of the late
Kostandinos and Stavroula
(Frangou) Mitsios. Loving wife
to the late Attorney Peter James
Coulouras who passed in August
of 1972. A lifelong resident of
Lowell, Elaine moved to
Messinikola, Greece at an early
age with her parents and returned back to the United States
making Lowell her home. Prior
to her retirement, she was employed by Laganas Garment
Manaufacturing as a seamstress
and a presser. She was a member of the St George Greek Orthodox Church of Lowell and a
very active member with the
church's Ladies Philoptochos Society. Her greatest joy was being
with her family and working in
her garden. Elaine's family
would like to thank the staff at
Wingate at Belvidere and Beacon Hospice for the professional
care their mother received from
both facilities. Elaine is survived
by three sons, James and his fiancée, Michaele, Charlie and his
wife, Joann, Ernest and his wife,
Voula; a brother, Louis Mitsios
and his wife, Helen, a sister,
Madeline Yanas, her grandchildren, Kristen, Anthony, Peter,
Eleni, Kiki Coulouras and Kimberly Galloway; also her two
great-grandchildren, Dylan and
Kaiden; her brothers-in-law,
John Contos, Rev. Ernest "Anastasios" Coulouras and his wife
Helen; two sisters-in-law, Kay
Coulouras and Carleen Gavin;
her nieces, Connie Hantzis and
Ann Spanos who helped and
kept her company many days as
well as many additional nieces
and nephews. Elaine was predeceased by her sisters, Maria
Kontos, Aphrodite Gavriel and
a brother, James Mitsios. Relatives and friends will be received
at the M.R. Laurin Funeral
Home, 295 Pawtucket St., Lowell on Friday, May 6th from 4:00
pm to 8:00 pm. Her funeral will
take place on Saturday at 9 am
at the Funeral Home to be followed by a service at St George
Greek Orthodox Church in Lowell at 10:00 am. Interment will
follow in Westlawn Cemetery. In
lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in her memory to St. George Church, 44
Princeton Blvd., Lowell, MA
01851 or to Beacon Hospice,
529 Main St. Suite 101,
Charlestown, Ma. 02129. Funeral arrangements under the
direction of directors, Louis M.
Fazio III, M. Richard Laurin, and
Scott Laurin. For condolences or
directions, please go to
www.laurinfuneralhome.com.
n KALES, JAMES
ANN ARBOR, MI (from the Ann
Arbor News, published on May
5) – Kales, James A. 9/24/1914
- 5/1/2016 Ann Arbor Jim, age
101, born in Samos, Greece on
September 24, 1914, beloved
husband, father and grandfather
passed away on May 1, 2016.
Jim was a Master Sergeant in
the U.S. Army during WWII and
was the owner of Kales Waterfall
Supper Club in Ann Arbor and
Kales Pier 23 in Whitmore Lake.
After retirement, Jim was active
in the Senior Olympics, medaling in tennis, bowling and field
events. Jim was preceded in
death by his parents, Alexios Peter Kalitsas and Maroudio Kiassos Kalitsas; wife Margaret
Callas Kales; and sister
Evthomadinie and is survived by
his son Alex (Teddi), and grandchildren Jamie (Monica) and
Kelly O'Brien (Sean). Visitation
will be on Friday, May 6, 2016
from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm
with a Trision at 7:00 pm at the
Nie Family Funeral Home, 3767
W Liberty Road, Ann Arbor. On
Saturday, May 7, 2016 a funeral
service will take place at 11:00
am at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 3109 Scio Church
Road, Ann Arbor with Rev. Fr.
Nicolaos Kotsis officiating and
visitation for one hour prior. Interment will take place in Bethlehem Cemetery. Memorials
may be made to St. Nicholas
Greek Orthodox Church, Ann
Arbor.
n KARAGIANNIS, PETER
LACONIA, NH (from the Concord Monitor, published on May
19) – LACONIA – Peter S. Karagianis, a former New Hampshire
State Representative, died
peacefully on Saturday, May 14,
2016 at his home. He lived in
Laconia, N.H. for 71 years. Peter
was born June 25, 1916 in
Somerville, Mass., son to the
late Soterios and Maria (Vinios)
Karagianis. He grew up in the
Central Square area of Cambridge. Peter graduated from
Cambridge Rindge and Latin
School and took Harvard University extension classes at
night. He came to Laconia in
1945, where he owned and operated the Laconia Spa. In addition, he started at age 68,
Happy Jack's Cigar, Pipe & Tobacco Shop in Laconia and
worked until he retired at age
95. He was a New Hampshire
State Representative for four
terms, He served as a Laconia
City Councilor; was chair of the
Belknap County Convention.
Karagianis made countless community contributions over the
years and was often celebrated
for his achievements in the local
media. He worked tirelessly to
preserve the clean waters of
central New Hampshire's lakes
Winnipesaukee
and
Winnisquam, after years of raw
sewage was dumped into the
lakes. He also championed the
effort to save Laconia's Belknap
Mills from the wrecking ball;
serving as the "Save the Mill Societies" 1st president from 1971
to 1978. He put Laconia's Greek
Orthodox Church on solid financial footing; Serving as president from 1986 to 2002. Peter
was a dedicated member of the
Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce, where he served as president in the 1950's, and worked
to enhanced Laconia's Motorcycle Week. In 1985 he was
dubbed "Mr. Laconia" by Edwin
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]
Chertok the then president of
the Laconia Chamber of Commerce. Peter was also a 70 year
member of the Laconia Kiwanis
Club, where in the 1950's he
lead the Laconia HS Key Club
as a councilor. He was a Mason
for over 70 years, and in 1975
he was honored as a "33rd" degree Mason.
His family was from the small
mountainside village of Georgitsi, 20 miles west of Sparta,
Greece. which is located in the
New England-like province of
Laconia. What he loved most
was to go out to dinner or
breakfast with his 3 grand children, Nicole, Evan and Christian. Peter is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Lydia Ann
Karagianis of Laconia, his son
S. Peter Karagianis and his wife,
Jane of Gilford; three grandchildren, Nicole, Evan and Christian
Karagianis all of Gilford. In addition to his parents he is predeceased by his daughter, Anthie Karagianis-Jones and Four
brothers, Perry, John, Fred and
Greg Karagianis. Calling hours
will be held on Sunday, May 22,
2016 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at
the Beane Conference Center,
35 Blueberry Lane, Laconia,
N.H. 03246. A funeral service
will be celebrated on Monday,
May 23, 2016 at 11 a.m. at Taxiarchai Greek Orthodox Church,
811 North Main Street, Laconia,
N.H. Burial will be in Union
Cemetery, Laconia. In lieu of
flowers, the family suggests
memorial donations be made in
Peter's Memory to Taxiarchai
Greek Orthodox Church, 811
North Main Street, Laconia,
N.H. 03246. Wilkinson-BeaneSimoneau-Paquette Funeral
Home & Cremation Services,
164 Pleasant Street, Laconia
N.H. is assisting the family with
the arrangements. For more information and to view an online
memorial go to wilkinsonbeane.com.
n LEGAKIS, BARBARA
SCARSDALE, NY (from the
Journal News, published on
May 1) – arbara Heebner
Legakis, wife of Kimon A.
Legakis of Vravrona, Greece,
died on March 5, 2016 at the
age of 87 in her home in Scarsdale, New York. The cause of
her death was cancer. Her husband, Kimon, predeceased her
in June of 2014. Barbara was
born in Bryn Mawr, PA. Her
childhood was spent in Winwood, PA, where she grew up
with an older sister, Natalie M.
Heebner, and two younger
brothers, Henry R. Heebner and
Charles Heebner. A graduate of
the Shipley School and Smith
College (1950), Barbara also
earned a Masters in Education
from Temple University, in
Philadelphia, PA. An elementary
school teacher for over 45 years
she taught at Chestnut Hill
Academy (Philadelphia, PA),
Shady Hill School (Cambridge,
MA), and Sidwell Friends
(Washington, DC) before coming to the Edgemont school district in Scarsdale, New York
where she stayed for 33 years.
An extremely dedicated teacher,
Barbara loved watching her children learn and grow, enjoyed
training teachers, and helping
hearing-impaired children. She
kept contact with many students
for years. Barbara served diligently in every organization she
joined. She was a member of
Hitchcock Presbyterian Church
in Scarsdale, New York, acting
as a deacon and volunteering in
their Living in America program, a weekly English conversation program for international
adults. As a member of The
Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, (Pi Chapter President for 4 terms) she was committed for Native American
Grants, Travel & Study, Personal
Growth & Services and World
Fellowship. She also served as
President of the Edgemont
Teachers Association. She was a
member of the United States
Figure Skating Association, as
well as the Phildelphia Skating
Club & Humane Society. Moreover, Barbara served as a USFSA
judge in figure and dance. As a
participant in the Experiment in
International Living, Inc., now
World Learning, Inc., she led numerous groups abroad, during
which she met her husband of
55 years in Greece. Together
they shared a bicultural life with
houses in Scarsdale, New York
and Vravrona, Greece along
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of formation KINGS POINTE LLC.
(DOM. LLC). Articles of Organization filed
with the Secretary of State of New York,
SSNY on 03/15/2016. Office located in Kings
County. SSNY has been designated for
service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of
any process served against the LLC to: KINGS
POINTE LLC, 1457 W 5th Street, Ground
Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11204. Purpose: Any
lawful activity.
275208/19996
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of Formation of 7722 BZHL LLC
(DOM. LLC). Articles of Organization
filed with SSNY on 04/19/2016. Office
SSNY is
location: Kings County.
designated for service of process and shall
mail to: The LLC.,7722 BZHL LLC, 7722
18th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
11214.
Purpose: Any lawful activity.
275171/19970
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of formation VALUE VENTURE
PROPERTIES LLC (DOM. LLC). Articles of
Organization filed with the Secretary of
State of New York, SSNY on 04/26/2016. Office located in Nassau County. SSNY has
been designated for service of process. SSNY
shall mail copy of any process served against
the LLC to: Gary Cohen, 75 Lotus Oval North,
Valley Stream, NY 11561 . Purpose: Any
lawful activity.
BERLIN PROPERTY GROUP, LLC. Art. of
Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/14/16.
Office: Kings County. SSNY designated as
agent of the LLC upon whom process
against it may be served. SSNY shall mail
copy of process to the LLC, c/o Elysa Berlin,
238 Saint Marks Avenue, Unit 4A, Brooklyn,
NY 11238. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
275203/19994
275161/17973
LEGAL NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE
Toro Labs LLC. Art. of Org. filed w/ SSNY
5/13/16. Office in NY Co. SSNY
designated for service of process and shall
mail to: The LLC, 175 Varick St. Suite 541,
New York, NY 10014. Purpose: Any lawful
activity.
275205/18796
UNION SQ 4TH F&B MANAGEMENT LLC.
App for Auth filed w/ SSNY 4/20/16.
Formed in DE 4/12/16. Office in Kings Co.
SSNY designated for service of process and
shall mail to: The LLC, 122 Congress St,
Brooklyn, NY 11201. Auth Officer: DE Div of
Corps, PO Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
LEGAL NOTICE
275159/18796
390 MYRTLE, LLC. Art. of Org. filed w/
SSNY 4/24/07. Office in Kings Co. SSNY
designated for service of process and shall
mail to: The LLC, 390 Myrtle Ave,
Brooklyn, NY 11205. Purpose: Any lawful
activity.
275194/18796
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of formation FP INDUSTRIAL VENTURE
I LLC (DOM. LLC). Articles of Organization
filed with the Secretary of State of New
York, SSNY on 03/01/2016. Office located in
Nassau County. SSNY has been designated
for service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of
any process served against the LLC to: FP INDUSTRIAL VENTURE I LLC, 6851 Jericho
Turnpike, Suite 200, Syosset, NY 11791. Purpose:
Any lawful activity.
275196/19992
LEGAL NOTICE
RLNY IMPORTS LLC. Art. of Org. filed w/
SSNY 5/10/16. Office in Kings Co. SSNY
designated for service of process and shall
mail to Reg. Agent: Thomas Law Firm
PLLC, 175 Varick St, NY, NY 10014. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
275191/18796
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of Formation of SMART D, LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY
(SSNY) on 05/10/16. Office location: Kings
County. Princ. office of LLC: 68 Jay St. - Ste.
319, Brooklyn, NY 11201. SSNY designated
as agent of LLC upon whom process against
it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to
the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
LEGAL NOTICE
BL 62 WEST 9TH MANAGEMENT LLC. App
for Auth filed w/ SSNY 4/11/16. Formed in
DE 4/5/16. Office in Kings Co. SSNY designated for service of process and shall mail
to: The LLC, 122 Congress St, Brooklyn, NY
11201. Auth Officer: DE Div of Corps, PO
Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: Any
lawful activity.
275158/18796
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of formation of VIENNA LEATHER
GOODS, LLC (FOR. LLC). Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of
New York, SSNY on 12/10/2015. Office
located in Kings County. SSNY has been
designated for service of process. SSNY
shall mail copy of any process served against
the LLC to: Clint Byrd, Jr., (Agent) 616 Baldwin Avenue, Charlotte, NC
28204.
Purpose: Any lawful activity.
275147/19958
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of Formation of GAS C SERVICES,
LLC (DOM LLC). Articles of Organization
filed with the Secretary of State of New York
SSNY on 2/18/2016. Office location: Kings
County. SSNY has been designated for
service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of
any process served against the LLC to: c/o
United States Corporation Agents, In., 7014
11228.
13th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
275146/19957
LEGAL NOTICE
275200/17976
Allegory Story LLC. Art. of Org. filed w/
SSNY 4/20/16. Office in NY Co. SSNY
designated for service of process and shall
mail to Reg. Agent: Thomas Law Firm
PLLC, 175 Varick St, NY, NY 10014. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
ROBYN
Notice of formation of
UNIVERSAL, LLC. (DOM. LLC). Articles of
Organization filed with the Secretary of
State of New York, SSNY on 04/28/2016. Office located in Kings County. SSNY has been
designated for service of process. SSNY shall
mail copy of any process served him or
her is: Robyn A Warren, 1250 Pacific St., Apt.
3A, Brooklyn, NY 11216 . Purpose: Any lawful
activity.
275152/18796
LEGAL NOTICE
275206/19995
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of formation HEMPSTEAD ROAD
LLC (DOM. LLC). Articles of Organization
filed with the Secretary of State of New
York, SSNY on 10/15/2015. Office located in
Kings County. SSNY has been designated for
service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of
any process served against the LLC to: THE
LLC, 1332 43rd Street, Brooklyn, NY 11219.
Purpose: Any lawful activity.
275187/19984
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of formation B & D DREAM
HOMES IMPOVEMENT LLC. (DOM. LLC).
Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York, SSNY on
08/21/2015. Office located in King County.
SSNY has been designated for service of
process. SSNY shall mail copy of any process
served against the LLC to: Jacqueline
Johnson, 102-12 Avenue K, 2nd Floor,
Brooklyn, NY 11236. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
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.
275186/19983
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of formation PAJARITO PRODUCTIONS,
LLC. (DOM. LLC). Articles of Organization filed
with the Secretary of State of New York,
SSNY on 02/16/2016. Office located in Kings
County. SSNY has been designated for service
of process. SSNY shall mail copy of any process
served against the LLC to: c/o United States Corporation, 7014 13th Avenue, Suite 202,
Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
TO PlACE yOur
ClASSiFiED AD, CAll:
(718) 784-5255, ExT. 106,
E-mAil:
classifieds@
thenationalherald.com
275185/19982
with their many animals, including their dogs and a parrot
named Memnon. Barbara will
be remembered for her passion
for teaching, and abiding interest in Ancient Greek mythology
and ice-skating (and her enthusiasm for all sports) as well as
her willingness to help those in
need. Barbara was a true friend,
a wonderful wife and an amazing aunt. Her jovial spirit, zest
for life, gift of conversation, col-
orful stories, and contagious
laugh will live on in all those
whose lives she touched. She is
survived by four nieces and a
nephew: Emily Baker, Elizabeth
Halliday, Alexandra O'Dell, her
godchild, Susan Cushman, and
Robert Glen. A memorial service
will be held Friday, May 6, at
3:30pm at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church, 6 Greenacres Avenue, Scarsdale, NY, followed
by a reception.
COMMUNITY
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 28-JUNE 3, 2016
9
GREEK GASTRONOMY
OUR EVERYDAY GREEK
Krasi, Nero, Portokalada for the Parea at the Kafeneio
By Dr. Dimitra Kamarinou
“How are things in Greece?” “Bad.”, I said. “Many stores are
closed down; a lot of people have lost their jobs.” “Greeks are competent. They will survive”, he said. “I am not so optimist. Salaries
are cut down. People don’t buy things as much as they did before.
The market is dead.” The salesman looked at me momentarily and
then asked “Don’t they go to the cafés?” “Not so much.” I replied.
“Now I worry”, he added. It’s partially the stereotype and partially
the truth. Greeks love drinking coffee with their friends, their παρέα, though they don’t spend their whole life at the café avoiding
to work. Η παρέα is a
Greek word that doesn’t
have an equivalent in
terms of a single word in
English. It is a group of
friends that love to share
their time together and
usually support each
other. A modern café is
called η καφετέρια and an
old fashioned one το καφενείο. The cafés also
serve alcoholic drinks like
beer, wine, ouzo, and
tsipouro and non alcoholic
drinks like orange juice,
lemon juice and Coca
Cola.
The ancient Greek
word for wine is οίνος and
the Latin from the Greek
root is vinum. From this
derive the words wine,
vinegar, vine+yard, vintage (=originally meant the age or year of
a particular wine and then was shifted to the sense of being of an
earlier time). In the western world there are places called oinotheca
(enoteca in Italian, Vinothek in German, oenotheque in French),
usually wine bars or wine shops or wine stores. Oinotheca derives
from the words οίνος+θήκη= a wine store. The word κρασί derives
from the ancient Greek verb κεράννυμι, which means to mix. In
ancient Greece they used to mix the wine, which was very strong,
with water inside a vessel called crater. Oenophilia (οίνος+φίλος)
is the love to wine. Coca Cola is a word ending in –α. Τherefore it
is considered of feminine grammatical gender and takes the article
η.
Greek word
Pronunciation
MeaninG
Η παρέ-α
ee Parea
a GrouP of friends
Το καφενεί-ο
to kafeneeo
old style café
Η καφεΤέρι-α
Το νερ-ό
Η πορΤοκαλάδ-α
Η λεμονάδ-α
Η κόκα κόλ-α
Η μπύρ-α
Το κρασ-ί
Το ούζ-ο
Το Τσίπουρ-ο
ο οίνοσ
ee cafeteria
to nero
ee Portokalada
ee leMonade
ee koka kola
ee Beera
to krasee
to oozo
to tsiPooro
ο eenos
Modern café
water
oranGe juice
leMon juice
coca cola
Beer
wine
ouzo
raki
wine
Πίνω means I drink. It is conjugated like the verbs θέλω= Ι
want, έχω= I have. .
Greek word
Pronunciation
MeaninG
εγώ πίν-ω
eyo Peeno
i drink
εσύ πίν-εισ
esee Peenis
you drink
Η μαρία πίν-ει
ee Mereea Peeni
Maria drinks
εμείσ πίν-ουμε
eMees PeenooMe
εσείσ πίν-εΤε
esees Peenete
Η μαρία και ο πέΤροσ πίν-ουν
ee Mareea ke o Petros
Peenoon
DIALOGUE
What does this παρέα at the καφενείο says? Write next to each
sentence the translation in English. Νote that the word ή with the
accent means or, while without the accent is the feminine article
η. The word μια means one, when we refer to feminine gender
nouns and ένα one, when we refer to neuter and masculine gender
nouns. Παρακαλώ means please.
-Τι πίνει η παρέα;
-Εγώ πίνω μια πορτοκαλάδα.
-Ελένη, εσύ θέλεις λεμονάδα ή πορτοκαλάδα;
-Θέλω μία λεμονάδα, δεν μου αρέσει η πορτοκαλάδα.
-Μαρία, εσύ τι πίνεις;
-Η Μαρία πίνει κρασί.
-Κι εγώ πίνω κρασί.
-Εμείς πίνουμε κόκα κόλα. Εσείς τι πίνετε ούζο ή τσίπουρο;
-Εμείς πίνουμε ούζο.
-Και ο Δημήτρης και ο Κώστας πίνουν ούζο.
-Θέλουμε και νερό, παρακαλώ.
Artichokes with Fava Beans:
A Springtime Recipe to Enjoy
By Eleni Sakellis
Artichokes are a wonderful
spring vegetable to enjoy in a
variety of ways. Full of nutrients, artichokes have one of the
highest totals of antioxidants of
any vegetable. They oxidize
(turn brown) quickly once cut
open if not sprinkled with lemon
juice or placed in a bowl of water with lemon juice added. The
acid helps delay the oxidation
of the artichokes. In Greek cuisine, the artichoke has been a
popular vegetable since ancient
times. The wild variety, if you
can find them, or you happen
to be in Greece, are tiny compared to the California-grown
varieties we find in the United
States, but the flavor is so delicious, it’s unforgettable. The
wild artichokes are often cooked
simply as an addition to scram-
the toughest outer leaves and
cut off the thorny end with a
sharp knife. If the stems are intact and in good shape, leave
them on and peel off the tough
outer layer. Cut the artichokes
in half and scoop out the choke
with a paring knife. Place the
cut halves of artichoke in a bowl
of cold water with the juice of
half a lemon squeezed in. Continue with the rest of the artichokes, then set aside. Prepare
the fava beans by rinsing, shucking, then set aside in bowl until
ready to use. In a large sauté
pan or Dutch oven, heat the
olive oil until it shimmers, add
the scallions, a dash of salt, and
sauté until translucent. Drain
the water from the artichokes
and add them to the pot. Add
the fava beans, the water, the
juice of one lemon, about half
of the fresh dill, 1 tablespoon of
PRONUNCIATION KEY
i (idiom), ee (needle), e (energy), o (organism), oo (boot), y
(yes), h (helium), th (theory), d (the). The capitalized syllables
are accented.
Dimitra Kamarinou, PhD, has studied philology and archaeology at
the University of Ioannina,Würzburg and Bochum in Germany. She
has been honored with the Academy of Athens Award in
Archaeology and Homeric Philology.
LITERARY REVIEW
Art and Archeology Books to Add to Your Reading List
By Eleni Sakellis
The art and archeology of
Greece have long been the focus
of study over the centuries for
countless scholars from all over
the world. The most recent finds
shed light on the way our ancestors lived in the earliest
known settlements in Greece.
From the exhibition catalogue
of the Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient
World at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA) to this year’s
publications from the American
School of Classical Studies at
Athens (ASCSA) there are remarkable books available for all
levels of interest in the art and
archeology of Greece.
The Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient
World exhibition at the MMA offers a wonderful illustrated catalogue of the exhibition featuring several essays on Hellenistic
art and architecture in one
lovely volume. The 485 full
color illustrations truly bring the
exhibition and the ancient world
of Pergamon to life even for
those who cannot attend the exhibition itself in person. Those
lucky enough to attend the exhibition will appreciate the essays expanding on the wonderful works of art. Edited by
Carlos A. Picón, Curator in
Charge, and Seán Hemingway,
Curator in the Department of
Greek and Roman Art at the
MMA, the volume includes essays by Kiki Karoglou, Assistant
Curator of Greek and Roman Art
at the MMA, on Trends in Hellenistic Scuplture, and George
Kakavas, Director of the Numismatic Museum in Athens, on
World is a book every art
lover will enjoy.
ASCSA publishes the
work of renowned scholars year after year and
this year’s publications
offer fascinating revelations about the way people lived in remote antiquity. Bridge of the
Untiring
Sea:
The
Corinthian Isthmus from
Hellenistic Royal Portraiture on
Coins. Already a bestseller
among the museum’s publications, Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient
Prehistory to Late Antiquity edited by Elizabeth
R. Gebhard and Timothy
E. Gregory presents 17
essays on the history
and archeology of the
area. The title is borrowed from Pindar’s
metaphor of the Isthmus
as a bridge spanning
two seas. Visitors well
before Pausanias in the 2nd century AD and into the 19th century traveled to Corinth mostly
for the Panhellenic Sanctuary of
Poseidon. The book reflects 55
years of research on the ruins
and recently expanded excavations which revealed more
about the region and the surrounding area of Corinth.
Lerna Volume VII: The Neolithic Settlement by Elizabeth
C. Banks completes the first
publications on the Neolithic remains excavated at Lerna in the
Argolid from 1952 to 1958 by
ASCSA. Pottery, plants, and
small objects reveal
the Middle Neolithic
settlement as an
agricultural community living in mud
brick houses on
stone foundations.
Everyday objects in
stone, bone, and terracota were found in
abundance along
with a few other
decorative objects.
Archaeodiet in
the Greek World: Dietary Reconstruction
from Stable Isotope
Analysis Edited by
Anastasia
Papathanasiou, Michael
P. Richards, and
Sherry C. Fox provides a fascinating look into what people ate
in ancient times and earlier in
Greece. By examining the ratios
of stable isotopes of carbon and
nitrogen in bone collagen, the
scholars are able to reconstruct
past diets. The findings are the
only direct evidence of what
foods were consumed and can
help us understand the importance of different foods in the
diet, the cultural differences
concerning diet, and the ways
social status, age, and gender
affected nutrition in the past.
To prepare the artichokes,
rinse in cool water, then remove
salt and freshly ground pepper
to taste. Bring to a boil over
medium high heat, then reduce
to medium heat, and simmer,
stirring occasionally, until the
fava beans and the artichokes
are tender. You may need to add
additional water if the pot dries
out and the fava beans and artichokes are not quite cooked
through. Add additional dill at
the end for freshness, and adjust
the salt and pepper to taste, if
needed. Additional lemon juice
may also be added, if desired.
Serve hot as a side dish with
roast chicken, fish, or lamb, or
on its own as a vegetarian meal.
For a heartier option, potatoes
may be added as well to this
recipe, just add an additional
cup of water to the fava beans
and artichokes, add about 4 or
5 potatoes, peeled and cut into
1 inch cubes, to the pot after
the fava beans and artichokes
have been simmering for about
10 minutes. Cook until all the
vegetables are tender, and the
potatoes are cooked through,
but not disintegrated.
sick, as sick as she had once
been. She remembered Nujol
and, promptly began giving her
year old son a teaspoon full
every day just like her mother
had done. Well, like herself, her
son grew up and was the best
natured, healthiest kid in
school. Lateron, he became top
athlete, going on to be a football
hero – all because of Nujol. O.K.
So, where is it today? Gee! It
could have been the heavensent answer to all of today’s
health worries, don’t you think?
Turning the pages of another
magazine, House and Gardens,
1950, is the worst of all. There
was an ad that featured with
one inch high lettering that announced, SPRINGTIME IS
SPRAY TIME. Black Leaf (that
was the name of the product)
spray contains 50% DDT. It controls all the insects in your garden. A one pound carton costs
96 cents. Black Leaf spray is a
favorite because it contains arsenate and lead. Imagine! We
all know the end results of that
product. And, in 1962, a
woman, Rachel Carlson, wrote
a book, “Silent Spring’, exposing
the chemical industry and the
true results of DDT. But, the way
ads applaud and promise miraculous benefits are still actively
ludicrous.
As I flip through the pages of
my current magazine, received
just yesterday I flip past expensively illustrated, splashy ads
that are eye-catching. Only now
they’ve become more daring, sophisticated, precise scientific,
Cyber, Infrabolic, atomic, fluorocarbon technology with advanced, mysterious chemicals
that guarantee healing and the
chemical industry is not responsible for complications or death
because they warn you by printing the side effects – which are
numerous. When today’s magazines are relics from the past, I
wonder which ads will be remembered and exposed and
condemned for the promised
benefits that never materialized.
bled eggs for a tasty brunch
dish. Preserved varieties of wild
artichokes in jars are available
to use in recipes and salads, but
large fresh ones can also be cut
up into bite-sized pieces and
used. Artichokes with fava
beans (Aginares me koukia) is
a favorite recipe in Greece and
Cyprus to try at home.
Artichokes with
Fava Beans
(Aginares me Koukia)
• 6 medium to large artichokes
• 1 pound fresh fava beans
• 2 bunches scallions, diced
• 2 fresh lemons
• 4 tablespoons Greek extra
virgin olive oil
• 1 cup of water
• 1 bunch fresh dill, chopped
• Salt
• Pepper
GREEK AMERICAN STORIES
Ads That Don’t Add Up
By Phylis (Kiki) Sembos
Special to The National Herald
One of my many hobbies
during the years is buying very
old magazines. I find it fascinating to read articles from the
past, see ads and opinions written by responsible, rational people in high positions and how
very changed those opinions
have altered. Some magazines
I’ve collected are: Good Housekeeping, Vogue, McCall’s, Cosmopolitan, the years are from
1934 to 1967. While the stories
are interesting, some fascinating, the ads in them are beyond
entertaining and unique; a few
are so obviously exaggerated in
their claims while very few are
worthy and honest. I’m not sure
today’s ads are less so, however.
For instance, in a 1951, Good
Housekeeping issue, a tooth
brush ad promised that their
Perma Grip, Pro-Phy-Lac-Tic
tooth brush would not shed bristles. A doctor is pictured warning that tooth brush bristles
were found in a patient’s appendix during surgery. In that same
Good Housekeeping issue was
posted a full page ad that displayed a very serious doctor, Dr.
Edouardo Antoine – a Hitler
look alike – told about a patient
whose face was covered in pimples. He said, ‘Skin troubles, bad
breath, coated tongue, fatigue
and loss of energy are danger
signals that can be completely
eliminated by eating yeast! His
expression was so serious, his
advice so emphatic that I felt an
urge to go out and buy yeast
even though I didn’t have pimples or any of the other stuff.
Another ad showed four
brides who credit their successes
in landing a husband just by using Lux facial soap. The ad
stated that scientists have explained through thorough research that the gradual loss of
certain elements nature put into
the skin becomes depleted and
that is the main cause for the
skin to age. But, using Lux prevents that loss. (And, an added
advantage is getting married in
the process). I wonder if science
proved that, too.
The cigarette ads were the
most powerful. Mrs. James Russell Lowell of Park Avenue loves
sports. She invariably smokes
Camel’s, they never get on her
nerves, and they always give her
a cool, enjoyable and mild
smoke. It never mentions that
they could also give her 17 different, irreversible illnesses, too.
I wonder what ever happened
to her. Another cigarette ad
vowed that in smoking their
brand it was found that there
is, ‘not a cough in a car load’. In
other words you can smoke a
car load of them and not cough
once! On a page whose title
was printed in one inch lettering
announced: ‘A True Story. Mrs.
Wallace Ruel was at one time a
very sick 14 yr. old girl. She suffered dizzy spells, severe
headaches, nausea and was always tired, missed many school
days and being with her friends
until her mother gave her Nujol.
Then, everything changed. After
consuming one teaspoon full of
Nujol every day she was completely cured. She grew up, got
married and had a baby son
who, unfortunately, was very
FEATURE
10
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 28-JUNE 3, 2016
HELLENIC HAPPENINGS FROM COAST TO COAST
TNH Staff
SAGINAW, MI – The parish of ST.
DEMETRIOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAGINAW, MI
donated 900 cases of water to the
Flint to support the residents of
Flint, MI on May 7, amid the ongoing water crisis. THE FLINT
WATER CRISIS RELIEF DRIVE
was organized by Chairman BILL
TARACHAS and DR. LOU
Executive
ECONOMOU,
Chairman of the GREEK FESTIVAL OF SAGINAW. They were responsible for organizing donations from six philanthropic
groups within the St. Demetrios
community. The Festival and
AHEPA Chapter #216 District 10
were the major supporters and
contributors of this drive, with
notable contributions by the
PHILOPTOCHOS LADIES SOCIETY and the DAUGHTERS OF
PENELOPE.
The 900 cases of water, a total
of 31,500 bottles, was delivered
by GORDON FOOD SERVICES to
the EASTERN MICHIGAN FOOD
BANK OF FLINT, which distributes aid to the victims of this crisis.
Tarachas noted that the citizens of Saginaw and Flint have
long supported the Greek community through their attendance
and patronage at festivals and
events: “this is a way that the
community of St. Demetrios
Greek Orthodox Church of Saginaw can show their support for
the needs of our sister city, Flint,
during this critical time.”
Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Clapsis
The Greeks of Saginaw step up to help their sister city, Flint, by giving its crisis-ravaged
denizens 31,500 bottles of clean water.
BROOKLINE, MA – The ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION
OF MEDICINE, PSYCHOLOGY,
AND RELIGION (OCAMPR), an
international, pan-Orthodox organization endorsed by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox
Bishops of the United States of
America, will hold its annual Conference November 3 to 5 at the
HOLY CROSS GREEK ORTHODOX SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY in
Brookline, MA.
OCAMPR announced that it is
honored that His Grace, (DR.)
BISHOP
ALEXANDER
(GOLITZIN), will open the Conference with the Keynote Address,
related to the Conference theme,
"On Pain and Suffering."
OCAMPR is also excited to announce the three plenary speakers: DR. DONALD JENKINS, who
will present the medical perspective of the theme, DR. ALBERT
ROSSI, who will speak on the psychological perspective, and REV.
DR. EMMANUEL CLAPSIS, who
will deliver the theological perspective.
Dr. Golitzin, newly elected
Bishop of Dallas and the South
and Bishop of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese, Orthodox Church
in America, received his Master
of Divinity degree from SAINT
VLADIMIR’S ORTHODOX THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY in 1973. He
pursued doctoral studies at OXFORD UNIVERSITY in England
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Which is your most trusted source of American news media
for objective, responsible, and nonbiased journalism?
Please
email
your
response
to
[email protected] We may publish some responses as Letters to the Editor in a future issue.
THE HERALD SQUARE
TNH's Crossword Challenge
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www.CrosswordWeaver.com
ACROSS
1 Bullets
5 Talk about, with "over"
9 In the lead
14 Close off
15 Flightless birds
16 Highborn
17 Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (abbr.)
18 Lane of Superman fame
19 "He throws _ ____ curveball" (2 words)
20 Easy as ___
21 Indecent language
22 Opp. of WNW
23 Given name of The Fonz
25 City of Tigers and Lions, but not Bears
29 Hovel
30 Corn syrup brand
31 Univ. of Florida rival (init.)
32 Capital of Jordan
35 Greek soccer team
36 Teaching Assts. Coalition
37 Baseball's Nolan
38 Grande Dame of Hollywood Davis
40 Bird's nose
41 "To ___ is human..."
42 Actor Galifianakis
43 Bluish white metals
44 Chrstina's tycoon dad
45 Feverish
46 Int'l Engineering Consortium (abbrev.)
47 Hair cleaner
49 DC Activist Ruby
52 Avg. Octane Number (abbrev.)
53 Lead singer of U2
54 Greek attorneys' org. (abbrev.)
56 Pioneer
59 Partial
60 Part of a football player's gear
61 Eagle's nest
62 Guilty or not
63 Low-cost furniture store
64 Small Mediterranean boat
65 Thread
66 Grassy area in city
DOWN
1 Rght. away! (abbrev.)
2 Communicators
3 Star of Real Time
4 Was new, once
5 Former German Chancellor Kohl
6 'love' (Italian)
7 Lawyer dress
8 Health Serv. Support (abbrev.)
9 Newsman Ernie
10 Odyssey author
11 Evidence Based Educ. (abbrev.)
12 Chicken _ __ king - 2 words
13 Lair
21 Ban
22 Strange
24 Other __
25 Scud
26 Many times
27 Jacob's father
28 Puts away
30 Regis and __ Lee
32 Regions
33 Magi's gift
34 Common Catholic name
38 Eggs' platemate?
39 Reverberate
40 Bldg. Industry Credit Assn. (abbrev.)
42 Southern Mexican Indian
43 Cipher
46 Group of islands containing Corfu
48 The Osmond Brothers' sister
49 Promising beginner
50 National capital
51 More aged
53 Lugosi of Dracula fame
55 American Studies Assn. of Korea (abbrev.)
56 Band instrument
57 Golf ball stand
58 Air Resources Bd. (abbrev.)
59 Snoop
60 Doozy
Solution to last week’s puzzle
Solution:
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under His Eminence, METROPOLITAN KALLISTOS (WARE),
and was awarded his D. Phil. in
1980. He was ordained to the diaconate in 1982, to the priesthood in 1984, and was tonsured
to monastic orders in 1986. He
was appointed to the faculty of
the Theology Department at
MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY, Milwaukee, WI, where he taught
from 1989 – 2012, achieving the
rank of full professor. While at
Marquette, he was attached to
SAINTS CYRIL AND METHODIUS CHURCH, serving for 22
years. Bishop Alexander is a
noted scholar. He has written numerous books and articles and
contributed to the establishment
of an Orthodox scholarly presence
in Berkeley, CA (now the PATRIARCH ATHENAGORAS ORTHODOX INSTITUTE). He was consecrated to the episcopacy on May
5, 2012, and was elected to fill
the vacant See of Dallas and the
South on March 29 of this year.
Dr. Jenkins is a Consultant in
the Division of Trauma, Critical
Care and General Surgery, and a
Professor of Surgery in the College of Medicine, at the MAYO
CLINIC in Rochester, MN.
Dr. Rossi is the Director of
Counseling and Psychological
Services at SAINT VLADIMIR’S
ORTHODOX
THEOLOGICAL
SEMINARY in Crestwood, NY. He
teaches courses in pastoral theology and was a member of the
SCOBA Commission on Contemporary Social and Moral Issues.
Rev. Clapsis is the Archbishop
Iakovos Professor of Orthodox
Theology at Holy Cross, having
taught there since 1985, specializing in Dogmatic Theology and
also teaching courses that relate
Orthodox theology to modern
and post-modern sensibilities.
GOINGS ON...
n THRU SEPT. 10
TARPON SPRINGS, FL – Tarpon
Springs’ annual Night in the Islands tradition continues on the
historic Sponge Docks once a
month from 6-11PM on the
City’s historic Sponge Docks,
along Dodecanese Boulevard.
Food, drinks, and the street is
closed off for live dancing: 611PM on Saturdays June 11,
July 9, August 6. And September 10. Sponsoring restaurants
include Costa’s Hellas, Mama’s
and Mykonos.
n JUNE 2-5
HEMPSTEAD, NY – The Greek
Orthodox Cathedral of St. Paul,
110 Cathedral Avenue in Hempstead, invites you to its annual
Greek festival June 2 to 5. There
will be live music, dancing,
rides, games, a giant flea market, arts and crafts, various vendors, a motorcycle blessing, a
celebrity cooking contest, and
much more! June 2 6-10PM,
June 3 6-11PM, June 4 2-11PM,
and June 5 1-9PM. There will
be tours of the Cathedral available. Our rich history includes
the following: The establishment of a community on Long
Island was first nurtured on
April 21, 1944 when sixteen
people attended a meeting in
Mineola, New York and formed
an interim committee. On June
13, 1945, The Orthodox Greek
Catholic Community of Nassau
and Suffolk Counties, New York,
Inc. was founded. Father George
Papadeas was sent here by the
Archdiocese to serve as its priest
in 1950. A parcel of land was
purchased on Greenwich Street
in Hempstead, New York and
the first Saint Paul's Church was
erected. On December 23, 1950
services were conducted even
though the building was not yet
completed. On April 15, 1951,
Archbishop Michael blessed the
cornerstone of the new edifice
and that evening the name of
Saint Paul was voted upon to
become the Patron Saint of the
Church. On March 16, 1960, the
icon of the "Lamenting Mother
of God" was seen to tear in the
home of Peter and Pagona Catsounis in Island Park. The Phenomenon attracted worldwide
attention and thousands from
near and far came to witness
and to venerate the icon. The
Ecumenical Patriarchate proclaimed it to be a Sign of Divine
Providence. The icon is permanently enshrined in our Cathedral. More information about
our history, and the festival, is
available
at:
stpaulhempstead.org or by calling (516) 483-5700.
n JUNE 6
MANHATTAN – The American
Hellenic Institute Business Network and the New York Chapter
of the American Hellenic Institute AHI invite everyone to the
Colonel’s retirement party. Join
us in celebrating the perfect
host, Andonis Neroulias, founding President of the AHI New
York Business Network and creator of our monthly networking
receptions. Monday, Jun. 6, 6 to
8 PM in the Grand Salon of the
3 West Club, 3 W. 51st Street at
Rockefeller Center. Guests must
RSVP to [email protected]
by June 2. The brief program
emceed by Dean Sirigos will feature a special presentation by
AHI President Nick Larigakis.
Guests will enjoy coffee/tea service and Hellenic desserts during the reception. Suggested
contribution $20, complimentary for paid AHI members.
NOTE: AHI will also hold its regular second Monday of the
month gathering at AVRA
restaurant on June 13.
n JUNE 10
MANHATTAN -- Join the GreekAmerican Writers Association on
Friday, Jun. 10 for the final creative blast of the year. Celebrate
the end of the week and season
(hiatus until October) with these
creative people: Marlain Angelides: a dynamic, multitalented musician, composer and
actress, the former lead vocal in
Greece’s Hi-5 Girl Band, Marlain
represented Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest. A frequent
performer on Off-Broadway
stages, Marlain will give a solo
musical performance accompanied by Iakov Kremensky on guitar. Poet Nicholas Alexiou will
be back by popular demand. Dr.
Alexiou, a sociology professor at
Queens College, is the author of
five books of poetry including
the exciting Astoria from Somerset Hall Press. The Open Mik:
a bevy of talent will step up including: Chris Salboudis doing
standup; Irene Archos with original poetry; Andrew DeMetre
will tell you a story. Harry Dounchis will read excerpts from his
new novel, Sand Hill Interns.
Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia
Street, between West 4th and
Bleecker Streets. Subways A,
C,D, B, M to West 4th St. or 1 to
Christopher Street. $9 admission
includes a glass of wine, beer or
a soft drink.
n JUNE 11
BALTIMORE, MD – The St.
Nicholas Greek Orthodox
church of Baltimore presents as
part of its Special Afterhours
Greek Night Concert, Giorgos
Tsalikis on Saturday, Jun. 11 at
10PM at the Greektown Square,
701 S. Quail St. in Baltimore.
All Proceeds will go to benefit
St. Nicholas Greek Church. Tsalikis is a renowned Greek singer
whose music includes the following albums: An Eimouna
Paliopedo, Gia Sena Kseniktao,
Ekana Tin Nykta Mera, O
Teleios Antras, Pyretos, Agapi
Aharisti, Enoha Vradia, and Sto
Ypografo, and singles such:
“Para Poly,” “Sta Patomata,” “Ta
Perastika Mou,” “Par'to Apofasi,”
“An Isoun Agape,” “Paniko,”
“Ksexna ta Palia,” and “Den Sou
Kano Ton Agio.” Tickets may be
purchased securely via: [email protected]. All major
credit cards and PayPal Express
Checkout accepted. Pricing
available online - make sure to
reserve your table now!
n JUNE 24-26
OCEAN, NJ – The St. George
Greek Orthodox Church, 1033
West Park Avenue in Ocean, invites you to its annual Greek festival, June 24 to 26! Highlights
include: Church Tours, Games
and Rides, Greek Folk Dancing,
Authentic Greek Foods and Pastries, Gift Shop, Religious Gifts,
Books, and Icons, Greek Food
Store, and Little Kids Playground and Activities. Free
parking at Ocean Township
High School 550 W Park Ave,
Oakhurst, AND Ocean Township
Intermediate School 1200 W
Park Ave, Ocean Township. Free
shuttles from both schools! We
are an 83-year-old, community,
but for over twenty-five years,
a new Church Home was a
dream and the members of our
community were dedicated to
making this dream a reality. A
tract of land was purchased, and
we broke ground in the summer
of 2008, and on Sunday, April
1, 2012, we were proud and
humbled to celebrate the
Thyranixia, the official opening
of the doors, of our new House
of Worship at 1033 West Park
Avenue. This momentous celebration officially opened the
doors to our long awaited new
Saint George Greek Orthodox
Church and its surrounding
campus which includes a Cultural Center, Administration
Building and Education Center,
and Athletic Center. For more
information about our Church
and the festival, please visit our
website: stgeorgeap.org.
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 email 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]
This Week in Greek History:
Women in Greece Can Vote
This week in Greek history,
on May 28, 1952, women in
Greece were legally granted the
right to vote. The Greek National
Liberation Front, set up by
Greece’s communist party KKE,
provided for women to vote in
1944 – during the Axis Powers’
occupation of the country in the
middle of World War II. But it
was not until 1952 that the right
became official and permanent.
In the following year, the first
woman was elected as a Member of Parliament. Eleni Skoura,
representing Thessaloniki, defeated another woman Virginia
Zanna, for the office.
She was a member of the
Eleni Skoura
conservative Greek Rally party,
which was founded in 1951 by
Alexandros Papagos. That party
swept the 1952 elections, with
Papagos, a Greek Army Field
Marshal, becoming prime minister.
Skoura was 56 years old
when she took office, and she
died in 1991, at age 94.
In 2015, Yiannis Skalidakis
wrote an essay about women’s
suffrage in Greece that appeared
in the Journal of Modern Greek
Studies, titled: “From Resistance
to Counterstate: The Making of
Revolutionary Power in the Liberated Zones of Occupied
Greece, 1943–1944.”
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 28-JUNE 3, 2016
GREECE CYPRUS
11
Greek Police Clearing out Idomeni Refugee Camp on FYROM Border
IDOMENI, GREECE (AP) –
Greek authorities gradually
evacuated the country’s largest
informal refugee camp beginning May 24, persuading more
than 1,500 people to leave the
Idomeni site for other organized
facilities in northern Greece.
An estimated 700 police participated in the operation, but
there were no reports of violence or protests.
Greece’s left-led government
pledged that no force would be
used, and says the operation is
expected to last between a week
and 10 days. Journalists were
blocked from entering the camp.
On the first day, 32 buses carrying a total of 1,529 people had
left Idomeni on the country’s
border with FYROM, police said,
while earth-moving machinery
was used to clear abandoned
tents.
Vicky Markolefa, a representative of the Doctors Without
Borders charity, said the operation was proceeding “very
smoothly” and without incident.
“We hope it will continue like
that,” she said.
The camp, which sprang up
at an informal pedestrian border
crossing for refugees and migrants heading north to wealthier European nations, was home
to an estimated 8,400 people —
including hundreds of children
—
mostly
from
Syria,
Afghanistan and Iraq.
At its peak, when FYROM
shut its border in March, the
camp housed more than 14,000,
but numbers have declined as
people began accepting authorities’ offers of alternative places
to stay.
In
Geneva,
UNHCR
yANNiS kOlESiDiS/ANA-mPA viA AP
Migrants enter a bus during a police operation at a makeshift refugee camp at the Greek-Macedonian border near the northern Greek village of Idomeni, Wednesday, May 25, 2016.
spokesman Adrian Edwards said
the evacuation appeared to be
taking place “calmly,” and the
U.N. refugee agency was sending more staffers to Idomeni.
“As long as the movement of
people from Idomeni is … voluntary in nature (and) that
we’re not seeing use of force,
then we don’t have particular
concerns about that,” he said.
“It often does help to move
people into more organized
sites, when they’re willing to
move to those places,” he
added.
In Idomeni, most have been
living in small camping tents
pitched in fields and along railroad tracks, while aid agencies
have set up large marquee-style
tents to help house people.
Greek authorities have sent in
cleaning crews regularly and
have provided portable toilets,
but conditions have been precarious at best, with heavy rain
creating muddy ponds.
Recently the camp had begun taking on an image of semipermanence, with refugees setting up small makeshift shops
selling everything from cooking
utensils to falafel and bread.
More than 54,000 refugees
and migrants have been trapped
in financially struggling Greece
since countries further north
shut their land borders to a massive flow of people escaping war
and poverty at home. Nearly a
million people have passed
through Greece, the vast majority arriving on islands from the
nearby Turkish coast.
In March, the European
Union reached an agreement
with Turkey meant to stem the
flow and reduce the number of
people undertaking the perilous
sea crossing to Greece, where
many have died when their
overcrowded,
unseaworthy
boats sank.
Greece to Get a Third Bailout – 11 Million Euros
Continued from page 1
AP PHOTO/virGiNiA mAyO
Greece's Finance Minister Eucleidis Tsakalotos (L), speaks with
EU Commissioner for Economic Affairs Pierre Moscovici during
a meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels on May 25, 2016.
AP PHOTO/THANASSiS STAvrAkiS
Successive Greek governments, in a desperate bid to
keep the economy from collapsing, have embarked on a strategy of seeking successive loans
from the creditors to repay previous loans and the borrowing
again to pay even more loans.
Only about 5 percent of the
money borrowed since 2010 has
gone to help the people of
Greece and the rest used to pay
back banks and for other uses.
The price has been harsh
austerity that has created record
unemployment
and
deep
poverty and a lower standard of
living for most Greeks, apart
from tax cheats, the rich, politicians and those exempted from
austerity, such as the military,
diplomats, university professors
and Parliament workers.
The disbursement would
cover Greece’s funding needs
until the end of November this
year when it will need more
money and talk hasn’t relented
of a fourth bailout at some
point.
Tsipras, reneging on another
promise, also agreed to automatic spending cuts if Greece
fails to meet fiscal targets, which
it always has.
The compliance report also
proposes a range of measures to
provide Greece with debt relief,
such as locking in low interest
rates and extending the grace
period and loan maturities but
no debt cut as Tsipras said he
would also get in return for caving in.
“CRIMINAL ACT”
Greek Defence Minister
Panos Kammenos said a tax hike
on Greek islands is an unconstitutional “criminal act” even
though he voted for it.
The provocative Kammenos,
labeled a loose cannon by critics, is head of the tiny, marginal
pro-austerity, far-right jingoist
Independent Greeks (ANEL)
who are partners in the coalition
government led by Tsipras.
The government, with only
its 153 lawmakers supporting it,
rammed an omnibus austerity
bill through Parliament, and
Kammenos voted for every one
of the measures in the 7,000page document on May 22.
Now, however, he said the increase in the Value Added Tax
on the islands is something he
fought against and even threatened to resign unless it were
withdrawn. When it wasn’t, he
didn’t quit but turned instead to
criticizing his own government.
The VAT hike – from 23 to
24 percent – was part of an
avalanche of tax increases he
and Tsipras swore they would
never impose on the orders of
international creditors but did
and said they had no choice, although they had blistered previous governments for using the
same reason to implement pay
cuts, tax hikes, slashed pensions,
worker firings and privatizations.
“The VAT increase for the islands is a criminal act, an unconstitutional decision; a decision, for which I want to tell
you, we waged a big battle in
and out of Parliament … unfortunately, I reached the point of
resigning as minister over the
issue of the islands (and the imposition of the highest VAT rate
on them), but we couldn’t win
this wager, at least not at this
phase.”
He added that it is his “top
priority” to restore the reduced
rate once the economy returns
to growth and that he would try
to convince the country’s creditors that Greek islands are not
what people see at expensive resorts on Myconos and Santorini
in the summer, Kathimerini reported.
The New Democracy Conservatives, of which he was a member at one time, said he should
resign if he doesn’t support tax
hikes he voted for but he wouldn’t respond.
Greece's Prime Minister
Alexis Tsirpas, right, poses
with Cypriot President Nicos
Anastasiades for photographers before their meeting at
the Maximos Mansion in
Athens, Wednesday, May 25.
Abandoned Amid Cyprus War, Cars Await Owners’ Touch
EPISKOPI, Cyprus (AP) — It's
last call for the owner to reclaim
a late 1950s Dodge Coronet,
shades of its sky-blue paint still
visible on its tailfins, which has
been rusting on a British military
base for over four decades.
The lone Dodge, a relic of the
"swept wing" era, sits among to
some 400 vehicles including
Land Rovers, Fiats, Lambretta
mopeds and Bedford trucks that
were abandoned by the Turkish
Cypriot owners inside the
Episkopi Garrison amid the confusion of a 1974 war that
cleaved Cyprus along ethnic
lines.
The vehicles have since lain
inside this wind-swept, fencedoff field for safe-keeping. But the
relentless Mediterranean sun
and humidity, coupled with a
huge brushfire that swept
through the field 15 years ago,
have turned more than half of
these into little more than rusting hulks.
Now, base authorities are
hoping to reawaken the interest
of owners — either in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot northern
part of the island or abroad —
to reclaim these vehicles before
their disposal starts next year.
"We have to make the effort
to give them back before we
start disposing of them, it's the
proper thing to do," said Ian
Brayshaw, a British Bases official
in charge of the project.
The overwhelming majority
of the vehicles are of little value
other than scrap metal. But there
are a few gems among the pile
that could be worth some money
including the aluminum-framed
Land Rover Mark 1 and a decrepit Volkswagen Beetle that is
said to be worth as much as
2,000 euros ($2,230) despite its
condition, said Brayshaw.
It doesn't all necessarily boil
down to money — the sentimental value of these vehicles can't
be brushed aside. There have so
far been around two dozen inquiries about the vehicles, with
the son-in-law of one man who
used to own a bus fleet making
the trip to look at six bus carcasses.
"He was quite emotional because of the obvious history of
the buses," said Brayshaw. "He
was grateful for the efforts of
the bases to give the vehicles
back, but disappointed at their
condition."
Many of the vehicles, some
vandalized and damaged, were
abandoned on streets of RAF
Akrotiri — a British air base in
the island's southern, Greek
Cypriot half. With tensions running high immediately after an
invasion Turkey had mounted in
response to a coup aiming to
unite Cyprus with Greece, Turkish Cypriots couldn't drive their
vehicles out of the base. Instead,
the refugees were flown out
from RAF Akrotiri and taken to
Turkey before ending up in the
island's Turkish-controlled northern part with whatever belongings they could carry with them.
"The sad thing for me is when
you see a child's toy in the backseat of a car and it makes you
think about how serious this all
was, it was war," said Brayshaw.
Some Turkish Cypriots have
come forward over the years to
reclaim mostly agricultural
equipment, said Brayshaw.
Owners have until the end of
the year to claim their vehicles.
Vehicles that aren't reclaimed
will either be sold for scrap or
auctioned off. Brayshaw said all
the money raised will go to projects helping the Turkish Cypriot
community.
Under the deal, anyone arriving clandestinely on Greek islands from the Turkish coast after March 18 faces deportation
to Turkey unless they successfully apply for asylum in Greece.
But few want to request asylum in the country, which has
been struggling with a deep, sixyear financial crisis that has left
unemployment hovering at
around 24 percent.
Greek authorities are also eager to reopen a railway line —
the country’s main freight train
line to the Balkans — that runs
through the camp and has been
blocked by protesting camp residents since March 20.
Anastassios Saxpelidis, a
spokesman for Greek transport
companies, said that the 66-day
closure has cost transporters
about 6 million euros ($6.7 million).
Giorgos Kyritsis, a government spokesman on immigration, said the line should open
“in coming days.”
The government has been
trying for months to persuade
people to leave Idomeni and go
to organized camps. I said its
campaign of voluntary evacuations was already working, with
police reporting that eight buses
carrying about 400 people left
Idomeni on May 22. Others took
taxis heading to Thessaloniki or
the nearby town of Polycastro.
On the eve of the evacuation
operation, few at the camp appeared to welcome the news.
“It’s not good … because
we’ve already been here for
three months and we’ll have to
spend at least another six in the
camps before relocation,” Hind
Al Mkawi, a 38-year-old refugee
from Damascus, told The Associated Press.
Abdo Rajab, a 22-year-old
refugee from Raqqa in Syria, has
spent the past three months in
Idomeni, and is considering paying smugglers to be sneaked
into Germany.
“We hear that tomorrow we
will all go to camps,” he said. “I
don’t mind, but my aim is not
reach the camps but to go Germany.”
Cyprus Irony: Rise of
Far Right Propelling
The Hope for Unity
NICOSIA – The entry into Parliament by a far-right group opposed to unity with Turks on
Cyprus could provide an impetus
for a resolution.
The ELAM party took two
seats in the 56-member Parliament in what was seen as a
protest against ruling parties and
harsh austerity measures but
also an indicator about resumed
unity talks that Cypriot President
Nicos Anastasiades and his Turkish counterpart, Mustafa Akinci,
hope will bring a solution by the
end of the year.
Analysts told the news
agency Reuters that the process
could now be accelerated before
critics and ELAM make any more
headway or gain support that
could undermine the fragile
talks and upset hopes to unify
the island divided since an unlawful Turkish invasion in 1974.
Turkey still keeps a 30,000-
lead to major economic advances for both sides in projects
such as transporting Israeli and
Cypriot off-shore gas via pipeline
to Europe and the bringing of
fresh water to Cyprus through
an existing pipeline.
LAST CHANCE SALOON
Anastasiades and Akinci have
said this could be the last chance
to unify the island. The Cypriot
President’s term expires in 2018,
so the talks need to move forward before another year of
electioneering begins, James
Ker-Lindsay, a Senior Research
Fellow at the London School of
Economics who focuses on
southeast Europe.
“If he is really serious, this is
where he should come out and
say this is the task at hand and
move forward,” Ker-Lindsay told
Reuters.
“There has been a certain tailing-off in talks in recent months.
AP PHOTO/PETrOS kArADJiAS
A man, helped by a woman, leaves the polling booth at a
polling station during the parliamentary elections in southern
port city of Limassol on Sunday, May 22.
man standing army in the northern third it unlawfully occupies
and which only it recognizes and
refuses to recognize Cyprus or
admit its ships and planes while
hoping to become a member of
the European Union, which
Cyprus already is.
While the vote in the May 22
elections won’t change the government and was seen more of
a protest against Anastasiades
for reneging on campaign
promises not to confiscate bank
accounts, it could jeopardize the
unity talks even as the EU has
moved to appease Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, offering a fast-track entry as part
of a refugee swap deal.
Cypriot unity talks have been
a graveyard for a raft of diplomats and envoys from the
United States, Europe and
United Nations for four decades.
The UN’s current representative
Norway’s Espen Barth Eide has
predicted a breakthrough frequently with no evidence to back
it up other than wishing and
hoping.
After the election of the moderate Akinci last year, and the
withdrawal by Turkey of a warship and energy research vessel
from Cypriot waters, there was
renewed optimism for an answer
with Anastasiades offering concessions - too many, his critics
said.
A senior Turkish source told
the newspaper the Hurriyet
Daily News said Erdogan is looking to step into the stalled talks
and push aside Akinci.
Hurriyet writer Murat Yetkin
said Erdogan wants to take a
more hands-on approach to foreign policy and that’s likely to
include Cyprus.
Yetkin said if a settlement is
reached on the island that’s been
divided since an unlawful Turkish invasion in 1974 that it could
But now the election is out of
the way it’s an opportunity to
move forward” before negativity
seeps in over the perceptibly
slow pace of talks, he added.
Political analyst Hubert Faustmann told the news agency he
agreed. “If they haven’t made a
major breakthrough by the end
of the year, we are done. I don’t
see it happening next year,” he
said.
Anastasiades’ rightwing Democratic Rally party lost 3.7
points, or two seats, in the election, while Communist AKEL
lost 7.1 points, or three seats.
Both parties have a moderate
stance on the Cyprus question.
Rival parties who said Anastasiades is selling out the country made gains, undercutting his
position just as he said the talks
need momentum.
Opponents to the idea of a
bi-zonal Federal solution said it
violates freedom of movement
and settlement, a key EU principle, because it would keep two
states, a Turkish one and a Greek
one, where there would be quotas on ethnic populations.
ELAM has been involved in
violence against Turkish Cypriots
and some of its members
stormed a lecture by former
Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet
Ali Talat in 2014, a hardliner.
Cyprus still is divided, with a
UN-buffer zone Green Line splitting the island, although travel
is allowed between the sides
with people passing checkpoints.
“I have a lot of confidence in
social control in Cyprus,” said
Faustmann. “We know it only
takes a few idiots to mess things
up. Cyprus is no exception to the
rule, but I don’t see it happening.” Akinci said it was time to
push for peace. "All attention
should now be directed towards
the efforts for solving the Cyprus
problem," he said.
EDITORIALS LETTERS
12
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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.
Archdiocese Should
Help Fund Immigration
Legal Assistance
Publisher-Editor Antonis H. Diamataris
Assistant to the Publisher, Advertising Veta H. Diamataris Papadopoulos
Executive Editor Constantinos E. Scaros
Religion Editor Theodore Kalmoukos
Production Manager Chrysoula Karametros
The National Herald (USPS 016864) is published weekly by
The National Herald Inc. at 37-10 30th Street, LIC, NY 11101-2614
Tel: (718)784-5255, Fax: (718)472-0510,
e-mail: [email protected]
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Tel: 011.30.210.3614.598, Fax: 011.30.210.3643.776, e-mail:
[email protected]
Periodical postage paid at L.I.C., N.Y. and additional mailing offices.
Postmaster send change of address to:
THE NATIONAL HERALD, 37-10 30th Street, LIC, NY 11101-2614
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 28-JUNE 3, 2016
To the Editor:
As a former immigration attorney for Lutheran Family Services, I have often asked myself
why the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese doesn't have a similar
program to help low income
people obtain immigration legal
assistance. Similar organizations
are run by Catholic Charities
and the Methodist Church. Individuals in removal (aka deportation) proceedings do not
have a right to government-appointed counsel and oftentimes
go unrepresented.
With a horrible situation in
Greece, we here in America can
help those wanting to immigrate
much like our parents did in the
1960s and 1970s. That period
was the last great migration of
Greeks to America. I believe we
as Greek-Americans need to pay
it back.
It is time that our Archdiocese get on the bandwagon and
establish a Greek Orthodox Immigration Assistance Program.
Van Argyrakis, Esq.
Omaha, NE
Reader Adds to the List of
Greek-American Mayors
To the Editor:
I want to say “thank you” to
Steve Frangos for the interesting
and informative article, “Spanning Decades and States, a
Glimpse at Greek-American
Mayors” (May 7). I especially
want to say how much I appreciated seeing by late brother,
Charles Moskos, included in the
article.
And I have good news for Mr.
Frangos, we can add one more
Greek-American to the list of
former mayors.
Of the Southwest states of
Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas there was only
one such mayor listed in the article and that was Anton Proto
in Nogales, AZ.
We can add George Ades,
who served as mayor of Grants,
NM, some 80 miles west of Albuquerque on old Highway 66.
Mr. Ades moved to Albuquerque
from Grants in the 1930s and
became instrumental in the establishment of the now defunct
AHEPA tuberculosis sanatorium
there. (Coincidentally, that was
the same building I took my
then required draft-age Army
physical in 1954.)
Harry Moskos
Knoxville, TN
TO OUR READERS
The National Herald welcomes letters from its readers intended for
publication. They should include the writer’s name, address, and
telephone number and be addressed to: The Editor, The National
Herald, 37-10 30th Street, long island City, Ny 11101. letters can
also be faxed to (718) 472-0510 or e-mailed to [email protected]. we reserve the right to edit letters for publication
and regret that we are unable to acknowledge or return those left
unpublished.
The Deal about the Deal
AGORA – THE ORIGINAL MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS
Coincidentally, while the Greek issue was being discussed in
Brussels, IMF First Deputy Managing Director Dr. David Lipton
was delivering a speech at the annual Stavros Niarchos Foundation Lecture at the Peter Peterson Institute for International
Economics in Washington.
It was a very interesting speech by a top scholar who radiates
confidence and ethos and impresses with his knowledge.
There was great concern within the lecture hall about what
was happening in Brussels.
Time was passing without a final decision being made. And
then, by morning, the facts became clear.
What was the essence of the decision? What bottom line
does a busy reader conclusively need to know? What’s the deal
bout the deal?
On one hand, the negotiations had little to do with Greece
and much more to do with the referendum in the UK and the
German elections next year.
Consequently, the decision was to once again “kick the can
down the road” and, as indicated, specifically to… 2018, “if
needed.”
On the other hand, Greece is going to collect enough money
to not cause problems and influence these events.
Now, as far as the debt is concerned: under pressure from
its dominant board members, the United States and Germany,
the IMF withdrew its claim for immediate reduction – not “haircut” – of the debt.
As the Wall Street Journal reported, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Obama “are eager to avoid a new
drama over Greece when the European Union is looking unusually politically fragile given the refugee crisis, the rise of
populist parties across the bloc, and the UK’s referendum on
whether to leave or remain an EU member.”
Thus, the IMF “won” the public acceptance that the debt is
not serviceable. In other words, that Greece will never be able
to repay the debt on its own.
And in spite of this – shame on them – they are deferring it
to… 2018!
Furthermore, it is at least regrettable that Greece was, essentially, absent from the negotiations that concerned it. According to the Financial Times, the discussions took place among
the Netherlands’ Jeroen IMF Dijsselbloem, who is the EU’s Finance Ministers Council Chairman, German Finance Minister
Wolfgang Schäuble, and IMF European Director Poul Thomsen.
Unfortunate…
Lastly, as far as the political side is concerned: is this deal a
“victory” for the government? Of course not, as indicated from
all the above. A similar deal, and possibly a better one, could
have been sealed in November, as the memorandum stipulated.
Instead, this deal constitutes a dark moment in the history
of Greece, which continues, six years after the crisis, to depend
on third parties to survive, and which acquiesces to having its
future shackled for several decades.
Disestablishmentarianism
What is happening in the presidential primaries is unprecedented in modern American history.
The political system is being put to the test. The establishment is being tossed aside. The media is being ignored. The
people are revolting peacefully. The warning bell tolls.
Donald Trump, a billionaire New Yorker with a strong sense
of politics, with a great impact on the working class, an arrogant
man who initially was taken seriously by very few, and who has
never held public office, defeated sixteen of his fellow candidates
– including, amazingly enough, five senators and nine governors
– and has emerged as the presumptive Republican presidential
nominee.
On the other hand, the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton,
who has played a key role in politics for decades now, who has
passed through the White House, the Senate, and the State Department, is unable to rid herself of her opponent, a senator
who has excited the imagination of young voters. We refer, of
course, to Bernie Sanders, whose rise is remarkable in its own
right, considering that in this bastion of capitalism, he is a selfproclaimed democratic socialist.
And so, Democratic frontrunner Clinton, whose political experience can be matched by very few, and surely by no one currently opposing her, like most of America, is scrambling to make
sense out of this most unusual political phenomenon.
A recent New York Times poll about voters’ views of the
presidential race is clearly indicative of the impasse that the
American electorate has reached.
When asked if they have a positive opinion about the candidates, only 26% said they view Trump favorably and only 31%
said the same for Clinton, while 41% favor Sanders. Asked if
they consider the candidates to be “honest and trustworthy,”
just 31% said yes for Trump and 32% for Clinton. Their negative
numbers are astronomical: 64% have a negative opinion about
both.
It is a sad picture that reveals the deadlock in which voters
find themselves.
Also note that the margin between the two main candidates
is decreasing – 47% favor Clinton and 41% favor Trump, and
in many other polls it is a statistical tie – while the gap was
10% in Clinton’s favor not too long ago.
Remarkably, Sanders leads Trump by a wider margin than
does Clinton.
Of course, a lot can happen for both parties until the July
nominating conventions.
For example, charges may be brought against Clinton on the
issue of her emails – she is currently being investigated by the
FBI – or perhaps there may even be an incredible revelation
against Trump.
In any case, the point is that the people have reached their
limit. They are working harder than ever, but are struggling to
make ends meet. They feel abandoned by their elected officials.
And so, instead of turning to a traditional candidate, they
are in search of someone, even a nationalist (Trump) – America
first, let’s build a wall, etc. – and a Wall Street opponent, someone (Sanders) who will look after the American citizen and
promises something specific, such as free tuition for public universities.
On this page, we have cautioned that the establishment
ought not be underestimated. Then again, this is a most unusual
election year.
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
Soft vs. Hard Power: What’s the Best Approach to Cuba?
GEORGAKAS PRESENTS HIS
POINT OF VIEW:
Dino, an ongoing debate in
American foreign policy circles
has been whether American interests would be better served
by emphasizing “soft” power
(social values—mass communication—developmental capitalism) rather than the present policy of “hard” power (military
intervention—embargoes—exploitative capitalism). The Bush
II administration was the epitome of hard power thinking.
President Obama has recently
opted for a soft power overture
to Cuba.
The immediate results have
been heartening. For openers,
Obama outlined American perspectives on Cuba national television. I thought his speech was
self-righteous and a bit
pompous, but the whole island
listened. No comparable speech
was broadcast by Raul Castro to
the American public.
Cubans clearly expressed
their cultural temperament a
few days after Obama’s speech
when 200,000 Cubans attended
a Mick Jagger concert. Apple,
Google, Yahoo, and other internet giants are setting up services
in Cuba that will end any remaining barriers to public access
to international sites.
American financial institutions are resuming normal services in Cuba. This will allow
Cuba to finally conclude
arrangements to purchase the
American agriculture products
it needs and that American
farmers are anxious to sell.
Cuba will also be purchasing
heavy duty equipment from
Deere and Caterpillar. Cuba may
well be returning to its traditional intimate relationship with
the United States, but with an
increased role for the Cuban
government and the absence of
organized crime.
American cruise ships are
stopping in Cuba, and American
airlines will be servicing ten
Cuban cities. American hotels
are finally able to operate in
Cuba in the manner European
hotel chains have for decades.
There is even a nascent airbnb
system in place. One result is
that Americans will be able to
enjoy relatively inexpensive vacations in Cuba in the manner
Canadians have done for more
than fifty years. Another result
is that American-born Cubans
will be able to visit their ancestral homeland in the way GreekAmericans have always done.
Americans visiting Cuba often judge it as underdeveloped.
This is a half-truth at best. Cuba
is far more prosperous and
The world’s eyes were on Cuba as the Soviet Union’s Nikita
Khrushchev (L) and America’s John F. Kennedy stood on the
brink of starting World War III. But that was 24 years ago. It’s
time for a new approach to Cuba.
much safer than nearby countries such as Haiti, Jamaica,
Honduras, Guatemala, and regions of Mexico. Americans will
also discover that Cuba has free
education through college and
universal health care, services
Americans are constantly told
are not possible in America.
Cuba’s own version of soft
power has been its ability to
send capable doctors to serve in
other nations, quite a difference
from the doctor shortage in
America.
That the Cuba Community
Party is agreeable to these
changes suggests it trusts the
population to retain a socialist
perspective within a mixed
economy system. The Communists also believe a raised standard of living will bolster public
confidence in their ability to
govern. Moreover, many Communists have long wanted to
move to more democratic practices in the party and the nation.
American opposition to
Obama’s initiative is mainly by
diehard anticommunists and
older Cuban exiles who refuse
to acknowledge the old policies
were fruitless. The argument
that dealing with Cuba means
endorsing the Cuban system is
nonsense. We currently deal
with but do not endorse authoritarian regimes throughput the
world, including Communist
governments in Vietnam, China,
and North Korea.
The change in our Cuban
policy has enhanced the Ameri-
can image in Central America,
the Caribbean, and South America where our chronic hard
power approach has earned us
considerable and justifiable enmity. Hopefully, a success of soft
power in Cuba will finally help
pivot the U.S. away from the
hard power approach that has
led to the quagmire in the Middle East and Africa.
SCAROS RESPONDS
Dan, the Cuba issue is one of
the most perplexing ones in
American foreign policy. As you
correctly point out, the United
States has made far greater
overtures over the past half century to nations with which it has
had far greater conflicts than
with Cuba.
Considered in a vacuum,
Cuba is not a big deal, objectively. Except, of course, to those
directly affected – such as the
Cuban people, and CubanAmericans who now have the
opportunity to visit their ancestral homeland. To the larger issue of American national security interests, though, a friendly
government in Cuba as opposed
to a hostile one does not make
a significant difference.
But if we do not look at Cuba
in a vacuum, if we approach it
in terms of an entire region, as
you suggest, then normalizing
relations with Cuba indeed
could go a long way toward preventing the quagmires that
American hard power has
helped to perpetuate in other
regions of the world.
Interestingly, I see the biggest
hope for normalizing Cuban relations even further to be Donald
Trump. Because of his “America
first” approach and his hard line
stand on illegal aliens, Trump
has the credentials to extend the
olive branch to Cuba the way
Nixon, a renowned anticommunist, did vis-à-vis China.
Already outspoken against
protracted wars that lead to
endless quagmires, Trump could
rely on his business acumen to
make headway in Central America that might help provide significantly better economic opportunities for the people,
which, in turn, would reduce
gunrunning and drug trafficking, and sharply curb illegal entry and stay in the United States
– at least from that part of the
world.
Of course, many on the
American left would scoff at the
notion of Trump being embraced by Latinos – but what
they do not realize is that just
like anywhere else, the inhabitants of Central America come
in two sets: those with open
minds and those with closed
ones. The latter are going to resent Americans as a whole, no
matter if the messenger of good
will is Donald Trump or Barack
Obama. The former will allow
common sense and objectivity
to prevail, and they will not be
hoodwinked into believing partisan Americans about a particular U.S. politician.
Case in point: George W.
Bush may not have enjoyed
tremendous support among
African-Americans as a whole,
but he is revered in many parts
of Africa for all of his work in
fighting AIDS on that continent.
Strategically, Trump ought to
consider reaching out to CubanAmericans now. As a whole,
they tend to be more conservative and Republican than most
other Hispanic groups, and
while some of the hardliners
might resent any overtures to
Cuba while a Castro remains in
power, Trump might be able to
make enough of a dent to win
many of them over, particularly
in a key swing state like Florida.
A Trump presidency would
be interesting in that respect: I
don’t see it being identical to
the hard-powered Bush or the
soft-powered Obama. It would
be, if not a middle ground, then
at least a distinctive ground that
incorporates elements of both.
Of course, I’m putting the
cart before the horse. First,
Trump has to be elected.
WHAT’S YOUR OPINION?
Observations By Antonis H. Diamataris
Greece’s Taxing Tax Bill
Under different circumstances, one could
even congratulate the government in general,
and specifically Greek Prime Minister Alexis
Tsipras, for passing the omnibus bill in Parliament on May 22.
And I say this because this newspaper has
supported a similar bill that should have been
voted on and, of course, implemented.
But not this one.
This particular bill was not the appropriate
one, nor was it passed when it should have
been, in accordance to the agreement with
the creditors.
To be precise, it should have been passed
in November, according to the conditions of
the third memorandum, namely, the one that
was signed by Prime Minister Tsipras.
This delay, just as the previous one – which
cost the Greek people 86 billion euros, according to the Bank of Greece’s governor –
will be paid by the Greek people through a
tsunami of additional measures.
And they are paying for it in multitudes,
both in cash and mortgaging the country to
the creditors for which future generations
will pay.
The way Greece’s sovereignty is being surrendered to foreigners is truly appalling.
In reality, just as the leader of the main
opposition party Kyriakos Mitsotakis noted
in his speech in Parliament, Greece is paying
a heavy price for the creditors’ lack of confidence in the government.
Confidence, as we all should be aware, is
a currency of very high value. Lack of confidence, then, is why the country has been
handcuffed for decades.
It is not the first time this has occurred,
but this government has exceeded all tolerable limits.
But this time, Greece will pay a very heavy
price for the suppression of private initiative
that stems from existing laws enhanced by
direct and indirect tax increases.
How many more taxes can the remaining
businesses really afford to pay? And how
much more can consumers afford to pay without shrinking their purchasing power, and in
turn inflicting more damage on the market?
And for what? To protect the public sector,
i.e., the public employee who refuses to proportionally contribute to the sacrifices of the
private sector.
With this mindset, reforms cannot be implemented, the economy does not grow, unemployment does not decrease, and young
scientists have no other choice but to “turn a
blind eye and go wherever the path may
lead.”
Thus, the New Democracy Party rightfully
voted in favor of the articles of the bill with
positive provisions – such as the concession
of 14 regional airports – and voted against
all the rest.
VIEWPOINTS
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 28-JUNE 3, 2016
13
ISIS’ Transient Nature and We Cannot Fix Our Problems Without Having a Vision
The US, Israel and Greece
the means by
The
United
which radicals and
States and its allies
terrorists can conare slowly driving
nect, intellectually
ISIS away from Iraq
and emotionally,
and Syria to the
with ordinary peopoint where the terple in the Middle
rorists will have to
East and beyond.
evacuate the region
The Palestinian
in the near future.
issue has been a
The most likely
factor in the Midplace is Libya. The
dle East for over 75
unfortunate counyears and has coltry, after U.S. and
by DR. ANDRE
ored America’s reNATO intervention,
GEROLYMATOS
lationship with the
is now a failed state
region. If ISIS can
thus ideal for ISIS.
Special to
The National Herald
link with the plight
In effect, the
of the Palestinians
move to Libya will
be a fundamental shift for ISIS’ it will tie in the terrorists with a
direction as the organization will powerful cause.
Equally significant, ISIS in
concentrate on North Africa,
leaving the United States, its al- Sinai can attack Israel and in
lies, and Russia to deal with the the process further complicate
the problems of the Egyptian
mess in Syria and Iraq.
In North Africa ISIS will be Government. Remarkably, the
able to exploit the discontent in Egyptian-Israeli treaty had surEgypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and vived the political upheavals in
other in other countries in the Cairo. However, once ISIS atregion. The Egyptian Govern- tacks Israel and the Israelis fight
ment has failed to deal with a back it will place the Egyptian
failing economy, which is accel- Government in the position of
erating protests and violence. fighting with Israel against MusConcurrently, the failure of the lims. ISIS can cause sufficient
Muslim Brotherhood to hold on damage that could also bring in
to power and its subsequent col- the United States thus pitting
lapse has left ISIS’ affiliate, ISIS the Muslim ISIS against the
in Sinai, as the only so-called Is- forces of “evil” and Christians.
Unfortunately for ISIS, there
lamic alternative.
Egypt is the largest Arab is a wrinkle. The extremist
country, with a population of Hamas that controls Gaza is alclose to 100 million. For ISIS, lied with Hezbollah, which is a
Egypt is a rich prize. The terror- creature of the Iranian Shiite
ists can exploit the growing dis- government, while the Sunni
gruntlement in the country in Palestinian Authority that govwhich poverty afflicts a large erns the West bank has a relapercentage of the population. tionship with Israel.
The complex layers that
Egypt is also the home of alAzhar University, one of the cen- make up the Palestinian situaters of Islamic scholarship. It tion, perhaps, was one of the
was founded in 970 AD and is reason that al-Qaeda avoided
the most prestigious and world- getting directly involved. ISIS,
renowned institution that is also beyond the usual anti-Semitic
affiliated with 4,000 teaching propaganda, has preferred to
bypass the Palestinian issue, but
organizations in Egypt.
Al-Azhar, however, has an if and when the terrorists reloantagonistic relationship with cate to Libya they have little
Wahabism and Salafisim, both choice but to get involved with
versions underscore ISIS’s con- the cause of the Palestinians –
fused and perverted interpreta- at best a divisive issue. In such
tion of Islam. Consequently, the a context, ISIS’s only avenue
ISIS leadership can dream of will be to inflict more terrorism.
The killings and bombings as
gaining control of al-Azhar and
Nothing describes the state
of the Western world better than
seething discontent. In America,
this discontent has erupted in
both political parties of angry
populists motivating millions of
voters in ways that confound
traditional politicians.
Economists and the establishment blame the populists for
stirring up this discontent when,
they say, we are doing well and
the discontent is misplaced. The
economists may have the numbers right but they have the people all wrong. They look at the
big picture and tell us GDP is
up, unemployment is down, average income is up, prices are
low, trade has increased exponentially and thus we are better
off than any other large economy in the world.
The populists look at the
small picture and glommed onto
the fact that most Americans
live according to the small picture. The number of people
looking for work is down but labor force participation (the total
number of Americans working
or looking for work as a percentage of the total working age
population) has never been
lower. Average income has
climbed but all of the increase
went to a minute percentage of
the population, which also
scarfed up the losses of those
who went from working on an
automobile assembly line to
lines assembling hamburgers. To
rub salt in the wound, virtually
the entire political class joined
the economists and the shareholders in praising the technological disruptions and out
sourcing of jobs abroad that destroyed high paying jobs.
As the political class and its
cronies separated themselves
from the day-to-day lives of
their fellow citizens, they devised strategies to retain votes.
On the Republican side, the
Party successfully rechanneled
the resentment into a divisive
and vicious hatred of gays,
blacks, immigrants, welfare
queens, Muslims, bureaucrats
and eviscerated the Democrats
for spending money on them.
The Democrats, in turn, doubled
down on increasingly inefficient, complex and expensive
policies that softened the blow
of the modern economy without
providing solutions. Both political parties have looked the
other way as transportation in-
boringly to the infrastructure deteritellect. Should Mrs.
orated, as rising
Clinton win the
costs made Amerielection we can recan health care unliably depend on
sustainable and
her to approach
university educaAmerica’s problems
tion unaffordable.
in a steady, workSeemingly unable
manlike and generto learn from past
ally efficient manmistakes in half a
ner working within
century, politicians
the existing system.
have repeatedly
Unfortunately,
sent
American
by AMB. PATRICK N.
the
existing system
troops to fight and
THEROS
has failed the peodie in losing causes
ple. Without fixing
around the world.
Special to
The National Herald
the system, we only
Bernie Sanders
delay worse proband Donald Trump
have correctly assessed the mood lems. Without a grand vision of
and gained millions of enthusi- how to fix the system just tinastic supporters by promising fan- kering, even competent tinkerciful solutions. Sanders would ing, will not fix it.
That grand vision must inhave the government pay all the
bills while ignoring the law of clude several basic components.
supply and demand: tossing The United States cannot address
more money at health care and health care and education witheducation will drive prices higher, out acknowledging that paying
far higher than any tax increase more and more without reducing
could possibly cover. Donald costs leads to failure. We have
Trump offers a simpler but scarier expended much blood and treasolution: “Trust me. I am a genius sure playing “whack-a-mole”
and I will fix it all.” The fact that with poorly conceived military
between them they have con- interventions for half a century
vinced a plurality of the Ameri- while ignoring diplomacy, both
can people that these are viable hard and soft, and preferring our
solutions should scare all of us. allies remain dependent vassals
Assuming that no “black rather than contributors to world
swan” (e.g., a felony indict- stability. Expanded international
ment) shows up, Hillary Clinton trade and technology advances
will clinch the Democratic nom- bring enormous benefits to the
ination. Mrs. Clinton and Mr. overall economy and a minority
Trump share one terrifying qual- of citizens but good leadership
ity: a majority of probable voters must find new and novel ways
dislike each and both of them. to mitigate the bad effects and
Otherwise the two are polar op- spread the benefit to the entire
posites. Trump theatrically ap- population. Otherwise, we will
peals to the viscera and Clinton continue to create more and
more have-nots who will, if history is any guide, take matters
where none of us want to go.
Mrs. Clinton must, if she is to
be remembered as a successful
president, acquire a vision. She
has proven that she has the job
skills, the bureaucratic knowhow
and, above all, the strong will to
make government carry out her
orders. She needs the vision as a
goal, even if the implementation
remains a series of small steps
rather than giant leaps forward.
With a vision she can persuade
the American people to be patient and perhaps even persuade
her political opponents that
mindless obstructionism, especially in foreign policy, undermines their political survival.
Giving Mr. Trump similar advice baffles this column. “Making America Great Again” is no
vision; how he will do it seems
to change by the hour and by
the audience. He has undeniable genius at figuring out what
inspires the mob and intimidating unprincipled office-seeking
politicians, but no one has any
idea of what he believes other
than an apparently sincere conviction of his own brilliance.
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.
AP PHOTOS
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton share one terrifying quality: a majority of probable voters
dislikes each and both of them.
LETTER FROM ATHENS
A Press Conference With the Prime Minister of Greece
AP PHOTO
President Obama has a golden opportunity to eliminate ISIS
before he leaves office.
through it dominate Islamic
scholarship and law.
Toward that end, ISIS in
Sinai has been killing, blowing
up airplanes, and shooting at
Egyptian policemen, soldiers, as
well as at innocent bystanders.
The police and army, of course,
are symbols of the military
regime that rules the country
with a heavy hand and is held
accountable for the misery that
has inflicted the poor – the most
likely supporters of ISIS.
Indeed, ISIS recruits are either middle class and well-educated young men or even young
women, but also come from the
ranks for the destitute. In North
Africa, Tunisia is the home of
the largest percentage of ISIS
terrorists. Accordingly, the combination of the Libyan failed
state, the prospect of success in
Egypt, and a steady stream of
recruits from Tunisia as well
from Algeria, and other North
African countries offer excellent
prospect for ISIS.
Yet, there is another critical
factor, Israel. For many terrorists
and fanatics in the Middle East
the Palestinian issue and the
elimination of Israel underpin
their rhetoric. At the very least
the Palestinian issue has been
well grotesque acts of torture
will obscure policy objectives
and bring in the Israelis. What
better for ISIS than to be in a
war with the “crusaders” and
the “crusader” state? At the
same time, ISIS may also extend
its reign of terror to the allies of
the “crusader” state such as
Greece. The economic mess has
made Greece an easy steppingstone to Europe and in the future can easily become a battleground for the terrorists.
These are the challenges that
American policy makers should
be considering. The ISIS hydra
must be cauterized in Syria and
Iraq and not be permitted to
transplant to North Africa. Although the complete destruction
of ISIS will still leave terrorist
cells, it will make future recruits
think twice about joining the
cells. President Obama has a
golden opportunity to eliminate
ISIS before he leaves office
partly undo the mess his administration will leave in Syria, Iraq,
Afghanistan, and Libya.
André Gerolymatos is Director
of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies
at Simon Fraser University in
Vancouver.
Unlike American Presidents,
who have the guts to hold news
conferences and trade shots with
reporters, Greek political leaders
don’t. They have their lackeys
and staff put out self-serving,
self-aggrandizing press releases
and hide in the shadows.
While American Presidential
campaigns are manipulative and
well-orchestrated, candidates do
take the chance to go to Joe’s
Diner in whatever state they’re
in to grab a cheeseburger and
shake hands with the locals, who
would be well-advised to immediately use hand sanitizer immediately thereafter.
Greece is not really a democracy. Prime Ministers and political leaders tell their party members – whom they selected – how
to vote. If there’s any disobedience, you get booted from the
party and then deconstructed as
a traitor, especially if you show
any hint of decency or scruples.
Since Premier and Looney
Left SYRIZA leader Alexis “The
Great Reneger” Tsipras, who has
completed his white flag surrender to international creditors and
groveled on his knees before
them, won’t give a press conference, we’ll conduct one here for
him with some questions and his
real – and translated – answers.
Q: Mr. Prime Minister – and I
say Mister only with a wince –
why did you lie to the Greek people when you said you would reverse austerity and stand up to
the country’s creditors?
A: I didn’t lie, I merely deceived myself, what I call self-deception or deception of the self.
Technically speaking, I didn’t re-
trol
Parliament
nege on my promises
and made its
because I still believe
leader, Panos Kamin them. The fact
menos, Defense
that I implemented
Minister, but he’s
everything I oppose
been kind of a
only shows what a
loose cannon, protrue statesman I am
voking
Turkey,
– the greatest in
ridiculing austerity
Greek history – even
measures he voted
more than Pericles –
for. Isn’t he really
who was a schmuck
just a convenient
compared to me –
embarrassment?’
even more than
by ANDY
A: That kind of
Eleftherios VenizeDABILIS
talk is nonsense
los, who was a little
and yesterday’s BS
far to the right for
Special to
The National Herald
with
a
little
my taste – or even
chicken spread on
Lakis Lazopoulos.
Q: Why don’t you wear a tie? it. Panos, or Pano as I call him,
A: A tie is the symbol of Cap- is an indispensable part of my
italist bankers and running yel- government, plus he brings me
low dog Imperialists who hold coffee every morning from Stardown the masses. Not wearing buck’s but don’t tell anyone bea tie gives hope to the op- cause we don’t like the Ameripressed. As the noted Revolu- cans or NATO or the European
tionary leader Tom Tuttle from Union or the United Nations.
Tacoma said: “Our enemies are Minister Kammenos has proved
all those in league with Imperi- himself an invaluable ally to the
alism. The bureaucrats, the big cause, although you sure don’t
landlord class and the reac- want to get between him and a
tionary section of the Intelli- buffet table.
Q: When you were out of ofgentsia attached to them. Our
enemies are all around us. We fice you mocked previous govmust always be on our guard. ernments for privatizations and
Sure, we’ll lose a lot of snooze said they were selling off Greek
time, but that’s okay. We can assets at – and I quote – bargain
catch up after the revolution’s basement fire sale prices. Yet
over.” I still have the tie that Ital- you’re doing the same thing.
A: No, actually I’m not. I’m
ian Premier Matteo Renzi gave
me and will keep my promise to shedding Greece of patronagewear it when we find a viable ridden inefficient, bloated state
solution for Europe or Kyriakos enterprises and suckering private investors to take them off
Mitsotakis joins SYRIZA.
Q: You brought in the tiny, our hands. True, the Chinese
far-right nationalist jingoistic In- bought a stake in the port of Pidependent Greeks to have a raeus when New Democracy’s
coalition government and con- Antonis Samaras was Premier
but I’m the one who sold off the
rest of it, ridding Greeks of the
place which now will be a key
to the European markets from
Asia and make private businesses rich. Who really wants to
go to Piraeus anyway, except for
tourists getting on ferry boats.
Q: You also said previous governments were hiring all their
friends and yet you’re doing the
same, including people critics
said couldn’t run a hot dog stand
and making them – quote – Special Advisors at big bucks. Aren’t
you really just a lying, sniveling,
cowardly hypocrite?
A: Hey, I don’t snivel. I may
shuffle and don’t forget I made
the Tsipras Tango the new national dance to replace Zorba,
that Silly Syrtaki. Mine is much
simpler. You just take two steps
to the left and one step back,
then one step to the left and two
steps back. As for your question,
the thousands of people I hire
are invaluable assets to the state
while the thousands of people
New Democracy and PASOK
hired were lackeys and flunkeys.
That’s the difference.
Q: Do you have anything to
show except for a trail of broken
promises? What do you say to
people who said you’ve done exactly the same as New Democracy and PASOK and previous
governments and caved in to international lenders and surrendered faster than the French
Army in World War II?
A: I’m sorry, telling the truth
is a Red Line I will never cross
for anyone.
[email protected]
Deserving the Brunt of the Blame: Europe is Responsible for the Refugee Crisis
By X
The latest official count estimates the number of refugees
in Greece to about 55 thousand.
A population the size of an average Greek city, of impoverished people with pressing housing and sustenance needs, that
constitutes a huge economic,
environmental, and demographic problem.
Amid a grave economic crisis
with mass unemployment,
Greece is unable to cope with
this crushing reality, despite the
truly touching humanitarian ef-
forts of everyday Greeks.
Perhaps the “negotiations”
on the assessment and debt, familiar to all of us from last summer, have temporarily overshadowed the issue in media
headlines. Nonetheless, the
damage to Greece’s economy
and overall morale, and endures
and worsens.
The government’s amateurishness and weakness bears a
significant share of the responsibility for this tragedy against
the nation. Unsuccessful and
frivolous management, lack of
basic organization, an obsession
with internationalism, and lax
and misguided humanism at the
expense of the Greek people,
have been exploited by traffickers of human souls as well as by
neighboring states. Consequently, Greece has been overrun as a defenseless state by
tens of thousands of refugees.
Nonetheless, recent honest
and bold statements by a senior
UN official responsible for the
refugee issue reminded us that
there is another big guilty party.
The biggest, in fact: the EU. Europe as a whole.
That official attacked Eu-
rope’s failure to handle the migrant crisis effectively. Though
that straightforward judgment
did not refer to details, the international community is perfectly aware of what happened
and what continues to be at play
even today.
Almost every European country, in light of the refugee wave,
barricaded itself behind its narrow national interests like a
frightened child, in order to forget the basic principles of European civilization as well as the
cornerstone of the EU itself: solidarity and support toward each
individual member state.
With newer members as key
players, the EU closed its borders, succumbed to Ankara’s insolent threats, and essentially
placed the burden on the backs
of those who cannot avoid it,
the Greeks. The refugees, who
desperately knock on Europe’s
door to save themselves from
conflicts which to great extent
have been created or enabled
by Europe itself, are being
locked out and left to exhaust
and torment poor Greece.
Unfortunately, this is the
harsh reality that not just a few
compassionate journalists, but
the UN itself, recognizes today.
Of course, recognition alone
does not solve the problem, and
it is little consolation for Greece,
which amid all its problems is
called upon to avoid repeating
mistakes of the past and to finally implement effective preventive policy, since conflict in
the Middle East continues and
Turkey still drives its typical
hard bargain.
X is a former senior foreign
policy leader who prefers to remain anonymous.
VIEWPOINTS
14
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 28-JUNE 3, 2016
How is it Possible that Turkey is Able to Appropriate Byzantine Heritage for Itself?
By Dr. Dimitra Kamarinou
Visiting the remaining
Byzantine monuments in Constantinople may become unpleasant for a Greek. The reason
is that by reading the texts in
the labels and the context in
which they are presented it becomes more than obvious that
modern Turkey’s policy is to
claim itself the successor to the
Byzantine heritage.
When I descended the fiftytwo stone steps into the Byzantine Royal Cistern, I saw a scale
model reconstruction that represented the Fall of Constantinople by the army of Mehmed II
dominating the entrance of the
site. Though in history he is remembered as the Conqueror,
Mehmed II declared himself
Kayser-i Rum, Caesar of Rome.
The impressive Basilica Cistern
is one of the few buildings in
Constantinople that still holds
traits from the Byzantine Empire’s splendor. It is an amazing
subterranean structure supported by a forest of 336 marble
columns of 9 meters (30 feet)
height, with capitals of Ionic
and Corinthian styles, arranged
in 12 rows, on which the weight
of the cistern lies by means of
cross-shaped vaults and round
arches. Built in the 6th century
by Justinian I, the ample chamber
(9,800
square
meters=105,000 square feet) is capable of holding 100,000 tons
of water. Today few feet of water lining the bottom are holding among the shadows of the
columns reflections of the
Byzantine Royal Court. The representation of Constantinople’s
Fall at the entrance clearly underlines the importance of the
Ottoman’s achievement. Only
that?
After the Fall of Constantinople the conquerors made remarkable efforts to incorporate
and surpass the magnificence of
the Byzantine Empire. It was not
easy. An example is visualized
in the Sultan Ahmet’s Mosque
that was built in front of the Hagia Sophia.
Why was Hagia Sophia so influential? The architectural concept of Hagia Sophia was to
symbolize the transition from
earth to heaven, which is represented by the central dome that
crowned the building. For the
first time a church was not distinguished by its façade, since
the whole structure is organized
around the cupola. The weight
and the massive appearance of
the cupola were two of the major problems the architects had
to solve. In order to restrain the
lateral forces of the dome and
allow its weight to flow downwards, it was carried on four
spherical triangular pendetives,
an innovation fully realised for
the first time in this church.
They facilitate the transition
from the circular base of the
dome to the rectangular outline
of the nave below. Hierarchies
of dome-headed elements built
upon arched openings extended
by half domes of identical diameter to the central one and carried on smaller semi-domed
exedras reinforce the building
and distribute the weight. They
additionally signify an uplifting
toward the crowning dome.
Forty windows inserted on its
base allow the light to diffuse
and create the effect of the
dome hovering above.
Today called Blue Mosque,
Sultan Ahmet’s Mosque is the
last great mosque of the Ottoman classical period. Aiming
at surpassing Hagia Sophia in
size, majesty and splendour Sultan Ahmet I ordered his architect to build a mosque in front
of the church (1609-1616), on
the foundation of the Byzantine
palace. In the building are syn-
thesized the concept of Hagia
Sophia and it’s architectural organization around the crowning
dome with the Ottoman mosque
building experience, as it had
been developed by his master,
Mimar Sinan, the architectural
genius of the Ottoman Empire.
Though the Sultan Ahmet’s architect created an impressive
complex, he did not succeed in
achieving a gradual transitional
flow from the dome to the sides.
He supported it on the so called
“elephant legs,” four huge piers.
Looking at the Beyoglu
mosques from the opposite side
of the Golden Horn it becomes
quite clear that Hagia Sophia
was the archetype for the architectural development of the Ottoman mosques. The Sultans at
the culmination of their reign
used to build mosques. Sultan
Suleyman’s the Magnificent’s
ambition was to surpass Justinian’s achievement. Suleymaniye
Mosque (1550-1557), the most
famous work of Mirmar Sinan,
crowns the hill next to Hagia
Sophia. Though it incorporates
Sinan’s innovative ideas, before
Suleymaniye no mosques had
been built with that roof style.
It was taken from Hagia Sophia.
It is smaller in size than the Hagia Sophia. At the time it was
built, the dome was the highest
in the Ottoman Empire, but still
lower from its base and smaller
in diameter than that of Hagia
Sophia.
Consequently though the interior of the Ottoman Mosques
differs, the exterior design incorporates the Hagia Sophia’s
style aiming at continuing and
surpassing the Byzantine tradition. The Ottoman Sultans defined themselves as successors
to the Byzantine Emperors and
appropriated for themselves the
glorious history of their territorial gains. Modern Turkey for
obvious reasons continues this
tradition.
Dimitra Kamarinou, PhD, has
studied philology and archaeology at the University of Ioannina,Würzburg and Bochum in
Germany.
She
has
been
honored with the Academy of
Athens Award in Archaeology
and Homeric Philology.
It’s Not Just Politics That’s Haywire: a Look at today’s Greek Orthodox Church in US
By Yianni Pappas
The 2016 presidential election
cycle in America has been wild.
Pundits on all networks have said
that the old rules just don’t apply
anymore. Many have stated that
“this is not the America we
knew.” A lightbulb may have finally lit up. The pulse of the people is beginning to register.
It is too late for most of the
candidates, but perhaps in observing the political climate we
can better understand the lay of
the land within the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
(GOA).
Our lightbulb is still out and
our GOA leaders (metropolitans,
bishops, priests, deacons, and
monks) do not understand that
this is not the Church they grew
up in, either.
We as laity already know that
there is one unofficial report that
our stewardship and membership
is down 38% nationally, and
about 45% in the Metropolis of
Chicago. This is unsustainable.
Remarkably, we have found no
one who can officially comment
on these numbers or give us an
accurate number as reflected in
their own records.
As Chris Chiames wrote in
“It’s Time for the Greek Orthodox
Church to Look Inwardly” TNH
May 14), “when church leaders
look out over empty pews and
come up short on fundraising
goals, they might want to look
inwardly, start listening, and factor in their audience’s point of
view before talking.”
Our GOA Leaders do not appear to understand us for who
we are. Style of leadership, personality of people as a whole,
ethnic identity (or in many cases
lack thereof), cultural context, or
respect for the laity, in terms of a
reasonable service structure that
emphasizes timeliness, and safeguarding from belabored/cacophonous music that makes one
cringe.
The “leadership by mandate”
approach does not work today.
“Leadership by inspiration” is far
more effective. The laity have
been hushed, and our membership and stewardship numbers
since the new charter all clearly
reflect that. Yet, no changes have
been made.
THE METROPOLISES
The relationship between
clergy and laity is vastly different
today than decades ago.
In its April 9 edition, this
newspaper published “Prof.
Kitroeff Speaks at U Mass about
Archbishop Iakovos,” about the
academician, who spoke at
length regarding the late archbishop. Kitroeff stated that he
would like to see tomorrow’s
GOA leaders have a keen under-
standing of the evolution of the
Greek-American community as
good as Iakovos did. He did not
mention that this is the case today. As a matter of fact, many believe we have regressed. Many
have stated that our GOA has
negatively changed since Archbishop Iakovos “left.”
There was no fundamentalist
Ephraimite movement under
Iakovos. The GOA used to be
called the “Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South
America”. However, the patriarch
decided to divide this massive region. Now the GOA only encompasses the United States. On top
of that, the divide has been further exacerbated by changing
each Diocese to be a Metropolis.
Our diocesan bishops are now
Metropolitans.
If the upcoming Great and
Holy Council decides to give autonomy to the GOA, we pray it is
not in the form of each Metropolis being an autonomous region.
That would further divide, marginalize, and “hush” the voice of
the people.
On top of that, instead of having only one leader of the Church
in America, we would have nine.
This may mean that there will be
a different version of Orthodox
Christianity that reflects the particular metropolitan who oversees each Metropolis. This has
happened now as we see some
metropolitans are more akin to
the “village” mindset, some are
to “scholarship,” and others yet
are to being a bit more liberal.
Each Metropolitan will believe
that his way is better than his colleagues. While theological matters of dogma will be the same,
one can imagine that matters of
policy will be quite different. Getting all Metropolitans to agree on
non-dogmatic matters of policy
will be miraculous.
What about the cohesiveness
of our GOA? Matters and controversies that affect the Church will
not be dealt with in a universal,
expeditious, and conciliar manner. As Metropolitans, they each
will enforce their own systems of
unilateral (non-theological) beliefs (policies) that may or may
not include the input of the laity.
When our ruling despots surround themselves with sycophants, objectivity is further
thwarted and “hushed”.
These are old issues to which
many objected with the new
Charter that was given to us. Our
metropolitans appear to have a
systemic failsafe in place to keep
them from dealing with issues
with which they are uncomfortable. This systemic failsafe is
called stonewalling. It is nothing
new. Why this emphasis with the
leaders at the top of the GOA
structure? Because as the old
adage states: “the fish smells
from the head first.” This will precipitate and act as a catalyst for
the decay of the rest of the body.
It is happening now. Unless
something is done, we are in a
severe irreversible decline.
ADMINISTRATION
The administration of the
GOA is vastly different to what it
was decades ago. It used to be
that we grew up seeing our
priests outside of church wear
suits and most were clean
shaven. Now we see them
around town with their black
robes and wearing their “kalimafi” headcovering.
Some of our priests have
beards and hair similar to the Taliban, as if this were the litmus
test of their Orthodoxy. Now,
some priests even go swimming
at Clergy-laity congresses wearing their “antiri” robe. Women in
Church have suddenly started
wearing head coverings. The Orthodox fashion is now to look
frumpy and disheveled. It is as if
this is a statement that the
frumpy ones are modest and
truly Orthodox, when indeed it
is a testament of arrogance. They
themselves project their arrogance when they judge others
who dress socially appropriate
and clean as “the country club
crowd.”
This fashion change is vastly
different to what it was decades
ago. This reflects an emerging divide occurring within the Church
itself in America.
As cream rises to the top, so
the voice of the people was an
important component of Church
administration. People had input
and our leaders were able to hear
the voice of the laity. Not so much
anymore. At a mere capricious
whim, the people who question
and call attention to some things
are dismissed and marginalized.
This is happening more so now
than ever before.
Case in point are the monasteries and the message of Elder
Ephraim and his proponents.
This fundamentalist element has
infected the body of the church
with heresy and unhealthy teachings. The doctrine of Aerial Tollhouses (which make a mockery
of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross)
and that conjugal relations within
marriage are only for procreation, are cases in point. The
messengers that call attention to
these (and other) concerns are
looked at like they are the instigating causes of disruption. Indeed, some are looked at like
they are crazy. The laity now
wonder out loud if there is more
to the story.
Why have the shepherds allowed their flock to be poisoned
by fairytale “theology”? Are there
economic benefits flowing up-
stream?
Our Hierarchs do not hear the
voice of their flock as they did
decades ago. This phenomenon
is vastly different today.
Executive professionalism is a
must for successful corporations.
But one wonders if our Hierarchs
ever ask the question “how we
can improve?” If it is asked, one
wonders which follow up questions were dismissed? Corporate
structures are there for a reason,
and should exist in a harmonious
and mutually edifying way. We
can learn from each other. But
the fact of the matter is that the
laity is dismissed just like an aris-
similar to the disconnect from the
political class from the average
citizen. Our Hierarchical elite
class is utterly disconnected from
the average layperson. Some hierarchs have given orders to the
sycophants around them that
they “do not want to hear anything negative.”
Who are the “outsiders” to
which the laity will turn? That is
an easy question. The answer is
another jurisdiction, but more
probably another Christian denomination.
Orthodoxy has a war-chest of
priceless theology, history, and robust spirituality. But like the war
A visit to a parish by Archbishop Iakovos, seen here with Preident Jimmy Carter, would cause joy. Nowadays, a visit from a
Church hierarch causes dread.
tocrat would dismiss a peasant.
Our leaders have given many
people the impression that we
are insignificant members of a
larger body that only they know
how to run. While they have
many gifts, the attitude of “aristocracy” (as one metropolitan
proudly announced that we
should emulate) is taken to new
levels of ecclesiastical elitism.
The result is that many clergy
and laity feel that our executive
leaders are insulated and thereby
disconnected from the community and all the issues contained
therein. Clergy and laity both feel
that our executive leaders simply
don’t care.
One metropolitan is quoted as
saying that he doesn’t bother to
read what is posted on various
sites. Another hierarch stated that
he never wants to hear anything
negative. The translation of this
seems to be that our executive
leaders do not want to know
what is going on in our society
and our lives. This is another vast
change from decades ago: are
leaders appear uncaring and outof-touch.
A DISCONNECT
And so we have a disconnect
chests of many presidential candidates, it is not benefiting us.
We are going belly-up on a caseby-case basis.
We do not think that anyone
in the leadership class will ever
dare to actually take an objective
look at what is happening, nor
will they dare to actually converse with us. It is too negative.
Unfortunately, this means our situation will get worse before it
gets better.
That is another vast difference
from the pulse of the people today versus decades ago: It used
to be we had a sense of excitement amongst us. But now, large
churches are not full anymore.
The administrative culture at various levels of our church is utterly
toxic and negative. There are a
few positive occasions, but they
are the exception to the rule.
Stewardship and membership
numbers all across the nation reflect this. Mark my words and
those of other jurisdictions, denominations, or faiths, who independently follow our Church:
our Priests will soon be ordained
“tax collectors” for their metropolitans. Of course the metropolitans will blame, or rather deflect
this to whoever is the archbishop.
This is another vast difference
from years ago: our church culture now is more toxic, negative,
and Byzantine.
LIMOUSINE LEADERS
When Archbishop Iakovos
would visit, people were abuzz
with joy. Today there is dread at
the thought of any of our hierarchs coming to a local parish. The
dread is because they will attempt to raise more money for
their metropolis or one of their
pet projects. The dread parishioners have is because our hierarchs would like to pretend they
are corporate executives and
mandate us into any given direction that appeals to them at
the time.
Making a parish pay for a limousine service to cart our hierarch around in, and paying for a
high-priced suite at a hotel for
him, is not leadership. Closing
down a parish and selling the assets, as will be more commonplace, does not require a “press
agent,” multiple articles or announcements.
Recently, one of our bishops
thought it best to get on a plane
and fly to New York with the fanfare of a “Roman Cesare” instead
of wiring the funds for $20.00.
Do you want to guess who is paying for these excesses?
This is another vast difference
today: there is a deeply acute micro-management of our local
communities by the ruling class
ecclesiastically elite.
Our people are fed up and
their allegiance to the GOA is
nominal if not vulnerable. This
is not the GOA we knew. It is no
wonder people are flocking to
“outsiders”: the fundamentalist
monasteries of Ephraim, and also
to other jurisdictions and denominations. These are the “outsiders” that are now appealing to
the masses of Orthodox Christians in the GOA. Our forefathers
here gave their blood, sweat, and
tears for our Church in America.
We were guided to bring Orthodoxy to America. Now we are
told “if you are not Orthodox,
leave.”
All of the sacrifices our forefathers made are for naught. If
dwindling attendance and stewardship numbers are a sign of
anything, they are a sign of the
comfortable ecclesiastical elite
being aloof from the realities of
the average parishioner.
What is the record of achievement for our hierarchs? Nothing
extraordinary. What did our hierarchs do to be elevated to the
bishopric? They decided not to
get married. That’s pretty much
it. This is why the legacy and
record of achievement of our hierarchs in the GOA today will be
“ego-driven failure.”