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ΓΡΑΦΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ
ΤΟΥ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΥ
ΑΠΟ ΤΟ 1915
The National Herald
cv
A weekly Greek AmericAn PublicAtion
Bringing the news
to generations of
Greek Americans
www.thenationalherald.com
April 24-30, 2010
VOL. 13, ISSUE 654
$1.50
A Parade, A Riderless Horse, Zito E Hellas, and Greeks Are Free Again
Fifth Avenue is a Sea of Blue and White with
The Community’s Pride and Youth on Parade
By Constantine S. Sirigos
TNH Staff Writer
eurokinissi
They looked like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to Greek
trade unions and public workers who feared the finances of the
country would face further cuts, but they were finance officials
from the European Union and International Monetary Fund
(IMF) in Athens to work out the details of a loan guarantee to
keep Greece from defaulting.
Is That a Greek Myth Behind the Fiscal Crisis?
NEW YORK – That speaker
George Handjinicolaou’s words
resonated with the Hellenic
American Bankers Association
(HABA) audience in Manhattan
was audible. Almost every paragraph of his speech on the Greek
debt crisis was punctuated by
loud whispers of assent. The audience of men and women in
suits laughed at each joke. His
main question was a serious
one, however: Was the Greece
the victim of speculators? Handjinicolaou underscored that he
was not speaking on behalf of
the Hellenic Capital Market
Commission (the Greek equivalent to the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission,) of
which he is the Vice Chairman.
Unlike Greek Prime Minister
George Papandreou, however,
Handjinicolaou concluded that
there was no evidence of criminal speculators being responsible for the debt crisis.
“Everyone has become an expert on spreads,” – interest rate
differentials that affect a coun-
try’s borrowing costs - said
Handjinicoalou, joking that it
took him 20 years to master the
subject now on every talk show
hosts’ lips in Greece. The
speaker focused on Greece’s
ever-climbing CDS (credit-default swap) market, one of the
leading indicators of economic
sentiments and said to be a reason why Greece is now in such
dire straits. The CDS spread
(measure of risk premium of
Greek versus German bonds)
has been climbing to record
highs, making borrowing expensive for Greece.
His talk came as officials
from the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) and the European
Union (EU) were in Athens to
put together the details of what
could be a 45 billion euros loan
guarantee to keep Greece from
defaulting as it struggles with a
deficit of 12.7%, which
prompted Papandreou’s administration to issue wage cuts and
Continued on page 7
NEW YORK – As Greece struggled under the weight of a
crushing economic deficit that
threatened to bankrupt the
country and pushed many toward poverty, the resilient spirit
of Greeks showed thousands of
miles away, here in New York
City, where thousands of Greek
Americans, Philhellenes and
others thronged Fifth Avenue
under intermittent clouds for
the annual Independence Day
parade. It was marked by a
somber moment too, with a riderless horse in honor of the
memory of Takis Nikolopoulos,
who for years thrilled children
by dressing as Kolokotronis, the
great hero of 1821, who would
ride no more.
For a few hours though –
even if many dignitaries on the
reviewing stand fled before it
finished – the parade served to
give everyone a break from the
bad news in Greece, which mirrors much of that in the United
States, where people are still
suffering from a worldwide recession that has cost millions
their jobs and homes. Not this
day.
The first sign of the glory to
follow was the cavalry and
honor guard of the N.Y. Police
Department bearing the flags of
Greece, the United States and
the State of New York. The ceremonial band of the NYPD
struck set a temporary local tone
with the strains of “New York
New York,” but after that it was
all Blue and White and “Zito E
Ellas” – Long Live Greece!
The Hellenic heart of the parade was led by the Honorary
Battalion consisting of Archbishop Demetrios of America,
the grand marshals, the President of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater N.Y.
Dimitrius Kalamaras, parade Co-
The Ongoing Surge to the
Sea: Greeks in Oregon and
Southwest Washington
By Steve Frangos
TNH Staff Writer
CHICAGO - “A Surge to the Sea:
The Greeks in Oregon,” by
Thomas Doulis remains a classic
of Greek American history. This
volume’s subtitle offers more of
the community base for this pi-
No Waiver-ing
from Burns
on US Policy
By Angelike Contis
TNH Staff Writer
NEW YORK – After 27 years in
the diplomatic hot seat –
whether as U.S. Ambassador to
Greece during the fighting in
Kosovo or Ambassador to NATO
when the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001 struck,
Nick Burns decided to retire two
years ago at the age of 51, but
he’s still firing a diplomat’s measured philosophy, teaching international relations at the
Kennedy School of Government
at Harvard, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, near his Boston roots.
“My wife and family and I
enjoyed every minute of our careers. We wouldn’t trade it for
anything,” Burns told TNH
while in Manhattan for an April
19 fundraiser organized by the
New York Committee of the
Thessaloniki-based American
Farm School (AFS.) Burns, the
featured speaker at the event
held at the Yale Club - which
Continued on page 9
For subscription:
718.784.5255
[email protected]
oneering study; “A Photographic
History of the Holy Trinity Greek
Orthodox Community of Oregon and Southern Washington.”
It is not just that the book may
well be the first visual history
of a Greek community anywhere in North America but that
it is part of the longest-running
continuous historic projects on
Greek communities anywhere in
the nation. What few Greek
Americans realize, outside the
Great Northwest, is that after
that book Doulis researched and
wrote two other history photovolumes dealing with the same
Greek community, using an
ever-expanding base of source
material, while generally working with the same band of Greek
American colleagues from Oregon and Washington.
Long recognized as a novelist
and literary historian, Doulis’
contributions to Modern Greek
Literature are better known outside the Greek American community. His four novels (to date)
include: “Path for Our Valor,”
“The Quarries of Sicily,” Open
Hearth: The First Generation, A
Novel of Immigration,” and
“City of Brotherly Love: The Second Generation.” The last two
novels aim, in what is promised
to be a trilogy. to fictionally survey the pioneer, bridge and fully
Americanized (or not) generations of Greek immigration to
North America.
Doulis’ singular record of literary and historical studies includes a critical biography of
George Theotokas, the survey
“Disaster and Fiction: Modern
Greek Fiction and the Asia Minor Disaster of 1922” followed
by his translated of the 1856
novel Thanos Vlekas by Greek
writer Pavlos Kalligas. Taking
the long-view of history and literature Doulis has two additional studies of note. “Out of
the Ashes: the Emergence of
Greek Fiction in the Nineteenth
Century from Katharevousa to
Ethnography,” and the yet to be
published “The Iron Storm: The
Impact of the Military Dictatorship of 1967-1974 on Greek Literary Culture.”
Continued on page 7
View the NYC Parade
For a front row view of all
the marchers, floats and
participants, you can see
them by visiting our website www.thenationalherald.com to see the video.
They Came,
They Saw,
They Stayed
phoned Eroglu and "conveyed
his readiness to meet at the negotiation table to continue the
effort to resolve the Cyprus
problem," and Eroglu reportedly
responded by saying that he
wanted the two community
leaders to meet soon while
Turkey said it hoped for a solution to the problem by the end
of this year.
Eroglu's assurances that
peace talks would continue did
not assure Talat supporters.
"This is the end of the peace
process, if ... he will not accept
single sovereignty and he will
not accept anything apart from
a two-state solution," said Izzet
Izcan, head of the small, leftwing United Cyprus Party. The
Turkish government has been
careful not to take sides in the
election, and has said that peace
Continued on page 9
Continued on page 9
AP Photo/Petros kArAdjiAs
Turkish Cypriots’ Hard-Line Leader
renewed skepticism that Ankara
continues to make the policy decision for Turkish Cypriots.
“We believe that taking into
consideration the declared positions of Mr. Eroglu against a
federation and for the establishment of two independent state
in Cyprus this could cause very
serious problems to the negotiations,” Greek Cypriot Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said. Cyprus and Greece
said Eroglu's participation in the
reunification talks should continue along the already agreed
upon agenda, which has as its
basis a two-zone federation, although talks have stalled for
more than a year despite
Christofias’ hopes he could find
a solution after Greek Cypriots
rejected a United Nations plan
six years ago.
A statement released in
Nicosia said Christofias tele-
Continued on page 4
ATHENS- Dan Chavez came to
Greece two years ago for a job
change he thought would be an
adventure – and it has been –
but unlike more than 24,000
other Americans who’ve retired
in the country, he won’t be, even
though he will stop working in
two years. But he knows why so
many are. Chavez is the Regional Federal Benefits Attache
– a title that means he oversees
the staff helping retired Americans here deal with issues such
as Social Security and medical
care problems, so his staff has
daily dealings with them.
“At the beginning of the
month we get a lot of calls because people did get their paper
checks,” he says, pointing out
yet another quirk about American retirees here, most of whom
he said are Greeks who lived in
the United States and returned,
Greek Americans, or Americans
who, in a frequent romantic
twist, met Greek men or
women, married them and, of
course, had to stay because who
wants to leave Greece? It’s a
nice premise for a movie, but
it’s mostly true too, he says.
Greece is so popular, he said,
that only six other countries
have more retired Americans
living there: Canada, at the top,
followed by Mexico, Germany,
Japan, Italy, and the United
Kingdom, although they can’t,
of course, compete with the
weather, food and style of life,
American retirees here often
point out. So who are they?
“Some of them are Greek nationals who emigrated to the US
and got Green Cards, and many
became citizens and after 35 or
40 years of work they come
home to the homeland, to the
islands, their village, or to
Athens,” he says.
And, of course, there are still
leftovers from the days when
the United States had an Air
Force Base in Athens and a military presence in Crete, men and
women who liked the country
and the lifestyle and decided to
stay, and hoped that their savings or pension and Social Security benefits would be enough
to live on, although the cost of
living has skyrocketed since the
advent of the euro as a currency
earlier this decade. “Some live
here six months and go to the
states for six months,” he said.
There’s another category as
well, people whose son or
daughter met an American and
A supporter of newly-elected Turkish Cypriots leader Dervis Eroglu holds a Turkish flag to his
face during victory celebrations, in the Turkish occupied area of Nicosia, April 18, before the
effect of the results could sink into Greece and the European Union. It remains to be seen what
the nationalist leader’s impact will be on stalled reunification talks on the divided island.
NICOSIA- The election of Turkish Cypriot nationalist Dervic
Eroglu could be a devastating
setback for negotiations to reunite that divided island, officials in Greece and Cyprus said,
and undermine Greek Cypriot
President Dimitris Christofias,
who had been elected on a
pledge to finally bring peace.
Eroglu, who has repeatedly expressed his desire for Turkish
Cypriot independence, defeated
incumbent Mehemt Ali Talat in
presidential elections in the
breakaway northern third of the
island.
Although Eroglu said he will
continue negotiations, his victory was seen by Greeks to hurt
the cause of reunification with
the Greek Cypriot south, which
is internationally recognized
and a member of the European
Union, which Turkey hopes to
join. Eroglu’s election also raised
Chairmen Mamie StathatosFulgieri, President of the Hellenic Lawyers Association and
Dr. John Tsioulias, President of
the Hellenic Medical Society,
and dignitaries from the United
States, Greece and Cyprus, led
by Greece’s Deputy Foreign Minister Spyros Kouvelis, Ambassador Nicholas Emiliou, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus and
N.Y. State Comptroller Thomas
DiNapoli.
When the clouds thickened,
this year’s grand marshals lit the
way with smiles. They were
Phillip Christopher, President of
the Pancyprian Association of
America, Col. Matthew Bogdanos, FOX 5 Anchorman Ernie
Anastos and representatives of
the Boy Scouts of America. The
Hellenic Warriors Living History
group, dressed like ancient
Greek warriors, delighted adults
and children alike with armor
flashing in the moments when
the sun shone, pretend images
of what their ancestors had to
do for real to be free from Turkish occupation after nearly 400
years.
COMMUNITY
2
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 24-30, 2010
In the Spotlight: Christina Nickolas, Electric Editor
By Eleni Kostopoulos
TNH Staff Writer
NEW YORK – Christina Nickolas
has been an editor for Hearst’s
Electronic Products for more
than 10 years. Having earned a
B.E. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering, she currently covers
topics like Analog/Mixed-Signal
ICs, Microwave components,
Electromechanical Switches,
EDA software, LED driver ICs,
Oscillators and Prototyping
tools. Nickolas is also the
founder and chair of the Long
Island section of Women in Engineering of the Institute of
Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE).
TNH: Tell us about yourself.
CN: I am currently an editor
for Hearst Electronics Group,
covering technology news and
components related to chips
used in various electronic applications. I have been doing this
type of work for almost 11
years.
TNH: How did you get to
where you are today?
CN: Actually, I did not start
off as an editor; my background
is in engineering. I came from
Greece many, many years ago
to study in the States. I attended
Manhattan College where I received my BS and MS degrees
in Electrical Engineering. After
college, I worked as an engineer
at three different positions for a
total of 10 years. As an engineer,
I had some interesting assignments, such as testing and evaluating a super computer at NEC
Corp. in Japan. To continue my
story on how I got to be an editor, when I was an engineering
student, I never thought I would
ever consider writing for a magazine. In one of my college
classes I actually got a C+! I actually went on the interview for
fun and the Editor-in-Chief at
that time who was an electrical
engineer, convinced me to take
the job. I have to say, it has been
an amazing ride.
Electronic Products’ Editor Christina Nickolas receives an award
of recognition from IEEE earlier this month.
TNH: Do you have any role
models?
CN: Yes, Cathie Black, president of Hearst Magazines has
been my role model, since her
book Basic Black was released
in 2007. Her book, in which she
showed me her positive approach to work and how she
handled various challenges that
crossed her path, is so inspiring.
I only wished this book would
have been available when I got
out of college. It is definitely a
must-read book for all women,
especially those who are recently graduated from college.
TNH: What is your greatest
achievement thus far? What do
you hope to achieve in the future?
CN: My greatest achievement was getting my PE (professional engineering) license
after being out of school for almost 15 years. I don’t remember
studying so much in my entire
tnh/costAs bej
career. Plus, I was working fulltime. I am also the founder of
the IEEE Women in Engineering
Long Island section and have
served as chair since May 2009.
My efforts and volunteerism
were recognized at last week’s
(April 8) awards IEEE Awards
banquet (see image. Shown
with Nikolaos Golas, Vice Chair
of IEEE Long Island Engineers.)
TNH: What is an issue regarding the Greek community here or abroad - that concerns
you?
CN: As Greek Americans, I
am sure we all are concerned
about the debt crisis in Greece.
There is a big mess, mostly
caused by the government itself.
Crime is also a big concern for
me as I still have family there. I
actually had a cousin robbed in
his own home in Piraeus many
years ago by a gang consisting
of one Greek and three foreigners. For such a small country as
Greece is, it is hard to believe
that so much theft, kidnappings,
and killings can even take place.
In regards to the Greek community here, I think it is very important as a culture to stick together and help one another.
There are so many Greek American networking events in New
York for people to meet-up and
discuss issues related to personal goals.
TNH: What part of Greece is
your family from? Do you visit
often?
CN: My family is from the
Peloponnesus. I try to get there
every year. I actually finished
high school in Greece and still
have many friends there in
which I keep close contact with.
TNH: What is your most enjoyable pastime?
CN: I enjoy traveling. My favorite places to visit are Tokyo
and San Francisco. I also enjoy
bicycling.
TNH: What are some upcoming projects we can look forward to?
CN: There are a couple of science fairs coming up which I’ll
participate in as a judge.
This year’s Tri-County Science & Technology Fair that will
be held in White Plain, New York
on April 24 is still in need of volunteers. For more information,
you can participate by visiting
http://www.discoveryctr.org/tricounty_sci_fair.htm
TNH: Share with us some
words of wisdom.
CN: You should never let
anyone stop you from doing
something. My personal quote
is “Where there is a will, there
is a way.”
If you'd like to nominate a
notable member of the Greek
American community for “In
the
Spotlight”,
please
contact Eleni Kostopoulos at
[email protected]
with your suggestions.
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Greece’s Deputy Foreign Minster Addresses PSEKA
Cretan Youth Shine and Evzones Awe at Cretan House
Deputy Foreign Minister Spyros Kouvelis speaks to an audience
including Philip Christopher (2nd from r.), Cyprus Federation
of America Pres. Panicos Papanicolaou (r.), Archbishop
Demetrios of America and Gk. Consul General Aghi Balta (l.).
The spirited young dancers of the Cretan community of NY
dance in the presence of the Evzones, the Presidential Guard
of the Republic of Greece, at the annual pre-parade Music and
Dance program at the Cretan House in Astoria on April 17.
GOINGS ON...
n APRIL 24
CHICAGO, Ill. – Bishop Savas,
also known as the “Modern
Bishop,” talks about Social Media
and the Greek Orthodox Church
in a Q&A at S.J. Gregory Auditorium at St. Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Church on April 24. The
event will be held from 2:00 p.m.
– 4:00 p.m. The event is free but
reservations are encouraged.
Send an email with your name
and number of attendees to [email protected]. For
questions, call the church at 773334-4515. The S.J. Gregory Auditorium at St. Andrew’s Greek
Orthodox Church is located at:
5649 No. Sheridan Road in
Chicago (at the corner of Lake
Shore Drive and Hollywood Avenue).
n APRIL 26
NEW YORK, N.Y. – The American
Hellenic Institute will be hosting
a forum on the U.S. Policy Toward Greece, Turkey and
Cyprus: Developments and
Prospects in the Obama Administration on April 26 at 6:00 p.m.
The moderator will be Nick Larigakis, Executive Director of AHI;
The members of the panel will
be: Ted Galen Carpenter, Vice
President for Defense and Foreign Policy Studies, CATO Institute, Doug Bandow, Senior Fellow, CATO Institute and Dimitris
Dimas, Washington Editor, Eleftherotypia. Admission is free, preregistration is required. The
event will be held at the: Press
and Communications Office, Permanent Mission of Greece to the
UN, 305 East 47th Street, 2nd
floor, New York, N.Y. To register,
visit: www.ahiworld.org
n MAY 1
AHEPA will host a banquet to
Honor three United States Senators on May 1 at 7:30 p.m.
AHEPA Supreme President
Nicholas A. Karacostas announced that America's oldest
and largest Hellenic heritage organization will honor three distinguished U.S. senators and a
group of six Greek Americans for
their commitment to community
leadership and long-standing
records of public service. Karacostas said the tri-state American
Hellenic community from Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana will
gather at an AHEPA-sponsored
banquet to honor U.S. Senator
Richard J. Durbin of Illinois; U.S.
Senator Richard G. Lugar from
Indiana; and U.S. Senator Russell D. Feingold of Wisconsin. For
more information on the event
please contact: John Galanis at:
(414) 271-5400 or Email:
[email protected]
n MAY 7
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Greek
Institute presents The Light of
Greece on May 7 at 8:00 p.m. at
Harvard University. The Light of
Greece will feature poetry by
Solomos, Seferis, Elytis and Gatsos and music by Hadjidakis,
Theodorakis, Xarhakos, and Papademetriou. The event will feature Mario Frangoulis with special guest, George Perris. For
further information and to purchase tickets, visit: www.thegreekinstitute.org/lightofgreece.html.
n MAY 7 – 9
WEBSTER, TX – The Clearlake
17th Anniversary Greek Festival
will be held on May 7-9 from 11
a.m. – 10:30 a.m. The beginnings of the Greek Orthodox
community in Webster began in
1993 with a small but growing
Greek community. Enjoy traditional Greek food, Greek culture
and visit the church to see the
awe inspiring Byzantine iconography. For further information,
visit: www.clearlakegreekfestival.com/
n MAY 8
NILES, Ill. – The Cretan Youth of
Chicago is hosting their 4th Annual Youth Dinner Dance on May
8 at the Chateau Ritz Banquet
Hall. The event will be featuring
musicians from Crete, Mixalis
Bakastakis, playing Lyra amd
Stelios Papadakis, playing
Laouto. General Admission:
$60.00; AGDC Participants:
$55.00 and children 12 and under: $35.00. For reservations,
call: Patricia Manos: (630) 4538668 or email: [email protected]
or Lainey Manos: (630) 4408194 or email: [email protected]. The Chateau Ritz Banquet Hall is located at: 9100
Milwaukee Avenue, Niles, Illinois.
n MAY 9
WHITESTONE, N.Y. – Holy Cross
Greek Orthodox Church will host
a Mother’s Day Brunch on May
9 from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
The event will take place immediately after the Liturgy. Entertainment will be available for
children, the entire community,
friends and family, are welcomed. Adults are $20 and children are $5; children under 3
are free. For reservations, call:
718-747-3803 or e-mail: [email protected]. Holy Cross
Greek Orthodox Church is located at: 150-05 12th Avenue,
Whitestone, N.Y.
n MAY 14
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Aktina Productions invites you to their
Greek Concert on May 14 at 9
p.m. The Greek legendary
singers, Grigoris Bithikotsis and
Vicky Moscholiou will be revived
by the popular singer Melina
Aslanidou, accompanied by
singer Vangelis Douvalis and
their 8-member orchestra led by
the renowned bouzouki/maestro
and soloist Manolis Karantinis.
For reservations, call Aktina at:
718-545-1151. The event will be
held at New York’s landmark theatre The Town Hall, 143 West
43rd Street, between 6th and 7th
avenues. Tickets begin at $45.
To purchase tickets, call Aktina
FM, Ticketmaster at: (212) 3074100 or visit the Greek Music
and Video Store at: 25-50 31st
Street, Astoria, New York, (718)
932-8400. For more detailed information about this concert
please visit, www.aktina.org –
send an email to [email protected], or call 718-545-1151.
The Concert is sponsored by:
Arch Capital Services, Inc., Greek
Media Group, Mega Cosmos, Alter Globe, GM TV, Star Channel,
Alpha Sat and Antenna Satellite.
All proceeds will benefit the public service media outlets AKTINA
FM and AKTINA TV.
n NOTE TO OUR READERS
This calendar of events section is
a complimentary service to the
Greek American community. All
parishes, organizations and institutions are encouraged to e-mail
their info regarding the event 34 weeks ahead of time, and no
later than Monday of the week
before the event, to [email protected]
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Vote on our website!
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Federation Gala in New York a Greek Parade Prelude
Church of Zoodohos Peghe in the Bronx Celebrates Nameday
Greek Parade Grand Marshal Col. Matthew Bogdanos addresses
guests at the Dinner Gala of the Federation of Hellenic Societies
of Greater New York at Manhattans’s Hilton hotel. He expressed
his pride in Greek values and Hellenic civilization on April 17.
New York Metropolitan Area clergy participate in an ‘Artoklasia’
- Blessing of the Loaves - as part of the celebration of the feastday of the Church of the Zoodohos Peghe - The Lifegiving Fountain - in the Bronx, where Fr. Sylvester Berberis is Pastor.
You have the chance to express your opinion on our website
on an important question in the news. The results will be published in our printed edition next week along with the question
for that week.
The question this week is: April 24 is the day of the international commemoration of the Armenian genocide. Are you
angry that the US does not recognize the Armenian genocide?
o Yes
o No
The results for last week’s question: Are your non-Greek
friends asking you to explain the Greek crisis to them?
47% voted "Yes"
53% voted "No"
Please vote at: www.thenationalherald.com
COMMUNITY
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 24-30, 2010
3
Genocide Denial is Dangerous: Just Ask Greeks and Armenians
By Eleni Kostopoulos
The National Herald Staff Writer
NEW YORK –John Evans, a former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, lost his job in 2006 when
he acknowledged that the
killings by Turks of perhaps 1.5
million people there nearly 100
years ago was – the word is important – a genocide. He got
universal support from members
of the Armenian Diaspora and
has since made it his duty to reveal what he said were flaws in
the U.S. political system that
prohibit diplomats from knowing, understanding and advocating facts of genocide.
“Many believe that diplomats
lie, but that's not true," Evans
said. "No good diplomat ever
lies. They may avoid saying
something, they may omit
something, but for a diplomat
to lie is to risk his reputation
with other diplomats and to risk
never being trusted again. The
policy guide I was given was to
say 'the United States has never
denied the facts of what happened in 1915.' Well, it's true
that the United States hasn't denied those facts, but it also doesn't teach them to its diplomats.
Although the Conventional
Genocide Prevention was signed
in 1948 by the United States
and many other countries and
ratified in 1988, we got no instruction on the Genocide Convention - we did not know what
genocide was all about. To put
the facts and the definition together, for most of us, was beyond our capabilities."
What happened in Armenia
– including to Greeks – has
come to the forefront again with
ArmeniAnchurch.net
Former United States Ambassador to Armenia John Evans was
removed from his position after saying the word “genocide.”
the votes of an American Congressional Committee and Sweden’s Parliament – both by one
vote to show how contentious
the issue is – to acknowledge
the event as a genocide, drawing so much ire from Turkey
that it withdrew its ambassadors. Turkey disputes the
claims and said countries that
use the term “genocide” risk losing relations, even as Turkey is
on a long path toward possible
membership of the European
Union and the Armenian question has hampered its efforts.
The Ottoman regime's persecution of Christian minorities particularly Armenian, but including Assyrian and Greeks was a critical issue for Evans,
for the Executive director of the
Armenian National Committee
of America Aram Hamparian,
and Michael Bobelian, author of
“Children of Armenia,” who discussed the greater implications
of genocide denial at a Columbia University symposium on
April 14.
Moderated by Andrea Kannapell, Foreign Desk Editor at
the New York Times and hosted
by the Columbia University Armenian Society, organizers of
the annual symposium said that,
"The cruel and profligate methods employed to stifle discussion about the Genocide have
been used during and after all
subsequent genocides and continue to be used today."
Evans said denial continues
to pose a threat to the safety of
Armenia.
"(Turks use the defense that)
acknowledging the genocide is
a national security issue, but the
other side also obtains the continual denial of what happened
in 1915 is a national security issue for Armenia," said Evans. "If
you have a neighboring state of
72 million next to your three
million that continues willfully
to deny what this massacre, this
is a threat …”
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the
Crime of Genocide (CPPCG)
Evans referred to defines genocide as "any of the following acts
committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.” The alleged
genocide, however, wasn't always denied by the United
States. Bobelian said the Armenian Genocide- during and immediately following the devastation - was well known
throughout the United States,
so much so that it provoked a
large charitable effort.
"The United States was at the
forefront of a humanitarian system that (drew in) $160 million
that went to aid Armenians," Bobelian said, adding that for the
first time celebrities were used
to raise awareness, including
Babe Ruth, who in 1920 auctioned off a bat he used to hit
50 home runs to feed starving
Armenians. Other political leaders and celebrities joined in, including President Woodrow Wilson, William Randoph Hearst,
J.P. Morgan and writer F. Scott
Fitzgerald. Attention to the
genocide eventually subsided,
said Bobelian, and was nearly
forgotten until recent decades.
From AmAzon.com
This book by Michael Bobelian
speaks of history, indifference
and the consequences of denial.
But what does genocide denial mean, and if Americans
deny the Armenian Genocide,
what does that mean for survivors and ancestors of survivors
of other mass killings? "The
stakes are even higher than the
denial of truth," said Hamparian. "The denial of truth is part
of the equation, but we're also
talking about the denial of security and the denial of justiceprinciples of justice that should
apply to our lives, in our government, in our societies."
He argued that conflict resolution is not an option when the
two sides are enormously unequal in strength. "Conflict resolution is a science, it's a discipline, but it's a very different
thing when something is a
crime," he said. "Some argue
that this happened a long time
ago, or that 'if we solve this
problem then we'd have to solve
all the problems of the world.'
To that I say, one - if you maintain your cause you deserve to
be heard, and two - imagine a
doctor saying, 'I can't cure everybody so I won't cure anybody.'
It just doesn't make sense."
The Armenian Genocide
from 1915 to 1923 resulted in
the deportation of an estimated
2,000,000 Armenians, of whom
1,500,000 were believed to
have been killed and 500,000
were expelled from their homes.
The Assyrian Genocide, which
was committed against the Assyrian population of the Ottoman Empire during the First
World War, is said to have resulted in the deaths of 275,000
Assyro-Chaldeans between 1914
and 1918. Like Armenians and
Assyrians, the Greeks were subjected to various forms of persecution by the Ottoman Empire. It is estimated that
hundreds of thousands of Ottoman Greeks died during the
period as a result of these persecutions.
[email protected]
Memories of the Hellenic Resorts of the Catskill Mountains of New York
By William Koonan
Mentsas
Special to The National Herald
The Sunset Springs Hotel (above) featured major musicians
from Greece and novelty acts (below left) and sponsored the
annual Hensonville Block Party (above left).
where many a relationship and
friendship were formed and solidified.
A less family-oriented venue,
and one more notable for its frenetic entertainment than for its
facilities, was the New Olympia
on Rt. 23. An active bar and
nightly music till the wee hours
of the morning kept everything
moving at a breakneck speed.
For those in search of a more
peaceful and bucolic setting
there was always the Pindos,
though its number of visitors always remained small as it was
off the beaten track.
immigrants, George Pappas,
John Nakis, and Peter Panos,
established the Kallithea House
in Hensonville and it was to become one of the most enduring
Greek Catskill resorts, lasting until a fire destroyed it in 1988.
The Kallithea was a more
family-oriented establishment
with many children on the
premises. Live entertainment
The 1950s brought some stiff
competition for the Sunset with
the Grand Hotel in Tannersville.
Belly dancing was added to the
entertainment as the key attraction. Beyond this distinction
however, the Grand itself was a
dilapidated structure with uneven floor surfaces, collapsing
ceilings, and facilities woefully
in disrepair. The swimming pool
was deemed unsuitable for use
by the Board of Health and condemned for its lack of cleanliness
and profusion of wild weeds
growing from the cracked surfaces of the pool.
featuring Greek music of the demotic style was the drawing
card and held in a large hall,
but -strictly keeping with the
desire to cater to the large number of families present - there
was no bar. There was also no
swimming pool, but similar to
the other boarding houses, there
were large grounds where people sat to "chew the fat" and
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NEW YORK- In the scenic and
verdant Catskill Mountains of
New York State there were once
various ethnic enclaves where
thriving resort communities were
in abundance catering to a varied
clientele during the summer
months. The most famous and
much-publicized resorts comprised the Jewish "Boscht Belt,"
where such renowned landmark
hotels as Grossingers, The Concord, etc. often featured major
celebrities and brand name entertainment from stage, screen,
and radio. These noted spots
were located in the southernmost tier of the Catskills.
Further north were the Irish,
German, Italian, Polish, Ukrainian, Syrian, Armenian, and
Greek sections of the area. The
first Hellenic resorts were established sometime in the 1930's.
The first known was Karellas
Farm, located in Greenville.
Though a bit isolated, as it was
tucked into the woods and rather
distant, it attracted a recent-immigrant Greek clientele almost
entirely New York City-based.
They sought a cool mountain
refuge from the summer heat
plus a chance for compatriots to
gather in a central location, unhampered by the busy work
schedules which was then the
common plight of a struggling
immigrant community fighting
its way to gain a foothold in a
new land.
Karellas Farm was a modest
1930's-style setup with spacious
grounds and rather primitive accommodations typical of Depression-era resorts that were basically boarding houses which
offered three meals a day, one
bathroom per floor, and modest
entertainment such as card playing or an occasional sing-a-long
to a strumming guitar. Another
favorite pastime was to sit out
on the lawn, talking and letting
the hours idle by.
Shortly thereafter came the
more ambitious Summit House
in tiny East Windham. Originally
a hideaway for liquor bootleggers during the Prohibition Era,
the Summit House boasted a
magnificent ballroom. At around
the same time, Greek ownership
took over the Sunset Springs Hotel in Haines Falls. Although the
structure itself was antiquated,
its location could not have been
bettered as it sat majestically
atop a steep hill and clearing
with a spectacular view above
the mountains.
Over in Windham, Gregory
Pappas established the Sparta
Manor, which was primarily a
boarding house divided into
smaller units alongside a country
road leading to a mosquito-laden
lake and campsite. The Sparta
Manor became the focal point
for many a nostalgic tale. Guests
mingled freely and the rowdy
and rather lengthy poker games
were legendary. The basic amenities in those days may have been
primitive by today's standards
but the Sparta Manor nevertheless maintained a steadfastly
loyal contingent of guests who
would not miss a single summer.
But there was competition on the
horizon. In 1940, a trio of recent
The 1960s brought the final
two Hellenic resorts of the
Catskills - the Hilltop of Hensonville and the Starlight of
Windham. The Hilltop had
mostly an elderly clientele and
there was no entertainment,
while the Starlight catered to
the last wave of Greek immigrants and there were Live performances featuring the most
current tunes of the day. In between there were other Greek
resorts that came and went, often lasting for but a single summer.
It was soon clear that the era
of the Greek resorts was swiftly
drawing to a close. Reasonably
priced excursions to Greece became a far more inviting alternative as the Catskills were becoming more of a winter ski
resort as opposed to a region
hosting small summer ethnic enclaves. Many of the former
boarding house guests had finally amassed enough savings
to build their very own summer
homes there, while practically
all the establishments had fallen
into disrepair. The inability of
the owners to upgrade their resorts drove away many of the
youth. Various fires destroyed
the structures until only the Hilltop remained, but it too eventually became an Irish Bar and
Grill. So ended the lengthy yet
colorful chapter of the Greek resorts of the Catskills.
Kontos Foods, Inc
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tel.: (973) 278-2800 Fax: (973) 278-7943
kontos.com
R.S.V.P. Despina Axiotakis 201-444-5609 [email protected]
GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE
4
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 24-30, 2010
A Parade, A Riderless Horse, Zito E Hellas, and Greeks Are Free Again
Continued from page 1
On a day when parade goers
wore their love of Ellas on their
sleeves, some gushed about
their heritage beneath crowns.
“It’s my honor to represent New
Jersey and as a Greek American
I’m proud of the turn-out at the
parade this year. I hope to represent my communities well in
July (when I run for Miss United
States,)” said Katerina Dimitratos, Miss New Jersey of the
Miss United States Pageant.
N.Y. State Assemblyman
Mike Giannaris, a candidate for
the state senate, appeared after
the Honorary Battalion, waving
to the crowd, followed by the
always-popular Evzone Presidential Guard of the Republic of
Greece, tall and proud in their
flowing fustanellas and rigid
stride of pride. The appearance
of the Evzones was especially
poignant this year as Greece
struggles through its gravest crisis since World War II. The
Evzones, dressed like the traditional fighters of the 1821 War
of Independence and of Crete
and Macedonia, stood for the
ability of Greeks throughout history to overcome long odds and
create brighter futures for their
New York City’s Fifth Avenue was filled with the community’s current and
future leaders last Sunday. Clockwise: Newly-elected Nassau County Comptroller
George Maragos, with his wife Angela, waves to well-wishers; flag-waving pa-
children and grandchildren.
At the summit of the float of
the Federation, the organization
responsible for the entire presentation of the Greek Parade
in New York, was Miss Greek Independence for 2010, 19-yearold Anna Heliotis of West
Hempstead. Some especially
proud groups of marchers reminded the parade watchers of
the humble origins of the Greek
American community and how
far its has come, as a number of
organizations marked their
100th anniversaries. The floats
of the Society of Kastorians and
the Benevolent Society of Tilians
proudly marked their century of
existence. The benevolent societies were established to promote solidarity and mutual assistance among the newly
arrived immigrants from Greece
and to assist those in need in
both the Greek state and those
lands still occupied by Turkey.
The Tilians were followed
groups representing the remaining islands of the Dodecanese,
the Greek lands most recently
liberated.
GREECE IS HERE
Almost all of Greece’s regions, many islands and the Republic of Cyprus were represented by floats sponsored by
community organizations such
as the Cyprus Federation, the
Federation of Sterea Ellas, the
Nisyrian Society, Cretans Societies of N.Y. and N.J., the PanEpirotic Federation, the Federation of Cephalonian and
Ithacian Societies, the Federation of Associated Laconian Societies and the Messinians. The
final float, sponsored by the
Mykonos Society, was a reminder that summer vacations
in Greece are not far away.
Maria Tsiknas, President of Mutual Society Aigioton “Vostitsa”
summed up the views of the day
Photos: tnh/costAs bej
when she said, “We are proud
of our traditions and we work
to pass them on to the next generation. Each year the parade is
better, and better organized.”
Communities from far away
like St. Sophia Albany and St.
George of Schenectady sailed
their floats down the Hudson to
take their places at the parade.
The
Sacred
Patriarchal
Monastery of St. Irene Chrysovalantou and its dependent
parishes and schools brought a
large contingent to Fifth Avenue, and in an impressive display of unity the parishes of
Brooklyn and Staten Island
joined in sponsoring a float. The
Metropolis of New Jersey went
all out with one of the more impressive-looking and sounding
bands. Parish after parish
showed its Hellenic and state
pride, led by the Federation of
Hellenic American Organizations of New Jersey and the
rade watchers cheer on the marchers; St. Basil’s Academy students in traditional
dress; the students of the Cathedral School on Manhattan’s Upper East Side,
proudly marching through their neighborhood.
float if the St. John the Theologian Cathedral of Tenafly.
The float of the Cathedral of
St. Markella of Astoria and the
Holy Metropolis of G.O.C. of
America was impressive and one
of its clergy reminded all of the
pascha season by greeting
everyone with “Christos Anesti!”
After all is said and done, as impressive as the 42 floats and
many marching bands were, the
pride and joy of the community
and what warmed onlookers on
a cloudy and chilly day were the
cluding: Fordham, N.Y.U., Columbia, Queens College, Baruch
College, Drexel University,
L.I.U., Rutgers, Seton Hall, The
College of New Jersey, Quinnipiac University and Touro Law
School. The community’s largest
organization, the order of
AHEPA, was out in strength as
Districts 5, 6 and 7 had a large
contingent consisting of all the
organizations of the AHEPA
family, including the Daughters
of Penelope, the Maids of
Athena and the Sons of Pericles.
ture Greek singer Katy Garbi
and the classic 1960’s rock ‘n
roll group, the Shirelles. The
Hellenic Times Scholarship
Fund has awarded over $1.5
million in scholarships to students from across the United
States.
Apropos of being called
“floats” a number of organizations fashioned their conveyances to look like boats. One
of the most imaginative was that
of the Pan-Ikarian Brotherhood
of America with one of its youth
N.Y. State Assemblyman Mike Gianaris is proud that young Greek Americans are running for office.
He did his part to open up slots: He seeks a step up by running for the State Senate this fall.
children: the thrilled and spirited students of all ages, nursery
school through college, the
scout troops and junior choirs
who were the heart of the
dozens of groups of marchers.
Loud and warm applause
greeted all these groups, especially the community’s vital
schools which included the Holy
Trinity Cathedral School, which
just celebrated its 60th anniversary, the High School of St.
Demetrios of Astoria, the largest
Greek high school outside of
Greece and the only one in the
U.S., the William Spyropoulos
Day School of St. Nicholas in
Flushing, the Plato and A. Fantis
Schools of Brooklyn, the St.
Spyridon School, and the Greek
American Institute of the
Church of the Zoodohos Peghe
in the Bronx.
The Greek clubs of the Bronx
High School of Science,
Stuyvesant and Fort Hamilton
and many other high schools
marched, while the Greek American community’s renowned
commitment to higher education was also on display as Hellenic societies from many colleges and universities marched,
led by the Intercollegiate Hellenic Society of New York, in-
CHARITY AWAY FROM
HOME
The major financial institutions most connected with the
community also floated up Fifth
Avenue. Marathon Bank had a
float, and the Atlantic Bank displayed the slogan “Civilization,
Education, History” encapsulating the community’s pride in its
heritage. Alma’s float was impressive, with a replica of the
Parthenon up front. The Fiduciary Insurance Co. of America
also had a float.
The parade also demonstrated that philanthropy is
more than just a Greek word, it
is the driving force of many
Greek American organization. A
number of philanthropic endeavors were represented with
either floats or marchers. The
George “Best” Costakos Foundation is named for the Broadway
actor who died young and is devoted to promoting culture and
cancer research. The Pan Gregorian Enterprises’ float highlighted the charitable work of
that trade association of New
York metropolitan and restaurateurs, and the Hellenic Times
Scholarship float advertised this
year’s upcoming 19th Annual
Gala on May 8 which will fea-
arrayed as Icarus with a full set
of wings. The vehicle of the Pontian Union of New York
“Komnini” gave the appearance
that of all the boat-floats, theirs
might actually be seaworthy,
and it sent the important message of remembering the Pontian Genocide. Many Greek
Americans were pleased that
there was a float that brought
attention to the Armenian genocide, which occurred contemporaneously with the Pontian, Asia
Minor and Assyrian genocides,
and which is commemorated
worldwide on April 24. The
float of the Armenian Knights of
St. Vartan bore the message “Armenian Americans salute Greek
Independence Day.” The official
parade announcers this year
were Anthoula Katsimatides,
Demetrios Demetrios and Takis
Vassos. Demetrios quoted the
Armenian American community’s declaration that, “All we
want is for the genocide to be
recognized.”
There was a moment the
crowd was perplexed at the
sight of a truck bearing a big
head, but that was revealed to
be “Mr. Met”, the baseball
Continued on page 5
GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 24-30, 2010
5
Photos: tnh/costAs bej
AP Photo/seth weniG
The weather was merely O.K. but the Greek American community was at its best on Manhattan’s
Fifth Avenue for the annual Greek Independence Day Parade in New York on Sunday, April 18.
Clockwise: Proud members of the AHEPA family, the community’s largest organization, grace its
float; The Hellenic Times Scholarship Fund’s float contained co-founder Margo Catsimatidis, board
members, and singer-actress Ariana Savalas, daughter of late Greek American TV star Telly Savalas.
The Hellenic Times Scholarship Fund Gala will take place on Saturday May 8; Parade co-chair and
President of the Hellenic Medical Association of N.Y., Dr. George Tsioulias, leads the H.M.A. contingent; Alexander Skevas, 4, takes shelter from the wind on his mother's shoulder.
A Parade, A Riderless Horse, Zito E Hellas, and Greeks Are Free Again
Continued from page 4
team’s mascot, leading the
sports themed segment of the
parade. New York Greek American Atlas Soccer clubs had a
float, and the Olympiakos fan
club offered a splash of red on
an otherwise blue and white
day.
Once again those who could
not get to Fifth Avenue could
watch the live TV broadcast on
New York’s Channel 9. John Catsimatidis was the executive producer and Nick Katsoris was the
entertainment producer. The
program’s featured singer, Ariana Savalas, daughter of
beloved Greek American actor
Telly “Kojak” Savalas, sang
“Never on a Sunday” and dedi-
cated “The Wind Beneath my
Wings” to the Boy Scouts and
America’s armed forces. Fox 5
weatherman Nick Gregory
worked the crowd while Anastos and Fox Business Network
reporter Nicole Petallides were
in the broadcast booth.
The consensus on the avenue
was that this was another wonderful Greek parade, although
Two more Greek Independence Day
parades are scheduled for Sunday
NEW YORK – Two more Greek
Independence Day parades are
scheduled for Sunday, April 25:
the Greek Americans of Boston
and Chicago will march down
the streets of their home cities
in a sea of blue and white to
honor the 189th anniversary of
freedom from the Ottoman
Empire.
The Greeks of New England
celebrate their 16th parade this
year, which will begin at 1 p.m.
at the municipal library of
Boston and will end at Charles
Street by the Four Seasons Hotel. Organizers said 13 associations, 18 churches- including
the Greek Evangelic Church,
two schools, 11 floats and six
bands will participate in the
procession. Dimitris Pantermalis, director of new
Parthenon Museum, will serve
as Grand Marshal of the parade
and several Greek dignitaries
Reading is to the mind what
exercise is to the body. It is
wholesome and bracing for the
mind to have its faculties kept
on the stretch.
Sir Richard Steele 1672-1729, British
Dramatist, Essayist, Editor
The National
Herald
Bookstore
Exercise your mind...
(718) 784-5255
[email protected]
are expected to make their way
to the States for the festivities:
Ioannis Blatis of PASOK (from
Kozani,) Greek Government
Spokesman Evangelos Antonaros of New Democracy and
the foreign Deputy Foreign
Minister to Greece Panagiotis
Skandalakis of New Democracy. About 130 organizations
and more than 40 floats will
participate in the procession in
Chicago, according to the Federation of Hellenic Societies of
Illinois.
Organizers of the parade include Co-Chairmen Jim Ascot
and Art Andros, along with parade marketing and PR Director Tom Tsipas.
Thousands of participants
are expected to attend the
event, which was scheduled at
a later date than previous
years. A dignitary reception
will also conclude the festivi-
ties on the day of the parade
honoring Governor Pat Quinn
and Secretary of Illinois, Jesse
White. Organizers of the parade noted they made many
changes this year, including
making sponsorships more affordable and urging more businesses that benefit financially
from the parade to be participating and supporting it.
Tsipas, Andros and Ascot
have met with the commissioner of Greektown’s SSA to
get them involved and with the
National Hellenic Museum to
collaborate a companion exhibit. The governing body of
the 2010 Greek Independence
Day Parade is ENOSIS “UNITY.” ENOSIS is a Federation of Hellenic American Organizations and is a registered
entity in the State of Illinois.
[email protected]
www.GreekKitchennyc.com
many participants were disappointed that the reviewing
stands had emptied out early,
before all the groups had finished marching. Among the VIPs
who remained until the end
were Archbishop Demetrios,
Stathatos-Fulgieri, Tsioulias,
Kalamaras
and
Dimitrios
Kaloidis, community benefactor
and owner of Terrace on the
Park.
Dr. Elias Panides, president
of the Society of Kastorians
“Omonia” said, “I am especially
happy to be here at the Greek
Independence Day parade because our society is celebrating
100 years this year,” said “I am
very proud that we have a good
Kastorian turn-out representing
our society.” Stella Geor-
gakopoulos from Long Island
said, “I am happy to be here
once again this year, celebrating
Greek Independence with family, friends and the entire community,” said, “I am very proud
to be Greek American and walk
down Fifth Avenue wearing blue
and white!”
[email protected]
ARTS
6
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 24-30, 2010
GREEK MUSIC ...PLUS
Michalis Sougioul: You Don’t Know His Name, But You Might Know His Music
NEW YORK- To avoid any potential misunderstanding or confusion, I would like to correct an
inadvertent editorial transcription error in the last Greek Music
Plus article, of April 9 When discussing the wide variety in the
style of Greek songs, the following statement was erroneously
printed:
“Through the same period
(mainly during the 30’s and 40’s)
we have the “ελαφρό = light”,
Greek rebetiko song, with its very
significant contributions… etc .”
The word rebetiko should not
have appeared for there was no
intention, nor is it factually correct, to imply the existence of any
so called ελαφρο – light- rebetiko
in the history of Greek song. The
fact is that the “light pop” (ελαφρό) Greek song, was in coexistence with the rebetiko during
the first half of the 20th -Century,
with each kind of song representing a distinctly different style.
The Clarification, is a rather
appropriate bridge leading to the
main theme of today’s column.
The elafro-light pop Greek song,
in all its facets was greatly popular, mainly during the 1930’s,
1940’s and 1950’s, and was represented by great composers and
performers. As it has already
been mentioned, the increased
demand for music and songs for
the many theatrical plays presented from October 1940 to
April 1941 (the time when
Greece was engaged in war with
the Italians and the Nazis, prior
to surrendering to the German
army,) made these kind of songs
ever more popular.
At the same time the rebetiko,
while co-existing with the lightpop song and being extremely
popular at the lower levels of
Greek society, was under a sus-
tained censorship attack by the
official State , during the pre-war
Metaxas dictatorial government.
During the occupation years,
from April 1941 to June 1946
the publication of music and
song news magazines was
brought to a nearly complete
halt, while the structural war
damages of the Columbia record
company building ceased the
production or release of any new
records.
As a case in point, one such
magazine, The Athenian Song,
merely put out a total of two
publications during the years of
occupation, the first in December
1943 and the second in September 1944. In the December 1943
publication there is mention of
new songs by rebetika-style composers, Vamvakaris, Mitsakis Papaioannou, while on the
elafro light pop side we learn
about the musical activities of
many of the pre-war composers
as well as about some of the
newer ones, such as Michalis
Sougioul, who is the major contributor/composer of the music
for many of the theatrical plays
of the period. As it is often the
case, with several Greek music
composers-creators, many of
Sougioul’s songs became, and
most likely still are, much more
well-known than the composer.
Thus, many of our readers would
very likely be familiar with several of his songs while not necessarily identifying them with the
composer.
WHAT’S THAT TUNE?
Let me then, as a matter of
trivia, list a few of his many
widely popular songs: “Asta ta
mallakia sou,” “Gia mas kelaidoun ta poulia,” “O Trabarifas,” “To tram to telefteo,”
“Athina ke pali Athina,” “Kati me
pay, at a local bartravai konta sou,”
restaurant, to the
and, of course,
great disappointamong many others,
ment of his mother,
“Pedia tis Ellados Pewho threatened to
dia” which was perdisown him if he
formed by the legcontinued a music
endary Sofia Vembo
career. Yet, no one
and sung by every
could stop the moGreek during the
tivation and the talwar.
ent of this young,
Born Michalis
mostly self-taught
Sougioultzoglou, at
musician. The folAidini in Asia Minor
by GRIGORIS
lowing summer, the
in 1906, he was the
MANINAKIS
bar-restaurant profirst of four children
prietor invited him
of a rather affluent
Special to
The National Herald
back to Tripolis to
family, who moved
play, this time for
to Greece after the
Asia Minor disaster of 1922. His pay, and thus Sougioul formed
parents never wanted him to be his first quartet orchestra, the
a musician, as they thought such Gold Star Band. In a very short
a profession for their son,would time, he started appearing at sevbe beneath the family’s social sta- eral dance halls and clubs in
tus. Despite that, in the summer Athens, while in 1929, at the age
of 1924, at the age of 19, while of 23, he married 18-year old
vacationing with his family in Christina Papadopoulou. He diTripolis, the young Sougioult- vorced in 1935 and his two
zoglou started to play, with no daughters, Maria and Ero, were
cared for by his mother because
former wife was killed in a car
accident a few years after the divorce.
During the 1930’s he often
performed with the “King of
Tango,” Eduardo Bianco and his
orchestra, who regularly visited
Athens to work with Sougioul,
whose first real success came in
1937 with the hit tango song
“Kati me travai konta sou/
Kati me trabaei konta sou,”
performed by Vembo, with
whom he had a long and successful collaboration through the
war years and beyond. Everyone
now wanted to work with Sougioul, including the best of lyricists and singers of the time,
such as Nikos Gounaris, Tony
Maroudas, Anna Kalouta, Stella
Greka and many others. SouMichalis Sougioul
gioul’s music is in almost every
theatrical play of that period and
in 1948 he composed what is today considered the first Archontorebetiko-Arcontorempetiko
song, the famous “To tram to
telefteo/ To tram to teleutaio,"
which became an overnight success after it was sung by Sperantza Vrana, at the finale of the
theatrical play “People-people/
Anthropoi-Anthropoi," at the
Metropolitan Theatre in Athens,
on May 22nd of 1948. After that,
Sougioul wrote a great number
of Archontorebetika style songs,
so much so, to be considered today the “father” of this style
song. Many refer to him as the
Archon of Archontorembetika/O Arcontas tou Arcontorempetikou.
CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS
Aside from his musical creations Sougioul was a delightful
person to know and be with. He
had many friends among other
composers, lyricists and singers,
often teased by them for his love
of good food and wine at their
lively party get-togethers. Christos Giannakopoulos, one of the
best and most well known lyricists at the time, and a good
friend of Sougioul, wrote of him:
“He was the champion of the
pentagram, the champion of the
fork and the glass, the champion
of good manners and kindness.”
Working hard to support and
provide a future for his four children (he had two more children
from his second marriage) and
unable to cope with his overweight problem, Sougioul suffered two strokes within a short
period of time. The second happened while he was preparing
for a new club show.
He felt sick during the rehearsal was taken home and then
to the hospital. He passed away
on October 16, 1958 at the age
of only 52. He wrote nearly 650
songs and many a musical score
for numerous operettas, theatrical plays and at least 10 movies.
Upon his death another one of
his friends wrote about him: “His
orchestra was a guarantee for a
fun-filled musical evening. Always smiling , soft spoken, and
good hearted, an honest friend,
loving father and exemplary family man. His three passions were
good music, a spicy tidbit and a
good drink. He had the way and
the skill to keep his problems and
sorrow to himself. In the company of his friends he always appeared happy and in good spirits.” Many would agree that
Sougioul was a musical pioneer
well deserving our respect and
this column’s tribute to his memory.
Part of the material presented
in this column was obtained
from an article in the Greek
newspaper
Eleftherotypia,
written on March 21, 2005, by
George Vidalis.
Grigoris Maninakis is a Professor of Engineering Technology at SUNY Farmingdale.
He has been active in Greek
music since the early 70s as
a founding member and
singer/soloist of the Greek
Popular Chorus of N.Y. established by Mikis Theodorakis.
He has organized quality
Greek music concerts all over
the U.S. and occasionally in
Greece. His column appears
twice a month in The National
Herald. For comments and
suggestions email or visit:
[email protected],
www.gmaninakis.com
Actor-director Stephan Morrow Way Off Broadway, but Hitting Marks
By Angelike Contis
TNH Staff Writer
NEW YORK – Stephan Morrow
has a lot to say – especially
about theater. “I see myself as a
priest serving the theater gods,”
says the Greek American actor,
director and writer, who was
born in Brooklyn and bred in
the theaters of both LA and New
York. He arrives at a Manhattan
interview wheeling a small suitcase full of his profession’s
“bibles”, i.e. scripts. Heavy
scripts are the stuff of life of the
minister of theater, who relocated from California to New
Jersey a few years ago to care
for his father, who suffered a
stroke. The actor-director, who
studied acting with the likes of
Stella Adler and Uta Hagen and
directing with Elia Kazan, says
his big moment as a young actor
was reading the part of a Scot-
tish gangster in a workshop in
a dilapidated building - in front
of a group including actress
Ellen Burstyn, director Arthur
Penn and writer Norman Mailer.
Mailer, a major influence in
Morrow’s life, was impressed
enough to invite him to perform
in his Marilyn Monroe play
“Strawhead.”
But the actor’s experiences
were not limited to the stage.
In his late teens, the Stuyvesant
High School student becomes
well versed in the art scene of
Lower Manhattan. “I was a
teenage docent,” he says of his
early South Street Seaport art
lectures. Then he traveled
around the world - from Greece
to Afghanistan and beyond - for
two years. Both are experiences
that Morrow revisits in his
award-winning recent travel
writing and two new books in
the works. He’s also just finished
Director/actor Stephan Morrow (r.) moderates a panel of playwrights, including Stephen Adly Guirgis (l.) and Quincy Long
on April 13, 2010 at the Bleecker Street Theater in Manhattan.
Photos: tnh/AnGelike contis
Moderator Stephen Morrow (2nd from r.), an actor and director, is flanked by playwrights including (l.-r.): Stephen Adly Guirgis, Donna De Matteo, Richard Vetere, Mario Fratti, Quincy
Long, Israel Horovitz, Murray Shisgal and Bleecker Street Theater artistic director Peter Zinn.
a book about working with
Mailer.
Life experiences, such as living amongst the aboriginal Yami
islanders near Taiwan, molded
him, Morrow says. In the 25
years of theater work that followed, where he’s worked with
notables such as Ryan O’Neal,
Richard Dreyfuss and Rebecca
De Mornay, he’s observed that
people dive into acting before
really living. “Kids who get in
early, do it for all the wrong reasons.”
In Morrow’s book, the woe
of today’s theater is: “TV has
steamrolled playwriting.” He bemoans seeing sitcoms on stage.
This is one of the points that
Morrow asked distinguished
playwrights Israel Horovitz,
Richard Vetere, Mario Fratti,
Donna De Matteo, Stephen Adly
Guirgis, Murray Shisgal and
Quincy Long about in a panel
that he moderated at the
Bleecker Street Theater in Manhattan on April 13.
At the Bleecker event, which
benefited the theater’s company,
the audience was treated to
both comedy and tragedy. “One
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doesn’t write plays to make a
living. One writes plays to write
plays,” explained funnyman
Shisgal; he also confessed he
made more out of co-writing the
screenplay for “Tootsie” than in
50 years of playwriting. “The
rise of the ticket is killing theater,” contributed Fratti, pointing to cheaper tickets and what
Often, even name actors
“expected, like a dog, to
jump through a hoop”
each day, are eager to
take part - often for free in readings
he said was less greed in Europe. Horovitz encouraged
young playwrights to take a proactive role, noting: “If you wait
for the telephone to ring, it
never rings.”
BACK TO THE CLASSICS
In Morrow’s own career, he
struck creative gold by returning
to the American classics. While
living in Los Angeles he
launched The Great American
Play Series, which included
readings of overlooked works.
It all began with Mailer’s The
Deer Park, followed by Arthur
Miller’s The Crucible. Morrow is
proud of the fact that Miller de-
book · worm. noun
1. One who spends
much time reading
or studying.
2. Any of various insects,
especially booklice and
silverfish, that infest books and
feed on the paste in the
bindings.
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of
the English Language, Fourth Edition
The National Herald
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[email protected]
fended his linking the play with
then-President Clinton’s sexual
misdemeanors. In sprawling
L.A., there are still some cheap
theatrical venue options, noted
Morrow. He also added that the
film and television industry
(which he has mostly avoided,
despite some lapses) leaves lots
of talented actors “all sitting
there, like grapes on a vine.” Often, even name actors “expected, like a dog, to jump
through a hoop” each day, are
eager to take part - often for free
- in readings (or “performances
on book”) of merit. Morrow
fondly recalls salons he’d organize where he’d ask actors to
“come hungry” and whip up the
meals.
As his life shifted back to
New York, Morrow went on to
stage Miller’s “Incident at Vichy”
in 2001 in New York. He’s recently started acting in some of
the things he directs too. “It’s
taken me 25 years to direct and
act at the same time,” says Morrow. In working with actors, he
favors a “velvet sledgehammer.”
Kazan, who was a mentor for
Morrow at the Playwright-Director’s Unit of the Actor’s Studio,
may not have provided secrets
of how he worked with actors.
However, he helped the aspiring
director in dramaturgy, in analyzing plays. Morrow still follows Kazan’s rule on first readthroughs of plays with his cast:
no acting allowed.
GOOD OLD UNCLE PETE
Though Morrow would eventually head way off Broadway,
as a youngster he was taken “to
all the Broadway musicals” by
his Athenian Uncle Pete. When
it comes to his Greek roots, Morrow says, “I’m not very ethnic.”
If anything, he relates the most
to the ancient Greeks, who respected the spiritual power of
theater. He says it was his
grandparents, inhabitants of old
memories, who really lived the
American dream, complete with
a nice house Upstate. Morrow’s
own father excelled in real estate, which came in handy when
his son needed an authentic
train car onstage.
“We’re all theater orphans,”
says Morrow of today’s New
York scene, adding: “The arts
are being pushed out of Manhattan.” He’s taken an active
role in trying to save theaters,
including a successful Thirteenth Street Theater Repertory
benefit staging of four “lost”
Tennessee Williams plays in
2007. “I don’t have deep pockets,” says Morrow. He also lacks
a way with moneybags, he said,
although he added that “I have
good taste in literature,” thanks
to his mother.
A life of theater, he said, requires you be “a monk without
a monastery,” who is “brilliant
with frugality.” The theater veteran added: “Otherwise, you
work for the man. I need time
to be thoughtful.” There was
never a time when he wasn’t
working on a play, Morrow says
–and the projects keep flowing.
On April 5, Morrow directed a
reading of Shisgal’s new finance
friendship comedy Play Time, a
work that is aiming to be
staged; in it a straight-laced
man meets an “instant friend”
who asks for insider’s tips. The
musical numbers weren’t provided, but the punch lines
abounded, with a cast led by a
comically distraught and lonely
Chip Zien. Morrow says he has
another classic play reading in
the works.
[email protected]
GREEK POETRY
Merchandise
I’m a prisoner in chains under
the lofty justice
of a smile and I’m sad beyond
measure for the planet’s
having lost all purity
I who am drenched in the cataclysm of human folly.
Everything’s for sale at a cheap
or dear price everything’s made
in order to be sold and sold fast
the wind and the wave have been
sold by the merchants
whatever has been tasted by courtesy and by crime, whatever eros
knows and the everyday desire of
the throngs
has been sold. Whatever Art
and Science have acknowledged
has been sold.
The excited shrieks of the streets
applications
and ideas have been sold. Every
object
has its market value. The soiled
underclothes of Bardot are worth
as much as a Rembrandt.
The anarchy of the masses is
highlighted in the shop
windows. Crazy secrets have been
sold
for every sort of debauchery.
All men place their orders early.
Lefteris Poulios
(From The Nude Orator, Kedros Publishers, Translated by
Amy Mims)
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 24-30, 2010
COMMUNITY
7
Onassis Foundation’s Athens Dialogues: Sharp Minds Need Apply
By Angelike Contis
TNH Staff Writer
NEW YORK – In November,
when the shiny, new Onassis
Cultural Center opens on Syngrou Avenue in Athens, Greece,
it will host The Athens Dialogues, a global meeting of
minds sponsored by the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit
Foundation. The focus of the
conference, noted George
Babiniotis, the President of the
organizing committee of the dialogues, “is not on the Greek
legacy for its own sake, but on
the problems that modern man
faces and how the legacy can be
useful for solutions to these
problems.”
Babiniotis spoke at a New
York presentation of the dialogues held at the Onassis Foundation’s Cultural Center in Manhattan on April 17. The
foundation and event organizers
invited scholars to submit papers (by July 4) and encouraged
a broader scholarly and public
participation in an Athens Dialogues network and interactive
Athens Dialogues e-journal.
The Athens Dialogues will be
organized around six themes,
which are, according to Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit
Foundation President Anthony
Papadimitriou, “intentionally
vague and provocative.” These
themes include identity, word and
art, stories and histories, democracy and governance, science and
ethics, and quality of life.
Babiniotis underlined that
the Athens Dialogues are intended as a conference with a
difference. For one, scholars will
have read, in advance, papers
from peers in a host of disciplines all focused on the same
theme. Papers will have been
submitted six months in advance and posted online. This
will free up, explained organizers, the real-world conference
time in Athens for fruitful discussions and synthesis.
The interdisciplinary nature
of the event is the core of its
essence, noted the foundation’s
president. He emphasized the
aim is not to host another “conference of Greeks talking about
Greeks to Greeks,” but instead,
nothing less than creating a
“grand, unified theory of knowledge.” This will require inviting
scholars from a broad range of
disciplines into each session;
THOUGHT FOR FOOD
Papadimitriou emphasized
“We also want the participation
of the hard sciences and other
social sciences.” He added that
it’s particularly important to the
Athens Dialogues’ success to
have the next generation of
scholars there too. Archbishop
Demetrios of America, who sat
tnh/AnGelike contis
Anthony Papadimitriou, Pres. of the Alexander S. Onassis Public
Benefit Foundation, laid out the main points of the activities of
the foundation, introducing the Athens Dialogues at the end.
in the front row at the New York
presentation, took the podium
to note that “Knowledge is a
painful thing. Integration of
knowledge is an even more
painful thing.” The spiritual
leader said the Onassis Foundation’s contributions are particularly vital “nowadays, when
Greece is in the center of an in-
ternational time of criticism.”
Professor Robert Harris gave
a sense of one of the sessions
by presenting the Quality of Life
theme, which he is co-chairing
with Professor Dimitri Nanopoulos. “Our challenge is to take the
long view of faults and forces
that influenced the co-evolution
of humans, nature and the uni-
verse,” he explained. The session will tackle not only the
question “Where are we from?”
but also “Where are we going?”
He projected graphs and diagrams to demonstrate the need
to shift from short-term to longterm thinking.
Nanopoulos also briefly discussed their efforts, before Dr.
Niki Tsironis, the conference’s
academic coordinator, and Professor Kenny Morrel of the Center for Hellenic Studies at Harvard
University,
gave
introductions about the hightech ways in which the Athens
Dialogues aim to bridge generations, geography and disciplines, while also introducing
the public into the discussion.
Contributors from a vast global
network, said Morrel, are being
asked to post their thoughts and
research – as well as even
Youtube videos- on an interactive e-journal that will precede
(and follow) the November
event. As with online encyclopedia Wikipedia, the burden of
proof will be on the readers of
the e-journal.
The co-organizers of the project, which was conceived two
years ago, include Oxford University, the Institut de France,
the Center for Hellenic Studies
of Harvard University, Stanford
University, the Athens Academy,
the German Archaeological In-
stitute, the Austrian Academy of
Sciences and the Accademia dei
Lincei. At the New York event,
both veteran and new scholars
voiced curiosity about the new
initiative, but wondered how
their very specific work could fit
into the session’s quite broad –
even nebulous (according to
one academic) - categories.
“Making it now and making it
global,” appealed to Dr. Michael
Hadjulis, who recently arrived
in New York from the U.K. for
research related to personality
disorders; he and colleagues
from the Museum of Natural
Science and Harvard University
wondered which session could
be of greatest interest to their
work. Roman and Greek Architecture Professor Lothar Haselberger of the University of Pennsylvania expressed fears about
the emphasis on clips – rather
than full discussions- on the ejournal; he wondered about the
value of fragments of data.
As the pilot Athens Dialogues
event is held, what it is about
will become clearer. Onassis
Foundation President Papadimitriou said he hopes that the
Athens Dialogues might be held
every four years in the future at
the Onassis’ new public cultural
center in Athens.
For more info: www.athensdialogues.org
Is a Greek Myth Behind the Fiscal Crisis? Let's Check Some Greek Facts
Continued from page 1
tax hikes and caused wave after
wave of strikes in the streets.
The EU said Greece, however,
would not need more belt-tightening this year.
Handjinicolaou started with
the backstory: “Since 1970, not
a single year did we not have a
budget deficit.” The deficit
soared in the 1980s. In 1991, it
was somewhat contained, due
to Eurozone entry demands.
“We were managing along until
the last couple of years, when
we lost control completely,”
Handjinicolaou explained about
Greece’s problem. If things had
continued on their recent path,
he added, the public debt as a
proportion of Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) would have
climbed to 125% in 2010 –and
135% next year.
BLACK ECONOMY COSTLY
He also pointed to Greece’s
huge shadow economy (25% of
the total), rampant tax evasion,
weak educational system and “a
fiscal lack of prudence,” as other
major contributing causes to the
ongoing dilemma. He put
Greece’s problems into perspective. He noted: “A lot of countries face similar issues, but
none combines large trade
deficits, large balance deficits
and also outstanding debt in
these proportions.” He said the
real difficulties began in January
after the government started
planning solutions, that interest
rates spreads rose, markets suffered and Papandreou started to
mention “speculative attacks on
Greece.” Trying to regulate speculators and hedge fund traders
is difficult, although he said the
HCMC investigates alleged
wrongdoings.
“It was very difficult to make
a case that there is market
abuse,” he said, although Wall
Street investment bankers Goldman Sachs acknowledged helping Greece disguise its deficit
early in the decades with arcane
financial instruments. He said
of the global, complex CDS market of protection for Greek debt:
“One is very hard pressed to
make a case that indeed someone can manipulate these markets.”
Handjinicolaou said that
Greece needs to stop spending
more than it is making. “It is
my opinion that this is a golden
opportunity for Greece … if we
make the tough decisions, the
problem will be solved. If these
tough decisions are not made,
then we will default.” As
Greece’s EU partners come up
with a solution “on the fly,” uncertainty – which he noted is the
markets’ worst enemy - prevails.
“The optimists are buying, the
pessimists are selling,” with
countless scenarios circulating.
“Therefore, right now, if you
want, it’s a free-for-all for imagination has no limits and probabilities are assigned at will,” he
said.
Should Greece return to the
drachma? Handjinicolaou said
personally – not in his official
role – that it is a political decision with costly implications. He
said the country’s outstanding
debt would mushroom if it were
translated into a depreciated,
non-euro currency. “We would
shoot ourselves in the foot - and
we would definitely then go for
restructuring and all the other
stuff,” he said. Instead, the
speaker explained: “We have to
work within the framework, do
the hard work required.”
Later, Handjinicolaou told
TNH that his commission is “on
alert” and working with “a number of international and European regulators … because it is
not a Greek issue alone.” The
lecture was moderated by Vasilis
Katsikiotis, Managing Director
of Global Markets & Investment
Banking at Bank of AmericaMerrill Lynch, who introduced
Handjinicolaou as a mentor.
HABA Treasurer Emmanuel
Caravanos, of Arab Bank, shared
the audience’s impressed, but
heavy-hearted mood after the
talk. He said: “Greece has some
maturing to do and I think it
will take time … Unfortunately,
we are not talking one to two
years, but maybe five to 10
years before Greece sees some
light at the end of the trouble.”
Leveraged loan expert Nicholas
Kerasiotes added: “It’s a tough
one. There are so many perspectives. There was a lot of information.” Bloomberg's Demetri
Papacostas told TNH: “It was refreshing, the methodological
way that George approached the
problem, with no emotion.”
More upcoming HABA events
include its May 13 Entrepreneur
of the Year event honoring
hedge fund manager James
Chanos of Kynikos Associates
and a June 11 book signing by
Bernie Madoff whistleblower
Harry Markopoulos.
[email protected]
ALL HISTORY
The Ongoing Surge to the Sea: Greeks in Oregon and Southwest Washington
Ever attentive to the Greek
presence in North America, in
its broadest sense, Doulis has
also researched and authored
two books ‘Journeys to Orthodoxy: A Collection of Essays by
Converts to Orthodox Christianity,” and “Toward an Authentic
Church: Orthodox Christians
Discuss Their Conversion,” that
explore something of the impact
of Eastern Orthodoxy to American shores.
If we add to this mix of literary, historic and religious studies
Doulis’ histories on the Great
Northwest, including “Landmarks of Our Past: The First 75
Years of the Greek Community
of Oregon: A Photographic History of the Holy Trinity Greek
Orthodox Community of Oregon and Southern Washington
and then his lengthy first chapter, “Voices of the Past,” in “A
Centennial Celebration of Faith,
History, and Community: 19072007,” we have one of the most
intriguing and complex mix of
historical and literary writings
in all of Modern Greek and/or
Greek-American Studies. Outside of, perhaps, Helen Zeese
Papanikolas, Andrew T. Kopan
or the much-neglected Nickolas
Prevas I know of no other author outside of Doulis with a
comparable long-term community-focused series of publications in Greek-American Studies.
Doulis is now fully retired as
a professor Emeritus in English
from Portland State University.
While he would be reluctant to
note a Tom Doulis Graduate Fiction Award, that means that outside of Greek-American circles
his career is seen by his colleagues on a par with Theodore
Saloutos, Papanikolas and
Kopan, in whose memory academic awards are named.
Our principal concern here is
with Doulis as historian of a
much-overlooked region of
Greek-America, the Great
Northwest. In that more than
30-year enterprise, Doulis
would be the first to say, as he
does in the introductions to all
three photo-histories, that he
has worked hand-in-hand with
many others.
THE FIRST HISTORIC
VIEWING
In the 1970s, various individuals and groups came together
to form the Delphi Hellenic Uni-
versity Club at Portland State
University. Doulis as a member
of the English Department was
involved, as was Dr. John
Cavarnos of the Classics Department. The Delphi Hellenic University Club soon decided to collect
cherished
family
photographs and to audio
record the memories of the oldest Greeks within the broader
Oregon and southwest Washington community.
While Doulis interviewed
various Greeks from the pioneer
generation of immigrants, 34
oral history interviews were
recorded by a host of local
Greeks spanning the years
1977-2007 and then between
2008-2010. The Delphi Hellenic
University Club, which no
longer exists, eventually turned
over their interview tapes to the
Oral History Committee, now
part of Portland’s HellenicAmerican Cultural Center and
Museum. The Oral History Project is still active. The local
AHEPA Chapter, District Firwood 22, donated $10,000 for
recording equipment, professional transcriptions and related
costs. Individuals involved in the
Oral History Project off and on
since 1977 include Demetra
Ariston, Maria Katchis Boyer,
Nicolas
Hanches,
Maria
Hanches, E. John Rumpakis,
Cleo Rumpakis, Sophia Goritsan
Sly, Effy Stephanopoulos,
Chrysanthe Voreas, and especially the late Jennie Hrestu
Reimann.
Given the local history of
Portland and southwest Washington, Doulis drew on two
other sources. First, Peter Corvallis, a local Greek with a national reputation as a photographer for images documenting
the region’s Hellenes from the
1950s onward. Then, David B.
Cole, for his invaluable (and
now decades long) historic research on the Russian community of Oregon. Technical and
other much-needed forms of
support were generously lent by
Andrew Kulias, the 1977 chairman of the Holy Trinity Festival-Bazaar Committee who
Doulis asserts initiated the overall project “as a way of marking
the community’s anniversary,”
as well as Jack Lockie and Associates, who brought the volume’s physical existence into reality.
Surge to the Sea on one level
marks the 70th anniversary of
Novelist and literary historian
Thomas Doulis.
the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox
Church, as one sees in the blackand-white slipcover to this hardbacked
volume
in
the
panoramic photograph of the
Spring 1908 ground breaking
celebration of the first Holy
Trinity Church. Yet more is at
work. Doulis’ sweep is far from
parochial or limited and takes
into account the sacrifices, cultural confusions, and decadeslong view of what are daily
(even moment by moment) personal experiences that collectively result into historical
changes.
The text in this volume is not
lengthy at 87 pages but it is concise (one might even say poetic)
in its sensitivity to the beliefs
and values of the Greek community not only of the present
but also most assuredly of the
past. We see the gradual
panorama of Greek American
concerns dealt with by a deft
hand: the stoic sacrifice of the
first wave of bachelor Greeks,
the initial abuse of American society at large to all the pioneer
immigrants, the limited presence of Greek women, the Herculean efforts to found a community on what was at first
foreign soil and the joys and
concerns children inevitable
brought.
IT’S ALL THERE
Doulis has done his homework. This volume is judiciously
augmented with facts, figures,
and all the sure attention and
nods toward the Greek American historic literature (as it then
existed) one might expect of a
serious historical study. But I am
more impressed by his concision
and insight into basic humanity
than his obvious grasp of the
wider scholarly documents. In
reflecting on pioneer Greek
arranged marriages we find
Doulis musing over: “The treasured moment when the two
soon-to-be married strangers
meet must have been full of the
mystery that certain everyday
events possess. There are great
moments in history - the beginnings and ends of wars, the assassinations of leaders, the coronations
of
kings,
the
inauguration of presidents:
books are written about these.
But there are other moments
like the meeting of two shy people, that we have been taught
to consider unimportant because they are ordinary. Books
rarely take these as their subjects. Without them, though,
history is impossible.”
Carefully crafted text mixes
with 131 photographs for which
all have their principal individuals, occasions, or events identified. Physically the volume is
some 8” x 12” and printed on
(what used to be called) hardgloss paper. This, as the name
may imply, results in crystalsharp black and white reproductions of the historic photographs. As an artist might
Law Firm
apply under-colors to accent the
central image Doulis provides
notes and other commentary to
situate those he writes of in
terms of their time or cultural
sensibilities.
Typical of Doulis’ attention is
that he even brings into question his source material so that
the reader can also see pasted
the page in front of him or her
in ever-new ways: “But we are
more than our photographs
show us to be. The images that
follow are surface views of a reality that is deeper and more
mysterious than we can ever
know: moments, theatrical and
posed, for which we have prepared ourselves and learned our
lines. They show us to be less
than we are. We are so much
more that cannot be photographed that these images,
precious as they are to us, strike
us as a dreams, remembered at
the moment they fade forever,
fragments of a present rushing
to become the unrecoverable
past,” he writes.
At some point after the book
was completed, (and before
Doulis knew more volumes
would be in his future) he contacted Vasiliki Vlahakis, who is
responsible for the Holy Trinity
Cathedral archives to accept the
material he had gathered (or
had been entrusted to him) as
part of the parishes archives,
which she did. Doulis has never
been alone in his efforts to preserve the history and culture of
the Greeks in the Great Northwest.
Today, the stunning HellenicAmerican Cultural Center and
Museum of Oregon and Southwest Washington stands as just
one example among many of
the collective efforts these
Greeks have created and continue to share with their American neighbors. One material result of this long-term and
ongoing historical project is the
recognition of the Holy Trinity
Greek Orthodox Church’s
(which is only one of 12 Eastern
Orthodox Churches in the
greater Portland metropolitan
area’s) status as a Cathedral
which came about directly because of these collective historical documentation projects.
Doulis remains a tireless
worker and critical thinker on
the Greek experience across
sweeps of time and what often
seem even greater geographic
distances. All you have to do to
benefit from his sustained labors
is to read one of his many
books. For “just a Greek streetkid from Philadelphia,” as he often refers to himself, he continues to give back more than he
was ever given.
(Surge to the Sea can be ordered for $20.00 per copy plus
$4.95 for shipping and handling. Orders can be placed with
the Ethnos Greek Orthodox
Bookstore 3131 NE Glisan Portland Oregon 97232 503-2340468 ext 25.)
J O HTheNLaw Firm
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Continued from page 1
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OBITUARIES CLASSIFIEDS
8
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 24-30, 2010
DEATHS
n ANTIPA, AMANDA
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The
San Francisco Chronicle reported that Amanda Kockos Antipa, 92, passed away peacefully.
She was born on January 4,
1918 and was a lifelong resident
of San Francisco. She enjoyed
many summers vacationing with
her family at Clear Lake, and
worked in the office of her father's wholesale produce business. In 1938, Amanda married
Dr. August Antipa. She and her
husband devoted themselves to
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox
Church. Amanda chaired the extremely successful "Coronation
Ball," helped spearhead the
fundraising drive to build the
new Holy Trinity Church and
served in the Church's Philoptochos Society. Amanda also
served on the Women's Board
of the Patriarch Athenagoras Institute at the Berkeley Graduate
Theological Union, raising funds
for a student library and housing. In short, Amanda was a
truly modern and talented
American woman, but with an
"old world" devotion to her
faith, and an unwavering love
for her family. She was predeceased by husband Dr. August
Antipa, parents Harry Kockos
and Panagiota Christovergis
Kockos, and brother Basil
Kockos. Amanda is survived by
sons Gregory (Wendy) and
Ronald (Marcia); her grandchildren, Alexander (Maggie),
Christopher (Christina), Marina
Antipa and Scott Antipa; four
great-granddaughters, Samantha, Olivia, Alyssa and Chiara;
sister Elaine Kockos Archbold,
brother, John (Patricia) Kockos;
eleven nieces and nephews, and
many
grandnieces-andnephews. Visitation and a Trisagion service were held at Duggan's Serra Mortuary. Funeral
services were held at Holy Trinity Church.
n AVRAMIDES, WILLIAM
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Providence Journal reported that,
William Avramides, 76, passed
away peacefully on April 12 at
the V.A. Hospital. He was predeceased by his wife, Ekaterini
(Litos) Avramides. He was born
in Fall River, Massachusetts, to
the late Loukianos and Euphemia
(Papadimitriou)
Avramides. Mr. Avramides was
a printer before retiring. He was
an Army Veteran, 82nd Airborne
Division, a member of Ahepa,
Panmacedonian Association and
a 1953 graduate of BMC Durfee
High School. He is survived by
his son, Loukianos (Valerie)
Avramides;
his
daughter,
Christina (Dean) Vose; his
grandchildren Maria and Andrew Vose; his brother, the Rev.
Stephen Avramides and his sister; Anna Angelis. Visitation was
held at Woodlawn Funeral
Home and funeral services were
held in the Church of the Annunciation. In lieu of flowers,
memorial donations to the
Church would be appreciated.
Online condolences www.Woodlawn Gattone.com
n JOHNSEN, PAMELA
CHICAGO, Ill. – The Chicago
Suburban Daily reported that
Pamela Spiropoulos Johnsen,
65, passed away on April 11at
St. Alexius Medical Center in
Hoffman Estates. She was born
on October 14 in Greece, the
daughter of the late Haralambos
and Konstantina Spiropoulos.
Pamela will be remembered for
her deep love, concern and compassion that she showed to all
she met. Pamela put others before herself and offered words
of encouragement, hope and
had a great joy that overflowed
from her onto those around her.
She never passed up an oppor-
tunity to offer a hug and always
had a smile on her face. Most
important in her life was her
love of family, her children,
grandchildren and siblings
meant everything to her. Pamela
was the founder and former
owner of Pamela's Flowers and
Gifts in Palatine, until selling the
business in 2003. Most recently,
she owned and operated Hi
Sweetie Candy Store of Algonquin. She is survived by her
children, Christian Johnsen and
Dayna (Chuck) Steneck; her
grandchildren, Charlie and Carson Steneck; her siblings,
Alexandra Barbarigos, Marina
(Dino) Alexis, Diane (James)
Panos, Helen Edwards, James
Spiropoulos and Rita Johnson;
and many loving aunts, uncles,
nieces, nephews, cousins and
dear friends. For information
call, 847-358-7411 or visit:
www.ahlgrimffs.com.
Visitation and a Trisagion prayer
service was held at Ahlgrim
Family Funeral Home. Funeral
services were held at St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church.
n KALLINIKOS, DIMITRA
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The
Washington Post reported that
Dimitra Kallinikos passed away
peacefully on April 11. She was
born in Kalamos, resided in Piraeus, Greece and Rockville,
Maryland. She was predeceased
by her beloved husband, Spiros
Kallinikos. She is survived by
her children, John (Kathryn)
Kallinikos, Effie (Vassilios)
Skaltsas and Anna Kallinikou;
her grandchildren, Spiros and
Demetra Kallinikos, Demetra
(Matt) Allen, Smaragda (Yussef)
Benehande and Demetra Ermidis (Panagiotis); her greatgrandchildren, Anna Sophia and
Ellas Anna; and her brothers,
Angelo, Pete and Gregory
Maroulis and their families. A
Trisagion prayer service was
held at Collins Funeral Home.
Funeral services were held at
Sts. Constantine and Helen
Greek Orthodox Church. In lieu
of flowers, contributions may be
made to Sts. Constantine and
Helen Greek Orthodox Church.
w w w. C O L L I N S F U N E R A L HOME.com
n LEPENTIS, CONSTANTINE
CHICAGO, Ill. – The Chicago Tribune reported that Constantino
Lepentis, 83, passed away
peacefully. He was born in
Kalliani, Greece. He was a member of the Corinthian Society. He
was predeceased by his beloved
wife Georgia and two of his siblings, Athanacia and Haralambos. He is survived by his children, Kathy (Dean) Kokinias
and Vasilios (Jennifer); his
grandchildren, Anjelica, Kristen
and Eleni; his siblings, Anastasia, Christina and George; and
many nieces and nephews in the
United States, Greece and Australia. Visitation was held at
Salerno's Galewood Chapels and
funeral services were held at
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox
Church. Arrangements by
Nicholas M. Pishos, Funeral Director, (773) 745-1333.
n LOUIS, NICK
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The
San Francisco Chronicle reported that Nick G. Louis, 83,
passed away unexpectedly on
April 11. Nick was born on February 9, 1927 in Chicago to
Maria (Vlahokostas) Louis and
George Nick Louis, both of Larisa, Greece. In 1934, Nick and
his family came to San Francisco
from Chicago. He graduated
from Polytechnic High School in
1945. Nick was a resident of
South San Francisco for 33
years. He worked for the City of
Paris Department Store for 29
years and then for Liberty House
Department Store for 11 years,
and retired from the City of
South San Francisco after 17
years. He was predeceased by
his nephew, John Tavernas, and
cousins, Constantine DePateas,
Eleni Papaioannou, Hariklia
Melissaratos and Eugenia Melissaratos. Nick is survived by his
beloved wife of 44 years, Barbara; his children, George Nick
and Angela Mary; his granddaughter, Katerina Sofia Esparza; his sister, Bess Tavernas
and her daughters, Stephanie
Rossi and Maria Borrego, and
their families; his cousins, Mary
Ann Drogitis, Melpomeni Hondrodimou, Dan Katsaros, and
Gregory Melissaratos, and their
families. Nick will be deeply
missed by his extended family
and friends. Visitation and a
Trisagion prayer service were
held at Duggan's Serra Mortuary. Funeral services were held
at Holy Trinity Church. Memorial donations, in lieu of flowers,
may be made to: Holy Trinity
Church, San Francisco or Macular Degeneration Research,
Clarksburg, MD.
n MARCHELOS,
COSTANTINO
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fl. – The
Sun-Sentinel reported that
Costantino Marchelos, 84,
passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on
April 10. Costas was born on the
beautiful Island of Cephalonia,
Greece on July 26, 1926. He
was the breadwinner and protector of his family since he was
10 years old. Costas survived
the German invasion of Hitler
and the Italian invasion of Mussolini on Cephalonia. Constantinos was a freedom fighter and
transported ammunition and
supplies in the night to save his
island from the German invasion. Costas was a superior tank
commander training to be a captain at sea. Costas decided to
start a new life in America.
Costas was a master chef, owner
and operator of numerous
restaurants in the metropolitan
area of New York City. After 40
days in retirement he decided
to use his expertise and knowledge and opened the Sea Ranch
Diner with the help of family
and tradition continued in the
family business. Costas is survived by his wife of 55 years,
Vasiliki; his children, Adrianne
(Nick), Spiro (Nikki) and Elias
(Martha); his grandchildren,
Irene and Tommy, Vasiliki Victoria, Marionna and Stephanie;
and his brothers, in Greece,
Captain Gerassimos (Eftrepi);
Vasilios (Joya), Panagis and
Popi; his brothers-in-law, John
and Jerry Bekios and his sisterin-law, Helen Vasilakis; and extended family throughout New
York and Greece. Gus will be
greatly missed by his whole
family and all his close friends.
Visitation was held at Baird Case
Funeral Home. Funeral services
and a Trisagion prayer service
were held at St. Demetrios
Church. In lieu of flowers,
please make donations to St.
Constantine & Helen Church in
Karavados, Cephalonia, Greece.
Please send donations to Athena
by the Sea, 4400 Ocean Dr.,
Lauderdale by the Sea FL
33308, so we can process it and
send it to Cephalonia, Greece.
n MARGIOLAS, JOHN
CHICAGO, Ill. – The Chicago Tribune reported that, John G.
Margiolas, 85, passed away
peacefully. He was born in Nestani, Tripoli, Greece. He was
predeceased by his beloved
wife, Stella and his son and
daughter-in-law, George and
Angie. He is survived by his
sons, Peter (Jeanette) and Dean
(Alice); his grandchildren, John
G., Jon P., John D. and Jimmy;
his sister, Nicoletta; and many
nieces and nephews. Visitation
was held at Sarlerno's Galewood
Chapels and funeral services
were held at Holy Trinity
Church. Arrangements by
Nicholas M. Pishos, Funeral Director, Ltd (773) 745-1333.
n METROPULOS, MARY
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The Bakersfield Californian reported
that Mary Metropulos, 92,
passed away on April 11. Mary
was born in Los Angeles on October 31, 1917 to immigrant
farmer/sheepman
Ramon
Etchegaray and Mariana Carrica
of Bidarrai, France. Following
the death of her mother in 1923,
Mary was taken in by Bakersfield businessman/entrepreneur
John Demos and wife Marina
Panopulos, immigrants from
Pikerni,
Tripolis/Arcadia,
Greece, who adopted her as
their child in 1926. During
World War II, Mary fell in love
with William Metropulos who
was undergoing military training at Minter Field. The two
married on September 28,
1944. Mary and Bill later owned
and operated the Last Chance
Bar in downtown Bakersfield.
Mary eventually became the automotive bookkeeper at Montgomery Ward’s before retiring
in 1982. She was a member of
Daughters of Penelope and the
Philoptochos Society. Mary was
preceded in death by Bill; sisters, Grace Etcheverry, Jane
O'Neil; and brother, Domingo
Etchegaray. She is survived by
her children, Angela (Mike)
O'Rand, Jane (Steve) Talbot,
Chris (Ellen) Metropulos, Elaine
Ansolabehere, Mariane (Mark)
Pearse; her grandchildren, Chris
O'Rand, Stephanie and Nicole
Ansolabehere, Ben Talbot,
Megan and Marek Pearse; and
one great grandchild, Dylan
O'Rand. Funeral services were
held at St. George Greek Orthodox Church with Father Joseph
Chaffee officiating. Pallbearers
will include: Marek Pearse, Ben
Talbot, Chris O'Rand, Ted Maniates Jr., Matt Pearse, Tim
O'Neil and Joseph and Anthony
Freitas. Serving as honorary
pallbearers will be Chris
Metropulos, Steve Talbot, Mark
Pearse, Mike O'Rand, Ted Maniates, Sr., Pete Ermigarat, Ray
Ermigarat, Ron O'Neil, Larry
O'Neil, Richard O'Neil, Scott
O'Neil and Nick Demos. Donations in Mary's memory may be
made to St. George Church. For
additional service information,
please contact Basham Funeral
Care at 873-8200. www.bakersfield.com/obits
n PARLIAROU, KOULA
ASBURY PARK, N.J. – The Asbury Park Press reported that
Koula Parliarou, 93, passed
away on April 16 at her house.
She was born in Syneti, Greece
and immigrated to the United
States four years ago. She was
predeceased by her husband,
Demetrios in 1987. She is survived by her children, George,
Leonidas, Maroylo and Margurita; her brother, Costa; eight
grandchildren; and four greatgrandchildren. Visitation was
held at the Damiano Funeral
Home. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to
St. George Greek Orthodox
Church, 700 Grand Ave., Asbury
Park, N.J. 07712. If you wish,
the family invites you to leave
an online condolence at
www.damianofuneralhome.com
n TRIANTOS, ANGELA
MECHANICSBURG, Penn. - The
Patriot-news reported that Angela Triantos, 83, passed away
peacefully at Harrisburg Hospital with her daughters Cookie
and Vicki at her side. Angie was
born in Lamia, Greece on February 13, 1927. She was a member of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, where she was a tireless
contributor to many of the
church's functions and organizations. She has presided over
both the Daughters of Penelope
local chapter and the Pennsylvania Power District #4. She
was a past-president of the St.
Catherine Philoptochos Society,
was a member of the Joachim
and Anna Senior Group and had
as recently as last year worked
in the kitchen at the annual
Greek Festival. Outside the
church, Angie was active in
many other charitable and volunteer causes, including Pinnacle Health System's Harrisburg
Hospital and Crossings Hospice
of the Visiting Nurse. For many
years, Angie and her family ran
the Crossroads Restaurant, located near the present day Harrisburg Mall. In addition to her
three daughters, Constance Pattyn, Tassia Triantos, and Vickie
Shurm, she is survived by a
grandson, James Bennett Barton; a sister, Mary Wood; and
son-in-laws, John Shrum and
John Pattyn. Viewing, a Trisagion service and funeral services
were held at the Holy Trinity
Cathedral. In lieu of flowers,
contributions may be made to
the Holy Trinity Cathedral, 1000
Yverdon Drive, Camp Hill, PA
17011 or Visiting Nurse Association of Harrisburg Hospice,
3315 Derry St., Harrisburg, PA
17111.
n TSAMBIS, MARIA
ST. PETERSBURG, Fl. – The St.
Petersburg Times reported that
Maria Aivaliotis Tsambis, 88,
passed away on March 27 at
Harbour Wood Health and Rehab Center. She was born in
Icaria, Greece and immigrated
to America at the age of 16. Her
love of cooking brought joy to
friends and family who were
regulars at her dinner table. She
retired as a food service manager for the Pinellas County
Schools, and will be remembered as a spirited figure in the
Greek American community in
Clearwater. She was predeceased by her parents, Aristotle
and Elizabet Aivaliotis, her sister, Irene and her brother, Antonio. She is survived by her
brothers, George and Pandele;
her children, Elizabeth Gensante, Charlotte Pardos and Gus
Tsambis; six grandchildren; four
great-grandchildren; and six
nieces and nephews. Visitation
was held at Sylvan Abbey Funeral Home. Funeral services
were held at Holy Trinity
Church. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the
Pan Icarian Brotherhood Helios
Chapter Building Fund, PO Box
3756, Holiday, FL 34692.
n VALEKIS, MARIA
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Birmingham News reported that
Maria Valekis, 84, passed away
on March 28, 2010. She was
born December 6, 1925 in
Brooklyn, New York. Maria
spent most of her youth in
Greece. After World War II, she
immigrated to the United States
to make a new life with family
members that had already established roots in the Greek
community in Birmingham.
Once she was settled in Birmingham, Maria met her devoted
husband, Bill Valekis a veteran
of World War II and student of
Howard College at the time.
Maria was preceded in death by
her husband, Bill Valekis, parents Demitrios and Vasiliki
Stratakis, brothers, Louis
Stratakis, Pete Stratakis, and
Alex Stratakis. She is survived
by her children Charles (Hala),
Jim (Becky), Julia Valekis
Brodie (Bill), and John Valekis.;
her grandchildren: Billy Valekis,
Adelle Valekis Pharo, Joey
(Melanie), Paige (Dennis),
Stephanie (Rob), Ashley Valekis,
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]
Alexis Brodie, and Christian
Brodie; her great-grandchildren:
Ella Rose Pharo, Demi Marie
Pharo, Nicole Rebecca Williams,
Joey Robert Neuroth, and Caroline Lane Valekis; her sisters,
Erifili Nicouli and Erna (Elias)
Kontoyiannis; and several
nieces, nephews, cousins and
many beloved friends. A Trisagion prayer service and visitation was held at John Ridout's
Funeral Home and funeral services were held at the HolyTrinity-Holy-Cross. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to
the Greek Orthodox Cathedral
or Altar Boys Guild Fund.
n ZOULAMIS, SOPHIA
PORTSMOUTH, Maine - The
Seacoast Online reported that
Sophia M. Zoulamis, 96, passed
away on April 8 at Exeter Hospital, after a brief illness. Mrs.
Zoulamis was born October 15,
1913 in Greece and was the
daughter to the late Fotias and
Eugenia Makropoulos. Sophia
was raised in Greece in the
small village of Horivos. She
married her husband of nearly
71 years, the late Constantine
C. Zoulamis, in 1934. They immigrated to the United States in
1946 and settled in Bridgeport,
Connecticut. Sophia worked as
a seamstress for many years, but
raising her family was the most
important part of her life. She
loved her church, St. Nicholas
Greek Orthodox Church and
was very active in her church
community. She was a member
of the Philoptochos Society and
also spent many hours as a volunteer in the Salvation Army
soup kitchen. A woman of many
talents, she was an expert seamstress, could knit and crochet
anything, and was a fabulous
cook. She shared her many creations with family and also donated her crafts to charity to
help those less fortunate. Sophia
was a skilled gardener who possessed a "green hand," as she
could grow anything. She is
survived by her children, Christos (Niki) Zoulamis, Paul
Zoulamis, Angel Zoulamis and
Freda (Louis) Georgopoulos;
her siblings, John Makropoulos
and Katherine Makropoulos; her
grandchildren, Jeannie (David)
Singleton, James Georgopoulos,
Dean (Jessica) Georgopoulos,
Dean (Clay) Zoulamis, Gregory
(Kelsey) Zoulamis, Laura (Charlie) Gordon and Christina
Zoulamis; nine great-grandchildren; and many nieces and
nephews. Visitation and funeral
services were held at St.
Nicholas Church. In lieu of flowers, donations to honor Sophia
may be made to her church.
Arrangements are by the Remick
& Gendron Funeral Home - Crematory, Hampton. An online
guest book is available at
www.RemickGendron.com.
CLASSIFIEDS
FOR SALE (GREECE)
Greece-Piraeus
Near the Railway Stations
Ideal Opportunity
FOR SALE building of 1,500 s.m.
on a site of 1,500 s.m. with 3 fronts.
It consists of a 1,245 s.m. hall
with a height of 9 meters
and ground offices of 245 s.m.
and 2 mezzanites of 640 s.m.
Info: Mr. Yiannis Rentas
Tel.:011-30-210-4126-425
011-30-210-4176-682
Fax. 011-30-210-4132-762
Bay
Ridge
Brooklyn,
NY 11209
(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.
A/A33/04-24
HELP WANTED
LEADING GREEK AMERICAN
NEWSPAPER SEEKS
Full-time AD sales representatives for both GREEK and ENGLISH language publications. Applicants should have some sales
and/or marketing experience.
Fluency with computer use and
knowledge of Internet a plus. Bilingual command of both languages preferred. This positions
offers base salary, plus commisand/or marketing experience. Fluency with computer use
offers base salary, plus commissions. E-mail resume and cover
letter to [email protected] FAX:
(718) 472-0510 Attn. Publisher
or call (718) 784-5255 ask for
Veta.
FUNERAL HOMES
CONSTANTINIDES
FUNERAL PARLOR Co.
405 91st Street
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
LITRAS FUNERAL HOME
ARLINGTON
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83-15 Parsons Blvd.,
Jamaica, NY 11432
(718) 858-4434 • (800) 2454872
to PlAce your
clAssiFied Ad, cAll:
(718) 784-5255, ext. 106,
e-mAil:
classifieds@
thenationalherald.com
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n ANDROS, ZOI
ANN ARBOR, Michigan - The
Saginaw News reported that Zoi
Andros, 98, passed away on
April 10. She was born October
18, 1911 in Zoriano, Greece.
She was predeceased by her
husband, Nickolas G. Andros;
her parents, Yiani and Ekaterini
Komna; her sisters Georgia
(James) Tarachas, Areti and
Nitsa Komna and her brother
Costa Komna. She is survived by
her children, Rena (Tom) Poponea, George Andros, and
John (Kathi) Andros; her grandchildren, Nick B. Andros, Paul
Pantel, Jodi (Doug) Firebaugh,
Amy Andros, Patrick (Cayce) Poponea, Elena (Peter) Anastasiou, Ben Andros, and Nicole
(Josh) Heppner; her greatgrandchildren, Samantha Stratton, Demi and Evan Anastasiou,
Drew and Nadia Zoi Heppner,
Jessica Brasher and Cody Kirchner; her sister, Rena Riga and
many nieces and nephews. Funeral services were held at Saint
Demetrios Greek Orthodox
Church with Rev. Irenaeus Cox
officiating. Visitation and a Trisagion prayer service were held
at the W. L. Case & Company
Funeral Chapel. Those planning
an expression of sympathy may
wish to consider Saint Demetrios Church or the Nick Andros Music Scholarship Fund
c/o Saginaw Community Foundation.
www.casefuneralhome.com
VIA HOME DELIVERY
(New England, Pennsylvania,
Washington D.C., VIRGINIA & MARYLAND)
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GREECE CYPRUS
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 24-30, 2010
9
AHEPA Builds More Bridges to Greece, Cyprus and Constantinople
By Constantine S. Sirigos
TNH Staff Writer
NEW YORK – The Greek financial crisis is on the minds of
many Greek Americans, but it’s
not the only problem the country is facing these days, and
AHEPA officials reached out in
their annual trip there to offer
help in everything from health
care to the economy, tourism
and even foreign policy, even offering advice on how to deal
with Turkey.
Supreme President Nicholas
A. Karacostas led the 82nd Annual AHEPA Excursion to
Greece, Cyprus, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The delegation included Daughters of
Penelope Grand President
Elaine M. Sampanis, Maids of
Athena Grand President Sia
Zois, and AHEPA Canadian President Nick Aroutzidis, and several AHEPA members representing chapters across the country
and the AHEPA family domain.
The AHEPA delegation went
to Constantinople to attend
Holy Week services and the trip
concluded in Athens with intensive discussions in high level
meetings with Greek government officials about the Greek
crisis and how the Order of
AHEPA can help, including out
of the pockets of its own members and the Diaspora.
In a meeting with American
Ambassador to Greece Daniel
Speckhard the state of Greece’s
economy and other geopolitical
eurokinissi
Greek Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas, fourth from right, and Deputy Foreign
Minister Spyros Kouvelis, 6th from left, are seen together with AHEPA Supreme President
Nicholas Karacostas, 5th from right, in Athens on Tuesday, April 13, 2010.
issues in the region were discussed. The Ambassador complimented AHEPA for its hard
work on the visa waiver designation for Greece and other
AHEPA projects. Meetings with
Greek officials included discussions with Minister of Health
Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou,
where she and Karacostas explored ways to work together to
create awareness about health
programs.
The delegation was given a
comprehensive tour of the
AHEPA wing of the Evangelismos Hospital in Athens. When
in Thessaloniki, the group visited with Panagiotis Psomiadis,
Prefect of Thessaloniki who
made known his pride in the
AHEPA Hospital, describing it as
"a wonderful hospital in northern Greece" and a great teaching
center for future doctors.
Karacostas told The National
Herald that both AHEPA and
Greek medical officials expressed a desire to both deepen
and expand their relationship in
the area of health care. “We will
look at ways to connect Greek
medical institutions with hospital programs in the U.S. Exchanges of doctors will be explored and we will reach out
through AHEPA members who
are doctors and members of
hospital boards directly, and in
co-operation with Greek American medical organizations.”
The delegation met with Minister of Finance George Papaconstantinou for an in-depth conversation about the state of
Greece’s economy and to explore
ways in which AHEPA could assist in promoting programs that
would increase tourism and investment in Greece. In his meeting with the President of Parliament, Fillipos Petsalniokos,
Karacostas said, ‘We discussed
the general account he created”
which will collect funds to assist
Greece with its massive debt, but
Karacostas said he was also interested in more targeted assistance where Greek Americans
could have a greater impact. He
noted that AHEPA is well positioned to spearhead any endeavors, which will benefit from the
excellent relationships the Order
and its chapters have with
Greece’s consulates and embassy
in the U.S.
Meetings were also held with
Minister of Culture and Tourism
Pavlos Yeroulanos. Karacostas
told TNH that Greece is very interested in working with AHEPA
to promote Greek tourism, both
among Greeks and non-Greeks in
the United States. Plans were
made to link the Web sites of the
Ministry of Culture and Tourism
to the sites of AHEPA. Possible
campaigns might be along the
lines of “Bring your friends to
Greece.” There were also preliminary discussions about AHEPA
participating in U.S. – Greece ex-
changes of visits by children.
AHEPA’s exsiting “Journey to
Greece” is a very popular program
where college students visit
Greece and receive college credits. Under the leadership of Dr.
James Dimitriou, 80 students participated last summer and AHEPA
is currently accepting applications. Information is available at
ahepa.org/dotnetnuke/Programs/JourneytoGreece.aspx.
Karacostas met with the
Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas, who gave a briefing on recent developments in
Greece’s foreign policy. The delegation also had an audience
with His Beatitude Hieronymos
II, Archbishop of Athens and All
Greece where there was a sharing of ideas about assisting with
social programs in Greece. During trip to Constantinople the
entire AHEPA family delegation
had a private audience with His
All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and visited
the Theological School of Halki.
Karacostas told TNH that he
found Patriarchate officials “for
the first time to be optimistic
that something will happen,” regarding the school’s re-opening.
“They are cautious about how
to proceed.” Karacostas, who is
also an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, suggested mobilizing the Greek American
community on the issue.
For more information visit
ahepa.org.
[email protected]
Turkish Cypriots Elect A Hard-Liner, Prompt Worry in Athens, Nicosia
Continued from page 1
talks must continue regardless
of the winner.
"Whoever is president there,
he has to continue with the determination (for talks,)" Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with
the private NTV news channel.
"Eroglu himself has said he
would press ahead with this determination. I don't think there
will be a different situation."
Cyprus has been divided
since 1974, when Turkey invaded the northern third of the
island in response to a Greekinspired coup and bitterness and
rancor have remained, especially among Greek Cypriots
forced out of their homes, despite a European Court of Human Rights judgment they still
the rights to their occupied or
abandoned homes on the Turk-
ish side.
Turkey still has an army of
nearly 45,000 troops on the island, and a UN force of 850
troops patrols the Green Line,
or buffer zone, which divides
the internationally recognized
Greek Cypriot south and Turkish
Cypriot north, which is recognized only by Turkey, which bars
Greek Cypriot ships and planes
from entering Turkey, a key barrier to its EU hopes.
Despite progress on governance and power sharing,
months of negotiations had
failed to bridge the gap of more
difficult issues, including property, security and territorial adjustments and any agreement
between the two leaders will
have to pass a referendum on
both sides of the island, which
was the deal-breaker in 2004
when Greek Cypriot voters overwhelmingly rejected a reunifi-
cation blueprint although Turks
approved it.
EU officials said that progress
at the Cyprus reunification talks
are essential to helping Turkey's
slow-moving EU accession
process move forward. In Brussels, the European Union urged
both sides for swift progress in
the talks. "Now that Mr Eroglu
has been elected leader of the
Turkish Cypriot community, it is
crucial that the settlement talks
go on. The Commission encourages Mr Eroglu to continue in
the constructive spirit of the efforts towards settlement and reunification," the European Commission said in a statement.
Indicative of how divisive the
issues are was the slim margin
of Eroglu’s victory, by a margin
of 50.38-42.85%, giving him a
bare majority under rules that
declared a candidate had to get
50% plus one vote to avoid a
AP Photo/Petros kArAdjiAs
New Turkish Cypriot leader
Dervis Eroglu speaks to his
supporters during victory celebrations in the Turkish occupied area of Nicosia, April 18.
runoff election. Eroglu assured
supporters who rushed to his
party headquarters in the northern, Turkish Cypriot half of the
island's divided capital, that he
would not abandon negotiations
aimed at reunifying the divided
island. "It's time to find peace,"
he said.
"No one should expect me to
leave the negotiating table," he
told the crowd that cheered,
honked horns and set off fireworks at an impromptu victory
rally. "We will be at the negotiating table for an agreement that
will continue the existence of our
people in this land with honor."
Talat said he remains determined
to "help and support" a peace
deal. "My dream for a solution
to the Cyprus problem continues," he told reporters at the
Presidential Palace.
Eroglu's resurgence was
mainly due to public disillusion-
ment with Talat, whom many
Turkish Cypriots fault for not delivering on a promise of a swift
deal after opening negotiations
with Christofias 19 months ago.
Although Eroglu insists he
would continue peace talks, he's
at odds with an agreement between Talat and Christofias envisioning a future partnership
under a federal roof. Eroglu insists on separate sovereignty for
the breakaway north, something
that Christofias has warned he
wouldn't accept. The island's division is already hampering
Turkey's EU drive and could halt
it if peace talks collapse. Since
Turkey is a NATO member such
a move also could cripple closer
cooperation between the military alliance and the EU, and increase regional instability.
This story includes material
from the Associated Press.
At American Farm School Benefit, Burns Doesn’t Waver on Greek Years
Continued from page 1
raised more than $30,000 for
the nonprofit group, added,
“And we especially had a wonderful time in Greece.” While
Ambassador there, as Burns
noted in his speech, he said he
learned that good diplomacy relies on not just government-togovernment interactions, but
supporting American institutions abroad. “The antidote,” to
fears of global anxiety about
American dominance, he said,
“is commitment and sincerity
and a worthy ideal that bridges
two countries.” He added: “and
that’s what the Farm School represents to me.”
The AFS was founded in
1904. The private school (which
draws students from nearby villages and the Balkans alike,) includes a secondary school, the
Demetris Perrotis College of
Agricultural Learning, the Lifelong Learning program and an
international high school Greek
Summer program. Burns said
the school is “representative of
those Americans who would go
to Greece and commit themselves to education and public
service and to the country.” The
school survived he said, through
“tough times and good times.”
No American, he said, did more
than the school’s late director
Bruce Lansdale “for the relationship between Greece and the
United States, since the Second
World War.”
A GREEK AT THE HELM
He congratulated new AFS
leader Panos Kanellis for being
the first Greek citizen appointed
president at the US-registered
nonprofit. Kanellis hails from
Thessaloniki and studied both
there and in the U.S. and also
has taught bioorganic chemistry
at the University of Alabama.
“We hope to expand our collaboration with US colleges and
universities,” Kanellis told TNH
HIDDEN GREECE
Andy Dabilis’ camera captures the texture of life in today’s
Greece, in all its colorful variations.
in New York.
In his first four months, he’s
busy planning how to restructure the school and improve its
technological edge. The Greek
farm of the future, in his view,
must rely less on subsidies and
more on each family member’s
specialization.
Former AFS and Anatolia
College president William McGrew, who also was at the
event, told TNH that Greek
farmers must modernize, specializing, for instance, in highlyspecialized fruits. He pointed to
AFS’s collaboration with cosmetics maker Korres, as a successful
cooperation. “You don’t find a
lot of private schools that don’t
charge tuition,” he said, pointing to the importance of American and Greek fundraising. (The
vast majority of the school’s 370
students benefit from scholarships).
At the dinner, Burns addressed many friends from his
1997-2001 Athens days. The
group of about 70 included the
dynamic Chairman of the Board
of Trustees Charlotte P. Armstrong, AFS Vice President
Joann Ryding-Beltes, key AFS
benefactor Aliki Perrotis, former
U.S. Ambassador to NATO
William Taft and AHEPA
Supreme Secretary Anthony D.
Kouzonis. (There were some noshows, due to the Icelandic volcano disruption of European
flights.)
Burns lauded US President
Barack Obama as a public service inspiration for not only his
three daughters, but Harvard
students. “He, for them, is what,
for a lot of us, JFK was growing
up.” Yet the former diplomat underlined Obama’s tough challenges, including the recession
and an unprecedented (except
for World War Two) involvement in two wars, calling them
“the most difficult set of foreign
policy challenges of any president in my lifetime.”
“How can we possibly be isolationist in 2010?” he asked. He
“As a private citizen, I
was very, very pleased to
hear that the visa waiver
program for Greece would
go into operation.”
said that while at NATO during
the terrorist attacks, he learned
the value of long-term pacts and
friendship. On September 12,
he said, America’s NATO allies
offered a united front “not due
to sentiment, but…because we
had been with them…and because we had institutions on European soil,” although the then
so-called “Coalition of the Willing” unraveled as many European countries said they didn’t
want to fight.
U.S.-GREECE CHALLENGES
Burns called his time in
Greece “historic years, in terms
of crises in the Balkans, but positive developments in US/Greek
relations.”
He remains steadfast in his
belief that U.S. intervention in
Kosovo in 1999 was “the right
thing to do.” Burns said former
President Bill Clinton’s decision
was to protect one million Kosovar Moslems from “ethnic annihilation and annihilation” at the
hands of the Serb Army. Burns
said of the resulting anti-U.S.
backlash in Orthodox Greece:
“That was our most difficult experience in Greece, certainly, for
our embassy and for my family
… I know that many Greeks disagree, but looking back at it, I
would hope that perhaps Greeks
would understand why we used
our military power in the way
we did.” The former diplomat
today said sees the lasting independence of Kosovo and BosniaHerzegovina and the sentencing
of the late Serbian President
Slobodan Milosovic’s colleagues
at war crimes tribunals in the
Hague as supporting the validity
of the U.S. position.
On a happier U.S.-Greece issue, Burns told TNH: “As a private citizen, I was very, very
pleased to hear that the visa
waiver program for Greece
would go into operation.” As
ambassador, he had also worked
on the issue. “It’s been a long,
difficult process,” said Burns,
“but we got there.”
He referred to Greece’s current debt woes as “profoundly
important and serious,” but also
pointed to the U.S.’s own debt.
He later told the AFS group that
it’s in American interests for its
EU trading partners to thrive.
But he said, “I don’t think this
is a crisis where the U.S. will
play a lead role….This is really
a test of German leadership,
(Chancellor) Angela Merkel’s
leadership, French leadership...”
In speaking to TNH, the former ambassador shook off the
idea that the U.S. saw Turkey
as more important than Greece,
noting: “Turkey is a natural
bridge to help the US negotiate
some of the difficult problems
of the Middle East. But Greece
is a natural bridge to help us in
the Balkans, certainly with Albania and Serbia and Kosovo.”
Burns said believes Obama has
treated Greece and Turkey
equally thus far. He wouldn’t
venture predictions on the
Cyprus issue; he only pointed
out that, beyond the troubles
both Greek and Turkish Cypriots
face, the island’s divided state
makes EU-NATO cooperation
difficult.
Today Burns is proudest of
“the small role” he played on
the peaceful resolution of the
Cold War, while working in the
White House with President
George H.W. Bush and, later,
with the Clinton administration.
While he was critical of the
2003 decision to invade Iraq,
Burns said that as the Berlin
Wall crumbled and the Soviet
Union unraveled, “The United
States used its power for good.”
*The AFS will be celebrating
the 40th anniversary of its
Greek Summer program, which
welcomes high school students
from the U.S., on October 9 in
New York. The school is still accepting applications for this
summer. See www.afs.gr.edu
[email protected]
They Came, They Saw, They Stayed - In Greece
Continued from page 1
tnh Photo
Graffiti Walk
It was an unlikely place perhaps, far from green and scenery,
but this elderly woman and her arm-in-arm companion strolled
down a pedestrian walk whose artwork is the graffiti so predominant in many areas of Athens.
fell in love and who visited them
in the states and met the grandchildren and lured them back to
Greece. Chavez says he estimates about 65% of American
retirees have dual citizenship
and as they become of retirement age become keen on
knowing how to get their Social
Security benefits. Curiously,
while 90% of Americans retired
in other countries get their
checks through electronic direct
deposit, only about 40% of
those in Greece do, he said, part
of the mentality of older Greeks
and Greek Americans who prefer a real check, even though
they receive it several days later
than do those with direct deposit.
One American retiree, who
did not want his name used,
said he stopped working for the
State Department at age 56 and
because he had a Greek wife
who preferred Greece, decided
to stay. “She runs interference
for me and makes everything
easy for me so I don’t have to
deal with the Greek bureaucracy,” he said.
Chavez spoke to a group of
American retirees at a Margaritas & Medicare event sponsored
at a Mexican restaurant by
Helada, a group of Americans
living in Greece. One of its
leader, Karen Lee, said, “There
were a lot of them who left
Greece in the 1950s and 1960s
and came back.” Indeed, there
are an estimated 70,000 to
100,000 Americans living in
Greece and a growing number
who retire here. “At least half
of us have dual citizenship and
a lot of our members are retired
or approaching retirement and
wondering what to do about Social Security.” Here’s one tip: get
direct deposit, marry a Greek
and let them run the bureaucracy.
EDITORIALS LETTERS
10
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The National Herald
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Who has St. Nicholas’ money?
The Historic Saint Nicholas Church of Ground Zero is a point of
remembrance for all of us. Its destruction on 9/11 by the terrorists
rallied not only the Christian world but also every person of faith.
Yet, as we are approaching the 10th anniversary of the destruction, and as the area where the twin towers once used to be, the
task of rebuilding the church of Saint Nicholas is still up in the air.
Little or no information has been officially provided to the community by the Archdioceses about its status - if and when it will be
rebuilt and what else it will include - and the contributions made
thus far, although it is their responsibility to do so - despite the numerous times we have repeatedly brought this failure to their attention. As if that were not embarrassing enough, TNH reported
two weeks ago about a new problematic situation, “serious transgressions,” in the words of the Parish President of the Saint Nicholas
community.
John Pitsikalis, the President, in a letter to parishioners wrote:
“Father John Romas, Loraine Romas, Joan Dimonekas and Peter
Drakoulias took it upon themselves to change the official stationery
of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church to John Romas’ business
address, business telephone and business fax number. The address
listed on St. Nicholas’ letterhead is that of Ram Aluminum Industries, 34 Mount Vernon Avenue, Mt. Vernon, NY 10550, which is
John Romas’ aluminum siding business address.”
When we asked Archbishop Demetrios to comment on this
breaking story he referred us to Bishop Andonios, who, as he said,
is handling the case. In a conversation with Bishop Andonios, he
told TNH, “The Archdiocese has taken measures and it is trying to
put this whole issue in order.” He also stated that, “I told them to
stop immediately.” Bishop Andonios emphasized: “Let no one have
any doubt that the Archdiocese oversees the issue. I will meet
again with the officials of the parish.”
Well, these are soothing words to be sure, but more than three
weeks have gone by since we broke the story during which they
supposedly were looking into it even prior to that, and yet there
are no indications of any meetings, of any announcement or of
any oversight taking place by anyone despite the serious allegations.
Let’s hope that one will be forthcoming and soon.
In any case, what the community needs to know from the Archdiocese is how much money father/businessman Romas received
at his business address that was intended for Saint Nicholas and
how much in total, from all sources, was collected for the rebuilding
of the church, and who is in charge of it.
Meanwhile Father John Romas paraded proudly up Fifth Avenue
last Sunday, admittedly with many fewer parishioners at his side
than in previous years, but is still representing the destroyed Church
of Saint Nicholas. Should he? That is answer only the Archdiocese
can give.
Elections In Cyprus
The conventional wisdom has it that the election of Dervis
Eroglou in the “elections” of the Turkish-Cypriots last Sunday is an
impediment to finding a solution on the Cyprus issue. Eroglou is a
proponent of the so-called “Velvet Divorce” between the two communities, and a supporter of two countries sharing the island. His
election could be seen as an endorsement by the Turkish Cypriots
of his plans for Cyprus.
At the same time, there are many Greek Cypriots who feel the
same way, that after what happened - after their amazing economic
growth, after living apart for so long – they would rather not reunite with the Turkish Cypriots. And that probably is the majority
of the people according to the polls.
Cypriot President Demetris Christofias favored the re-election
of “Socialist” Turkish Cypriot leader Talat. He thought their chemistry was right, as they knew each other for a long time. He found
Talat to be a good interlock. He even went as far as to express in
public his support for Mr. Talat, an unheard off gesture that most
definitely could not help him with the Turkish Cypriots. Thus one
has to wonder about the motives of Mr. Christofias. In any event,
while one has to take Eroglou at his word, at the same time the
possibility that it might be easier for him than Talat to strike a deal
should not be discounted. After all, only Nixon could go to China.
Parade
The weather did not cooperate this year for the big parade in
New York. And the enthusiasm was somewhat subdued given the
financial crisis in Greece. Still, the Fifth Avenue of New York was
filled with Greeks, old and young, showing their pride, celebrating
the liberation of Greece after 400 years of slavery. It was shameful,
however, that most of the dignitaries on the grandstand left after
about an hour, well before the end of the parade. Think of those
children waiting in the cold for hours only to reach the grandstand
and see it almost empty. Still, once again, it was a good parade.
That does not mean that it cannot be improved. And we have
some suggestions to make that will make it even more useful,
which will add a another dimension without losing its respect for
the heroes of 1821. We propose that two to three blocks of the
total used by the parade be set aside so that they can be devoted
to celebrating ancient Greece, Greek culture and tourism, Greek
food, music and wine. This way the parade will be opened up to
more Greeks and non-Greeks alike, who will be given the opportunity, for instance, to see a play, explore the beauties of Greece,
taste its food and wine, hear a Greek song, all before the parade
starts, which should put them in a good mood.
Such an event is too precious not to be preserved or expanded
in such a way that it includes all the competitive advantages of
Greek Americana and Greece.
George Maragos
Among those parading proudly last Sunday was the Comptroller
of Nassau Country, on Long Island, George Maragos. He was a successful businessman who was elected at the first shot to a very important position in a very demanding area of New York facing
some major challenges. If one were to believe the blogs – and
there is a lot of buzz about it - Maragos has set his eyes on a much
higher post. We can only hope that there is truth to that, for his
sake as well as for the community’s.
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 24-30, 2010
The Sins of the Fathers Must
be Addressed Immediately
To the Editor:
In The National Herald's
Viewpoints column of April 1016, Constantine Sirigos calls for
Church scandals to be handled
with concrete and symbolic actions. In looking at the larger picture he recognizes the importance of joint Orthodox and
Catholic action so that the
Churches would be able to act as
One. With the dozens of divisions
in Christendom, one cannot but
wonder at the meaning of Christianity when popes and patriarchs are divided and are without
common goals.
Sirigos is certainly right and
deserves much credit for suggesting that religious leaders must no
longer show ineffectiveness and
indifference. He well points out
that we must “monitor the monitors” in order to deal with sexuality and rid the Churches of pedophilia. A Council would look
at all problems related to sexuality and "related issues" including,
as Sirigos says, allowing bishops
to be married.
Perhaps it is time for our reli-
gious leaders to consider the establishment of boards of trustees
consisting of clergy and laity.
Boards of Trustees work extremely well for non-profit organizations, foundations and universities. They would certainly
work well for our Churches. The
only question or fear is that bishops would not want to give up
their power. Montaigne suggested that power, money and
sexual pleasures are sins if they
are not used properly. Disgustingly, the leaders of our Churches
seem to have embraced all three
of those sins. A change is long
overdue!
Emmanuel Karavousanos
Bellerose, N.Y.
TO OUR READERS
the national herald welcomes letters from its readers intended for
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writer’s name, address, and telephone number and be addressed
to: the editor, the national herald,
37-10 30th str., lic, ny 11101. letters can also be faxed to (718) 4720510 or e-mailed to [email protected]. we
reserve the right to edit letters.
CHRYSANTHI LIRISTIS / SPECIAL TO THE NATIONAL HERALD
ΛΟΓΟΣ
“Feeling” Rich Means you Have to Be Super-Rich
SANTA FE- A few weeks ago I
wrote in this column about Finding the Meaning and Value of
True Wealth (TNH, April 3-9.) In
light of how much media attention is being paid to the gloomy
economic situation that clouds
Greece, the United States, and
much of the world like volcanic
ash from southern Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull glacier, I’d like to explore this topic a bit further. Recognizing that financial security is
a very serious matter for most
people, and in no way do I want
to marginalize its significance, I
would like again to view the issue
of money and finances from a
broader, and hopefully, useful
and meaningful perspective.
Prior to the current economic
crisis, I recall reading a frontpage article in The New York
Times entitled, The Millionaires
Who Don’t Feel Rich. The article
focused on people living in California’s Silicon Valley who are
called “working-class millionaires” - members of the digital
elite who find themselves toiling
in the Silicon Valley “salt mines”
because, as one person interviewed described, “a few million
doesn’t go as far as it used to.”
(Boy, you can say that again!)
And even though these folks obviously were among the fortunate
few who didn’t have to worry
about living from paycheck to
paycheck, they still didn’t think
of themselves as particularly fortunate or well off. This was partly
the case because they were surrounded by people with more
wealth than they had! My, my, I
feel sorry for these poor souls,
don’t you?
One person interviewed, who
estimated his “net
up in it, but it’s hard
worth” at the time
not to.” Please reat about $10 milflect upon what this
lion, actually made
person is telling us.
the following obserPutting Greek pride
vation (over a glass
aside for a moment,
of pinot noir at an
does running a
upscale wine bar!)
marathon without a
- “You’re nobody
finish line sound
here at $10 millike a meaningful
lion.” Indeed, if you
way to make a livask me, this is a sad
ing and a life? And
commentary on the
it there is no finish
by Dr. ALEX
state of humanity in
line, what, when all
PATTAKOS
Silicon Valley. And
is said and done, is
even though this arthe bottom line?
Special to
ticle may have apanything
If
The National Herald
peared before the
sounds like a manipresent economic woes facing festation of the “will to money”
California and the nation, its un- at work, this must be it, don’t you
derlying message is meaningful think? When people are replaced
for it transcends the state of the by money as the primary force
economy and time. In other behind decision-making, ultiwords, it applies to living today mately we have no choice but to
as much as it did before the eco- become aware of the implications
nomic downturn took its toll.
and do something about it. Lest
Whatever our personal cir- we choose not to do so, we run
cumstances, we must ask the ex- the risk of contributing to societal
istential question: Is real net messes like the economic cataworth simply a function of strophe we find ourselves facing
money? And how much money today.
is “enough,” anyway? What hapBy refusing to be held “prispens when our desire to keep oners of our thoughts,” we can
up with the Jones becomes an bring meaning out of the shadobsession - or a kind of addictive ows of our lives and into the
behavior - that we seem unable light. Our lives will then mean
or unwilling to control? Listen something and our “net worth”
once more to how one of the will no longer be held captive
people interviewed in the solely by a dollar figure. Rememabove-mentioned article de- ber, it is our will to meaning, not
scribed what looks like a our will to pleasure or will to
marathon without a finish line: power (including its primitive
“Here, the top one percent form, the will to money), that ilchases the top one-tenth of one luminates our lives with true freepercent, and the top one-tenth dom. Like the plight of our Greek
of one percent chases the top hero, Sisyphus, and like running
one-one-hundredth of one per- a marathon without a finish line,
cent. You try not to get caught the will to money also becomes
an endless—and joyless—undertaking if not kept in check.
I suggest that it is time for the
working-class millionaires of Silicon Valley, how many now may
be left, and those who might be
similarly situated to go inward
and discover the seeds of meaning that may help them feel truly
“rich.” Maybe by not choosing
to be held prisoners of their
thoughts they will be able to redefine their notion of net worth
and begin to make life/work decisions that are based on meaning-centered principles—things
that truly matter to them.
What about you? Think about
your own life experiences, including your situation today. Do you
know, or have you ever known,
anyone (this may even be yourself) who “felt rich” without the
fortune of monetary wealth?
Why do you think that this is (or
was) the case? What kinds of
things do you have in your own
portfolio and assessment of net
worth that you would consider
to be priceless? Now, ask yourself: Do you feel “rich” as a result?
Dr. Pattakos, author of Prisoners of Our Thoughts, is currently working on a new business initiative and book on
how to live a happy, healthy,
meaningful life inspired by
Greek culture. His column is
published weekly in The National Herald. Readers may
contact him with questions,
comments, and/or suggestions
for topics at: [email protected] or visit his
web site: www.prisonersofourthoughts.com.
COMMENTARY
What I learned in Greek School: It only gets bumpier
By Eleni Kostopoulos
TNH Staff Writer
NEW YORK – I haven’t thought
about plaid uniforms, patriotic
plays and poems and fidgeting
in Greek class since my late pubescent years. But recently,
memories of having my ear
pulled for turning in late homework by my beloved dictator - I
mean, teacher- have come to
light after celebrating my 10year 8th-grade reunion with
most of my former classmates.
Some claim their Greek DaySchool experience was an atrocious one; others say it was one
of the most pre-eminent periods
of their life. Luckily, I fall into
the latter sort, often missing the
days of simplicity and learning
in a family-like atmosphere. Discussions with my long-lost classmates, all of who are undoubtedly successful or on the high
road to success, had us thinking
about how far we’ve come but
also, how Greek school prepared us for the real world by
not preparing us at all.
Among the many panic-provoking surprises following Greek
school was that the real world
consisted of many people - a lot
more than the five other classmates I graduated 8th grade with
- people of all shapes and sizes,
backgrounds and religions, who
were raised in different environments, who cursed and smoked,
wore make-up without being
chastised and knew the ins-andouts of sex. I hadn’t heard of sex
education ‘til my sophomore year
of high school so when free condoms were passed out by Phys.
Ed. teachers in the hallway, I
could hear my Greek school
teacher’s voice in my head
screaming all kinds of multi-syllable expletives.
While I remained fairly active
in the community following
graduation, my use of the Greek
language wasn’t as frequent. I
went from practicing, speaking
and writing on a daily basis to
utilizing it only when I had to
interact with family. Greek class
wasn’t an option for me in college, though I had so wished
that adult refresher courses
were accessible to me in some
way. The older I get now, the
more I hear many of my peers’
Greek deteriorate in quality.
And while the class of 2000
was lucky enough to have made
mostly positive decisions on this
journey called life, we are all
aware of some of our older or
younger mates who ultimately
couldn’t adapt to the pressures
of a non-safe, non-Greek environment, who fell into drug-dealing or drug-using behaviors, who
broke ties with the supportive
community and who drowned in
a sea of bad choices. Greek school
is of course not to blame for the
well being of its every product,
but perhaps less censorship and
more straightforward dialogue
about sex, drugs and rock and
roll would have benefited those
enamored with the pseudo-glamour of the “hood life”.
I understand and to some degree appreciate certain aspects
of this conservative outlook instilled in me, but I also believe
it is imperative that the role of
education - in a public or private
setting - extends beyond textbook reading and reciting historical poetry. One step that’s already been taken by many
institutions is their conversion
into charter schools. Although
likely imposed for financial reasons, schools that were closed
off to only Greek American students now take in students of
all backgrounds and teach them
the language, religion and history of our rich culture. I was
so proud last year when I saw a
little African American girl dancing the pentozali at a cultural
fair with perfect grace!
The next step would be for
schools to continue communicating with alumni, besides organizations such as G.O.Y.A. If
a son goes away to college, that
child’s mother does not stop caring for him simply because he’s
reached adulthood. Similarly, a
school that has served as my
second home for more than nine
years should reach out to me,
so I too could reciprocate with
volunteerism and participation
in community events.
In terms of the quality of education, I had amazing and inspiring teachers throughout the
years, who had a genuine passion for the art of teaching and
whom I still keep in touch with
today. I also had a whole array
of unlicensed educators, who
seemed to hate children and
their lives in general and who
shouldn’t have been allowed to
step foot in any type of academic institution. If we were to
pay our well-deserving teachers
what they deserve instead of a
measly, barely-get-by paycheck,
then perhaps a better quality education would be provided to
the kid who may or may not sell
dime bags of weed on the corner
of his block.
In 7th grade, along with my
dear classmates, I made a minitime capsule set to be opened
on August of this year, 11 years
after I sealed it shut. I can’t quite
remember what I put in the capsule, but I do remember writing
a letter to a “future Eleni” predicting where I would be, what
friends would still be in my life
and the general condition of the
world. Back then I don’t think I
ever would have guessed that
despite all the changes in the
world, not much has changed
with the condition of Greek
schools. Maybe it’s about time
we start making some real
changes.
[email protected]
Correction:
Because of an editing error, an article written by
Steve Frangos about the
AHEPA 2010 Western Regional Biennial Banquet,
misspelled the name of
Nicholas G. Hanches.
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 24-30, 2010
LETTER FROM ATHENS
Papandreou lays down the
law the corrupt will evade
or hiding your inWhile
Greek
come,
which
Americans were
means that honest
celebrating their
people’s burden is
heritage at Indedoubled or tripled
pendence Day pabecause they are
rades in places like
paying to support
New York, Chicago
the extravagant
and Boston, rightlifestyle of the Rich
fully waving flags
and Corrupt. How
to
demonstrate
costly is it? Brooktheir love for their
ings is one of the
homeland, a lot of
most-respected inGreeks were planby ANDY
dependent
rening how to avoid
DABILIS
search organizapaying the higher
tions in the world,
taxes that have
Special to
The National Herald
so when it talks,
been imposed to repeople listen, and
duce the country’s
bank-breaking deficit of 12.7%. they estimate that corruption
And nobody beats Greeks at and wrongdoing costs Greece at
gambling, or at evading taxes. least 20 billion euros, or $27 bilPrime Minister George Papan- lion, but here’s where they’ve
dreou knows that and he has got it wrong – it’s a lot more
had the temerity not just to say than that.
“Our basic problem is sysit - as all politicians do - but apparently to mean it, which temic corruption,” Papandreou
means he’ll be taking on the said after he took office late last
biggest cabal of crooks in year, vowing to change a menGreece, including many of his tality ingrained in Greeks early
colleagues who love the high life in life and perpetuated by the
of no-heavy lifting work for big doctor who won’t give you good
pay, free first-class travel and treatment without a bribe, a
Five-Star hotels, caviar instead lawyer who says he needs to
of souvlaki for lunch, and lots bribe a civil servant to get you
of perks. They’re even better at the papers you need, the driving
using other people’s money than instructor who tells out flat out
civil servants, lawyers, doctors with no pretense that even if
and the other ranks of the le- you’re Jenson Button, the world
Formula One racing champion,
gions of the corrupt here.
But now, they’re worried. that you have to pay a 300 euros
They believe that despite the ($404) bribe to get your driving
previous endless promises to license because civil clerks can
crack down on the corrupt and race circles around you and
tax evaders, that this time keep you in a rotary forever unGreece really, really, really less you do. That’s all pocketed,
tax-free, of course, so what can
Papandreou do about it? He
Papandreou said, “Tax
can’t rely on his tax inspectors
evasion is at the top of the to catch the crooks because
list of reforms. We will be when they do, they just tell the
offender to pony up a bribe to
prosecuting offenders, no avoid being prosecuted, so now
he needs a tax inspector Internal
matter how rich or
Affairs force, but then they’ll just
powerful, to show that we tell corrupt tax inspectors to pay
mean business.”
them to avoid being prosecuted
and … well, you see where this
means it, if only out of necessity goes. We can’t say end, because
because the piggy bank is empty, it never does. Papandreou said,
so officials want to refill it with “There is impunity in this counother people’s money for the try,” but in a sign that should
time when they put their hands have set the warning bells clangin and take out whatever they ing (you can’t say church bells
want again. Papandreou’s Law because you have to slip the
wants to increase revenues by priest a little something in an
2.5% of the Gross Domestic envelope to do that) the counProduct to help reduce the try’s chief prosecutor said that
deficit and make sure those who wasn’t true. We tried to contact
have been allowed to avoid pay- him under the rock where he
ing taxes, and others who de- was hiding but he wasn’t talkmand and get bribes, won’t fly ing.
“The trade of the petty
under the radar screen anyusurer is hated with most reamore.
Sigh. The timing is either son: it makes a profit from curgreat or terrible, because in a rency itself, instead of making
speech at the Brookings Institu- it from the process which curtion in Washington, D.C. last rency was meant to serve. Their
month, Papandreou said, “Tax common characteristic is obvievasion is at the top of the list ously their sordid avarice,” Arisof reforms. We will be prosecut- totle said, and while he was
ing offenders, no matter how talking about the banker-type
rich or powerful, to show that mentality of moneylenders in
we mean business.” It’s early yet ancient times, the modus
but so far, no rich or powerful operandi is the same with totax evaders have been arrested, day’s corrupt.
In a country of 11 million
charged or prosecuted, and the
first time one of them is will be people, fewer than 5,000 Greeks
the first time one of them is and declare annual incomes of more
we’ll know Papandreou means than 100,000 euros, or
business. If he doesn’t, he’ll just $135,000, although more than
go into the dustbin of history as 60,000 households have inanother gum-flapper, but he’s comes exceeding 1,000,000 euthe got the look of someone ros or $1,350,000, so do the
who knows there’s nothing like math, although that’s an ability
an execution to focus every- apparently reserved for ancient
Greeks. In the end then, Papanbody’s attention.
But now, weeks after he dreou will find out what Sir
made the statement, the Brook- Francis Bacon said about corings Institution – which should ruption:
“One of the Seven (wise men
have warned him it was coming
– has a study coming out that of Greece) was wont to say:
declares that bribery, patronage That laws were like cobwebs,
and other public corruption in where the small flies are caught
Greece are among the biggest and the great break through,”
reasons Greece is in the fix it’s and nobody’s better than modin, and that doesn’t even include ern Greeks at knowing what a
all the ramifications of tax eva- web you conceive when first you
sion – not tax avoidance in practice to deceive.
which people try to downplay
their income, but not even filing [email protected]
VIEWPOINTS
11
A Perfect (Political) Storm Darkens Greece’s Skies Too
Being held hostage in London by an Icelandic Volcano
tends to concentrate the mind.
The Ash Cloud has provided the
perfect counterpoint to an increasingly menacing confluence
of events that threaten Greece
and its political neighborhood.
Let us recap the basic elements
of this “perfect storm:” The dimensions of the Greek economic
crisis surpass the most pessimistic expectations. The Greek
Treasury cannot sell its bonds
for less than 7% interest, an unsustainable rate that will quash
any possibility of a recovery
from the current recession.
Greece faces a perfect trifecta
produced by the short-sighted
cupidity of its political leaders,
Germany’s short-sighted refusal
to accept that the European
Union is a two-way street, and
the worldwide recession produced by the equally larcenous
and
short-sighted
Wall
Street/City of London “masters
of the universe.” All else being
equal, Greece could go into
bankruptcy sometime in the
next two years (bankruptcy for
nation-states being a restructuring of debt.) Athens’ attention
is riveted on economic survival
and there is little hope that it
would do much more than defend the status quo in the GreekTurkish-Cyprus triangle.
German Chancellor Angela
Merkel, taking her cue from US
Senator Mitch McConnell,
prefers to sink her country
rather than her electoral
chances. Her actions virtually
guarantee that the Greek problem will become a Portuguese
problem, a Spanish problem, an
Italian problem and an English
problem in that order over the
next year or two. The consequences for Europe and the
Euro at that point become
unimaginable. The only relief
text to remove Erfor Greece: misery
dogan from office
loves
company.
Cyprus has also
Bankruptcy is bad
suffered the conseenough. An existenquences of the
tial crisis that could
Turkish political
lead to civil war is
crisis. The election
worse. Turkey faces
defeat of Turkish
just such a potenCypriot President
tial. After 80 years
Mehmet Ali Talat,
of a fascist-inspired
at the hands of a
military kleptocracy,
super-nationalist
the Turkish people
extremist, was an
democratically
by AMB. PATRICK N.
inevitable
conseelected a governTHEROS
quence of the
ment that has a
Turkish General
chance to transform
Special to
The National Herald
Staff’s
strategic
the Turkish political
and financial comsystem. Whatever
Erdogan’s failings (and his Is- mitment to the status quo on
lamist politics,) bringing the Cyprus. The Generals never alTurkish military under civilian lowed Mr. Talat the authority to
control can only be good for negotiate in good faith and, in
Turkey and good for Greece and the end, decided it suited them
better to be rid of even a semCyprus.
Erdogan needs desperately blance of negotiations.
The United States Governthe hope of eventual EU membership – at least in principle – ment, which could change the
if he has any hope of bringing equation, has demonstrated no
down the Generals who know interest in getting involved in
that meeting EU entry require- Greek-Turkish-Cyprus matters.
ments undermines their political The gravity of the economic ispower, their status and their sues, the bitter and vitriolic inpersonal wealth. That no coup ternal turmoil, and a titanic bathas taken place so far, indicates tle with a newly re-energized
only that Erdogan has mobilized Republican Party leaves little
public opinion behind him. doubt that this administration
However, Erdogan clearly be- will leave what little it does on
lieves it could happen. Unfortu- these issues in the generally pronately, Frau Merkel and Mon- Turkish foreign policy establishsieur (French President Nicolas) ment.
US President Barack Obama
Sarkozy are slamming the door
in Turkey’s face and proposing, has laid down serious foreign
as a substitute, a “privileged policy markers on only a few ispartnership” that bodes ill for sues of major political imporGreece and Cyprus. To sell the tance, the most dramatic being
substitute to Ankara, France and the Administration’s unexpected
Germany will pressure Athens confrontation with Israel and its
and Nicosia for concessions to supporters in the United States.
Ankara. The Turkish General Erdogan, in his confrontation
with the military, wrecked TurkStaff will love the offer.
“The indictment includes a ish-Israeli relations precisely beplan to provoke a military con- cause of their strategic (and vefrontation with Greece and to nal) benefit to Turkey’s
use the confrontation as a pre- Generals. The pro-Israeli paid
him back by not blocking the
Armenian Genocide Resolution.
This development is not necessarily good news for Greece.
The confluence of crises
could lead to several possible
scenarios that could make a bad
situation worse. Turkish Generals have been arrested for plotting the overthrow of Erdogan’s
Government. The indictment includes a plan to provoke a military confrontation with Greece
and to use the confrontation as
a pretext to remove Erdogan
from office. The accusation is
plausible because the Turkish
military has a long history of
provoking military tensions with
Greece to deflect attention from
internal problems. The number
of violations of Greek airspace
has skyrocketed. In fact, the
Turkish Generals could pull a
hat-trick; they could provoke a
serious incident that would not
only give them an excuse to
move against Erdogan but, by
forcing the Greek military to react, drive Greece deeper and
faster into bankruptcy.
Finally, the volcano has also
done its worst for Greece: the
closing of European airports delayed a planned senior-level
meeting with the EU and IMF
by a couple of days. The “rational market” punished Greece for
an Act of God: it sent the spread
on Greek bonds at least two percentage points higher.
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.
Home is Home Sweet Home, Even If Cypriots Can't Go Back
“The house where I was born,
even if strangers tread on it,
There it stands, haunted, like a
soul, inviting and waiting for me”
By Nicos A. Rolandis
Special to The National Herald
This is how Greek poet Costis
Palamas describes a person's deep
desire to return to the house
where he was born. However, in
today's world, is such a desire,
which springs directly from the
heart, always achievable? Or is it,
that heart and soul are on one
side and reason and reality on the
other? Was Blaise Pascal, the
French philosopher and scientist
of the 17th Century, probably
more accurate, when he wrote in
his book "Pensées" ("Thoughts")
"The heart has its own reasons,
which are quite unknown to the
head"? After all it seems that the
Greek poem paints with rose colors of hope, a world rife with
slums, "Darfurs," injustice and
shameless breaches of human
rights.
Many Greek and Turkish
Cypriots have lost their homes as
a result of the Turkish invasion
and occupation of 1974. Thirtysix years have already gone by.
Memories are fading away and
disappearing in the mist of History. Will all those people ever
manage to go back to their
homes? What does justice dictate? And then, whatever justice
prescribes, is there a practical way
to implement its judgments, on a
planet where another dictum is
imposed in an arbitrary way?
That of Roman philosopher
Seneca, who said that "might
makes right".
In our course through history
we have totally ignored this dictum. We have also ignored realities. We remained glued to international resolutions, the way we
perceived them. We have lost and
still lose sight of the fact that these
fotograffiti
AP Photo/VirGiniA mAyo
This Way Out of the Economic Crisis
Eurozone head Jean-Claude Juncker (R) never tires of European Central Bank President
Jean-Claude Trichet saying, “I told the Greeks, sure, sure, we’ll send you money... NOT!”
Meeting at the Cabinet room of the White House, Oct. 6, 1978.
On the Cyprus side, (L-R,) Nicos Demetriou, Ambassador to
Washington, Nicos Rolandis, Spyros Kyprianou, George Pelagias,
Director-General of the Ministry. On the American side (R,)
Zbigniew Brzezinski, advisor to the President, Jimmy Carter.
resolutions have never provided
that justice is solely on our side something that I indicated time
and again in the past. The messages and the proposals made to
us by the international community were never correctly assessed
and understood. Take the example of the late Cypriot President
Tassos Papadopoulos, who confessed in the year 2005 (after a
delay of 45 years) that the Zurich
- London Agreements that in
1960 he considered as a "curse,"
were in reality a "blessing." How
can we ever go forward, when
our decision-making is that "fast"
and "sharp?" Under the circumstances, we are lucky indeed that
we still control one-half of the island of Cyprus. So, will Cypriots
go back to their birthplaces 36
(and in some cases 47) years
later? Is there such a possibility,
or does the case of Cyprus not
differ any more from the wishful
thinking of some Greeks to return
to Smyrna, 88 years after the
1922 catastrophe?
In my article "Lost Territories"
of the 12th June 2006, I refer to
a meeting I had in Helsinki with
the Foreign Minister of Finland
on the 5th October 1990. Talking
about properties lost, the Minister
said: "My own home lies dozens
of kilometers from where we are
now. My family lost it, together
with thousands of Finns who lost
their homes, when 10% of our
territory became Soviet territory.
Try and find a solution to your
problem soon," he advised, "because neither the return of properties nor the payment of compensation is easy after an armed
conflict." In that article I also underscored the fact that huge properties were also lost in the wake
of the Second World War in
Poland (which lost a net 25% of
its territory,) in Romania, in Hungary and elsewhere and that millions of Europeans lost their lands
and their homes without any
compensation. I also reminded
that we also lost the war in
Cyprus in 1974.
So, which are the mistakes
committed in Cyprus? And
where do we stand today?
* We have ignored and we are
guilty of gross negligence, as far
as the factor "time" is concerned.
We failed to grasp the importance
of "time," despite the strong voices
of some of us, which unfortunately fell on deaf ears. An example: When Jimmy Carter was
elected in 1976 as President of
the United States, the Cypriots
were rejoicing, the bells of the
churches were tolling and an initiative on Cyprus was anticipated.
So, the Americans, after consultations with us, presented the Anglo-American-Canadian Plan in
November 1978, which might
have led to a balanced solution
to our problem, just four years after the invasion when conditions
were much better than what they
are today. Varosha would be returned to its residents (without
numerical restrictions,) who
would go back upon the commencement of the talks and
would stay there, even if the talks
were to fail. The Americans emphasized that the plan had the
full support of President Carter
and a number of strong countries.
They also indicated that we
should move fast, as long as the
wounds of the invasion were
fresh and not dried up and solidified. This was also mentioned to
us at the meeting of President
Kyprianou and President Carter
at the White House on the 6th
October 1978 (a month before
the Plan was handed over to us.)
But we said "No" to the Plan. So,
the plan faded away, the opportunity was lost. Varosha was also
lost and Cyprus remained divided. We also met President
Ronald Reagan on the 9th December 1981. But the Americans
since then were never really interested in Cyprus any more. During the past seven years there was
no meeting at all between the
Cypriot and the American Presidents. And when the leader of the
superpower, whom all other
world leaders try to meet (in most
cases successfully) avoids meeting
our President, what sort of a solution to our problem do we think
that we shall ever achieve? If the
Americans dislike the solution,
are we immersed in the fallacy
that the solution will go through?
If the Americans say no, will
Turkey ever nod its consent?
* We have ignored our small
size. We have overlooked the fact
that as far as strength is concerned we are almost non-exis-
tent. We often consider that we
are the epicenter of the world.
However, our population is equal
to one- seventh of one-thousandth of the world population.
The area of our territory is comparatively even smaller. The size
of our economy is equal to onethird of the one thousandth of the
world economy. Our military
strength is negligible. On many
occasions however our decisions
and actions are not commensurate with our capabilities. We
have ditched all opportunities (15
of them since 1948) for the solution of our problem and we now
try desperately to go back to our
homes.
* We have ignored the fact
that justice is not exclusively on
our side. And we never had the
virtue and the courage to undertake our own share in the Cyprus
mess. Since I took over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs it became
clear and obvious to me that the
world community, irrespective of
our arguments, had never concluded that we were "saints" or
the only victims in Cyprus. This
is why resolutions on Cyprus
were never in line with our
wishes. This is why we have been
attacking the officials of the
United Nations and other countries who handle our problem.
This is why we are often taken
by surprise.
* We have ignored the fact
that neither the solution to our
problem nor the issue of property
rights will ever be resolved
through the judicial process. The
recent judgment of the European
Court of Human Rights, whereby
the Immovable Property Commission and the High Court in the
north are legalized, in real terms
disseminates indirectly the harsh
message that the Greek Cypriot
properties in the north will not
be handled in a different manner
than the properties of other Europeans mentioned above, who
have lost their properties in the
past. I have the feeling that the
results of the work of the above
Commission will be anything
from zero to very little and the
process will take years and years
to be implemented.
I believe that there could be a
glimmer of hope for some
arrangements in regard to properties only if the Cyprus problem
is resolved, for restitution, compensation or exchange. However
how shall we reach a solution and
how will the issue of properties
be resolved, when some Greek
Cypriot politicians wished and
prayed for the election of Eroglou,
(who won) and whose official position is in favor of the creation
of two states? Poet Palamas, I fear
that Cypriots may disappoint you.
Past mistakes do not teach us anything at all, so your moving and
sweet poem and your visions may
well remain unimplemented.
Mr. Rolandis was the Cypriot
Foreign Minister (1978-83)
and Minister of Commerce, Industry & Tourism (1998-2003).
He was also a member of the
Cyprus House of Representatives (1991-96) and chairman
of the Liberal Party (1986-98).
THE BACK PAGE
12
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 24-30, 2010
They didn’t win, but the Greeks still dominated the Boston Marathon
By Theodore Kalmoukos
The finish times for the Greek team at the Boston Marathon
1291 Karavasilis, Vlassios 36 M N Makri GRE
2446 Papastavrou, Theodoros 43 M Ioannina GRE
2272 Bouras, Nikolaos 40 M Athens GRE
1417 Papadakis, Stamatios 36 M Iraklio GRE
2533 Trapezas, Dimitrios 38 M Egaleo GRE
4603 Kassotakis, Ioannis 39 M Kifisia GRE
2945 Mourelatos, Themistoklis 38 M Cliffside Park NJ USA GRE
2667 Poulidou, Fillipa 40 F Glifada GRE
3069 Tsampouris, Dimitrios 47 M Ioannina GRE
2815 Maranas, Costas D. 42 M State College PA USA GRE
6433 Bakas, Ilias 30 M Kalamata GRE
8300 Anagnostopoulos, Michail 42 M Ioannina GRE
3351 Andromedas, Panagiotis 43 M N Makri GRE
7537 Boumpoukas, Stavros 47 M Keratsini GRE
9495 Markozannes, Spiridon 39 M Marousi GRE
11279 Angelopoulos, Chalent 30 M Athens GRE
4992 Roussos Kalouvari, Dimitrios 40 M Egaleo GRE
5904 Takis, Athanasios 53 M Petroupoli GRE
9279 Danaskos, Konstantinos 31 M Athens GRE
8515 Chaviaras, Dimitrios 35 M Sperchiada GRE
10999 Papaioannou, Georgios A. 43 M Thessaloniki GRE
11359 Charmpis, Panagiotis 55 M Tripoli GRE
8938 Kontos, Ioannis 50 M Lamia GRE
11780 Georgatos, Christos 53 M Glifada GRE
9752 Tountas, Markos 32 M Tripoli GRE
6432 Panoutsos, Angelakis 52 M Arta GRE
11854 Michos, Nikolaos 61 M Ioannina GRE
9707 Venetoulis, Drosos 58 M Athens GRE
10199 Koutsioukos, Georgios 50 M Iraklio GRE
10500 Theodoridis, Eleftherios 42 M N Falirs GRE
21285 Iliadis, Michail 39 M Athens GRE
10712 Saravanos, Costas 58 M Highland Village TX USA GRE
9708 Pappas, Fotios 43 M Keratsini GRE
12858 Botopoulos, Konstantinos 42 M N Makri GRE
6404 Kallergis, Charilaos 53 M Petroupoli GRE
8992 Tsingourakos, Eleftherios 45 M Ioannina GRE
2:48:41 456
2:53:47 691
2:54:02 720
2:55:52 846
2:57:24 987
2:58:16
2:58:41
3:02:45
3:04:27
3:05:14
3:06:27
3:10:59
3:13:02
3:14:30
3:14:45
3:16:22
3:16:50
3:18:59
3:20:12
3:23:40
3:25:04
3:28:15
3:28:52
3:28:53
3:29:29
3:29:36
3:32:05
3:32:07
3:32:44
3:33:56
3:37:13
3:38:20
3:38:40
3:39:53
3:40:35
3:42:34
12121 Chronis, Dimitrios 59 M Ioannina GRE
17803 Vitsa, Dimitra 30 F Iraklio GRE
6487 Manias, Georgios 31 M Viron GRE
17958 Kyriakakis, Charalampos 47 M Crete GRE
8926 Zikas, Nikolaos 53 M Lamia GRE
8422 Lazanas, Panagiotis 50 M Arta GRE
6442 Tsimplis, Ioannis 61 M Graceo GRE
21791 Tserkezopoulos, Stamatios 37 M Ag Dimitrios GRE
6134 Triantafillos, Christos 51 M Agrinio GRE
21277 Panagos, Labros 46 M Arta GRE
27576 Krimizas, Stavros 38 M Monterey CA USA GRE
9515 Nikolopoulou, Aristea 47 F Patra GRE
11268 Liapis, Christos 23 M Zourafok GRE
8962 Lakkas, Apostolos 29 M Viron GRE
12462 Masialas, Spiridon 54 M Volos GRE
6370 Marlagoutsou, Evagelia 46 F Nafplio GRE
9711 Gekas, Georgios 49 M Lamia GRE
8939 Kontos, Konstantinos 52 M Lamia GRE
11924 Katsoulidis, Petros 40 M Ionnina GRE
22074 Kaltsa, Christina 32 F Viron GRE
11902 Ninis, Andreas 33 M Padagos GRE
9456 Sivris, Ioannis 36 M Chalandri GRE
16991 Kounas, Georgios 43 M Pikermi GRE
8821 Peleiki-Papagianakopoulou, Ellen 45 F Lamia GRE
22086 Bakalis, Michail 55 M Tripoli GRE
8115 Kotronis, Konstantinos 35 M Lamia GRE
20630 Fitili, Panagiota 40 F Lamia GRE
22027 Papakonstantinou, Angeliki 45 F Athens GRE
20957 Samios, Konstantinos 48 M Egaleo GRE
19186 Pagourtzi, Evangelia 46 F Volos GRE
21679 Barbetsea, Eleni 50 F GRE
21948 Kyriazopoulos, Athanasios 59 M Chaidari GRE
27810 Koliatsos, Konstantino 38 M Arta GRE
21516 Sidetos, Dimitrios 55 M Marousi GRE
22016 Tsodoulos, Christina 39 F Athens GRE
8984 Xiros, Ioannis 50 M Trikala GRE
tnh/theodore kAlmoukos
Dimitri Kyriakides (Center-front of top photo) was one of the honored guests at the Boston
Marathon because his father, Stylianos, was the last Greek to win the event there, in 1946. At
bottom left, Vangelis Lithoxopoulos, of Newton, Mass., dressed in traditional clothing, bears
the gold-plated olive wreaths from Marathon, Greece for the race winners, while at bottom
right, The Mayor of Marathon, Spiros Zagaris, (R) shows off the wreath to the President of the
Boston Marathon, Thomas Grilk.
Pheidippides run with the 1896
Olympic marathon, games attended by members of the BAA
who were inspired by the idea
and the following year started
the Boston Marathon race initially from the town of Ashland.
ENDURING GREEK
INFLUENCE
This year’s festivities for the
114th Boston marathon were
started at the Greek Consulate
General in Boston on April 15,
where Zagaris presented BAA
officials with gold-covered
wreaths, as well as the wreaths
made of olive tree branches in
the town of Marathon.
Speaking to a crowd of about
250 people, the Consul General
of Greece, Constantine Orphanides, said “It has become a
tradition every year, on the
Thursday before the Boston
Marathon, to hold this ceremony here at the Consulate
General of Greece, where we deliver to the Boston Athletic Association the olive wreaths for
the crowning of the winners of
the Boston Marathon.”
He also stressed at the presence of 11 Consuls and Consul
tnh/theodore kAlmoukos
BOSTON – The field of 71
Greek runners for this year’s
Boston Marathon didn’t stand a
chance of winning, of course,
especially not in a race that has
been dominated by the class of
Kenya for the last two decades
and won again by yet another,
Robert Kiprono Cheruyiot, who
set a course record of 2:05:51.
But the Greeks were doing
more than chasing the worldclass elite – they carried the
legacy of their country, and
brought from Marathon – in
Greece – the olive wreaths that
crowned the champions, including women’s winner Teyba
Erkesso of Ethiopia, who came
in at 2:26.11.
Her time was far ahead of
the top Greek finisher, Vlassios
Karavasilis, 36, from Nea Makri
Athens, who finished first in the
114th running of the Boston
Marathon – a race inspired by
the first modern Olympic
marathon in Greece in 1896,
won by Greek shepherd Spiridon Loues.
The big story for Greece
though was the amazing run of
Fillipa Poulidou, 40, who finished 100th with a time of
3:02:45, marking her as one of
the top runners.
This year’s event drew more
than 26,000 athletes from all
over the U.S. and the world.
Many European athletes were
grounded due to the volcanic
ash cloud from Iceland that
stopped air traffic and limited
some of the potential of the annual event run by the Boston
Athletic Association (BAA).
The wreaths were put on the
heads of the winners by Spiridon Zagaris, the Mayor of
Marathon, where it all began
with an epic battle there 2,500
years ago - to be commemorated this year by the Athens
Marathon - Demetris Kyriakidis,
son of the late Stylianos Kyriakidis, who in 1946 was the last
Greek to win in Boston, and
Costas Samios President of the
Marathon Runners Association
of Greece.
The race’s starting point was
26.2 miles away from Boston in
the little town of Hopkinton,
which has the race’s host and
was declared the sister town of
Marathon in Greece some years
ago, and is the home of former
BAA director Tim Kilduff, who
is an American consultant for
Marathon 2500, which will, of
course, begin near the site of
the 490 B.C. battle with an
Athenian victory a Persian invasion.
Some historians argue that
the battle of Marathon was one
of the early battles between East
and West, which they believe,
coincidentally, took place on
September 11, the modern anniversary of another clash of civilizations with the terrorist attacks on the United States.
At the battle, some 10,000
Athenians used superior military
strategy to defeat a Persian
army which was 10 times bigger.
After the victory, messenger
Pheidippides was sent running
26 miles to Athens to deliver the
good news. When he arrived he
delivered the message - "Rejoice,
we conquer!" (νενικήκαμεν)
and then dropped dead, at least
according to some accounts.
The Greeks commemorated
AP Photo/jimmy Golen
TNH Staff Writer
3:44:05
3:44:46
3:46:40
3:48:10
3:48:19
3:49:45
3:50:15
3:51:33
3:52:16
3:52:21
3:54:43
3:59:07
4:00:18
4:00:18
4:02:15
4:05:30
4:06:49
4:08:51
4:11:37
4:13:47
4:17:18
4:23:29
4:25:18
4:28:34
4:32:11
4:34:34
4:38:10
4:38:19
4:39:46
4:40:33
4:47:55
4:55:23
4:58:17
5:21:27
5:35:05
6:23:57
General of the European Union,
noting those countries have
“long lasting bonds exist between Greece and the State of
Massachusetts. The Marathon is
one of these bonds and reflects
the deep respect we both share,
Greeks and Bostonians for the
athletic spirit.”
Orphanides added that the
spirit of the Marathon “was
spread throughout the world, it
was Boston, the Athens of America, the first city to organize in
1897 the first Marathon Run
outside of Greece, bringing the
Marathon spirit beyond the Atlantic, starting the long lasting
tradition of the Boston
Marathon, while at the same
time spreading the Marathon
spirit throughout the Americas.”
BAA President Thomas Grilk
told the National Herald that
“This year is the biggest
Marathon race, we have more
twenty six thousand athletes,
eight thousands volunteers, and
we are so pleased to have so
many athletes from Greece.”
Brian Herr, Chairman of the
Hopkinton Board of Selectman,
told the Herald “The town of
Hopkinton loves the Marathon,
we are proud that it starts from
us and we do everything possible to advance it.”
At the starting line, local
businesses flew Greek and
American flags, and held banners marking the 2,500 years
anniversary. Greek runners
found hospitality in local homes
and introduced at schools.
Prominent Greek-American
businessman Andreas Karpouzis
and his wife Themis hosted a
dinner for more than 10 athletes
at their home in Ashland.
The top Greek finisher, Karavasilis told The National Herald that “everything went well,
although I wanted to make it in
2:37 but I was not feeling well”
and he added “but at the end
everything developed nicely.”
Especially for Greece.
They’re Still Chasing the Ghosts of Pheidippides, Loues and Kyriakides
By Andy Dabilis
TNH Staff Writer
ATHENS- The Greek runners
who lined up for the Boston
Marathon this year probably
didn’t know they were standing
in the footsteps of the last Greek
who won that famous race:
Stylianos Kyriakides in 1946 and doubtless the stakes were
far less for them, personal bests,
some mild glory, and chasing yet
more Kenyans who have dominated the event for two decades,
knowing they couldn’t catch
them. For Kyriakides, the race
was “Win or Die,” – the words
written on a note handed to him
moments before the start by
George Demeter, a Greek American state legislator from Boston
who owned a hotel and had befriended Kyriakides, first in
1938 when the Greek runner,
the champion of Greece and the
Balkans, although a Cypriot by
birth, had to drop out of the
Boston race because of blisters
caused by new running shoes he
was given, and then again eight
years later when Kyriakides,
withered and gaunt from the
hunger and famine sweeping
Greece, was brought back to
Boston by Demeter to win the
race or die trying, so the world
would know what was happening in Greece after World War
II, a country split by civil war
and where people were dying
in the streets from hunger,
carted away each morning in a
morbid ritual.
The marathon, of course, is
named for the aftermath of the
Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. –
preceding by a decade the more
remembered last stand of the
Spartans at Thermopylae. But
Greeks have not been able to win
in Boston, the most celebrated
marathon in the world, if no
longer the most important, since
Kyriakides took to the starting
line 64 years ago and was nearly
barred from running by race
doctors who said he was too
weak and might die in the
streets. That was before Demeter
jumped up and said, “He is
Greek, he is running for Greece,”
and after the doctors backed off,
Demeter wrote a note on a piece
of paper – the front and back –
and clasped it to Kyriakides’
hand and told him, “Stelio, read
the top now and the back at the
finish – when you win.” Kyriakides barely survived World
War II, and only because after
he and his wife and young
daughter were stopped by a German patrol in Athens in 1946 he
produced his credentials from
running in the 1936 Olympic
Marathon in Berlin. In Boston,
he looked at the front of the note
and saw the words “H Tan E Epi
Tas,” the credo from Spartan
mothers to their sons before a
battle, telling them to return
home “With Your Shield or On
It.” He knew he had to win, despite the impossible odds of being nearly too weak to run, because all of Greece was
depending on him, a bitter irony
museum oF mArAthon, 2009
When Greek marathon champ Stylianos Kyriakides crossed the
finish line to win the 1946 Boston Marathon – the last Greek
to do it – he fixed his watch to stop time, and the moment.
too, as he was a Cypriot and
Greece was caught up in the devastating Civil War after WWII.
Adding to his emotion was that
the defending champion was
Johnny Kelley, the Irish American whom he had met in Berlin
and become friendly with. After
his humiliation in Boston in
1938, Kyriakides told Jerry Nason, the Boston Globe Sports Editor who had befriended him,
that, “Someday, I will come back,
and win.”
When Kyriakides appeared in
Nason’s office in 1946, the editor thought he was too weak to
even walk out of the office, but
Demeter had his chef feed the
marathoner steak and eggs and
milk and try to prepare him for
the grueling event. As the race
began, Kyriakides clutched
Demeter’s note to his hand and
tried to stay with Kelley, a wily
and tough runner whose persistence could break down faster
runners who would try to sprint
too soon. Adding to the drama
was the presence of cars on the
course, the last year they would
be allowed, with the runners
guided by police on motorcycles. At the famed Heartbreak
Hill, named not for how steep it
is but because it’s a long uphill
grade before the home stretch
begins and has sapped many a
runner, Kelley and Kyriakides,
the K-Twins, broke away from
the pack and headed through
the town of Brookline, past
brownstone homes and hundreds of thousands of specta-
tors. Then Kelley broke away
and with less than two miles to
go seemed to have an insurmountable lead. Kyriakides’
knees and legs buckled, and he
began to almost hallucinate,
saying later that he would see
images of the Greek flag on the
Acropolis, his family having only
peas to eat, and then, in a fateful moment, looked into the
crowd and in the sea of faces
spotted an old man with a big
moustache who yelled at him in
fluent Greek, “Ya teen Elatha,
Stelio, ya teen pathia sou,” – for
Greece and your children.”
“My feet became like the
wings of Hermes,” he said later
and he took off like a speed racer,
so fast he should have had a license plate for a number, and
the crowd screamed “The Greek!
The Greek!” and Kelley looked
over his shoulder and said all he
saw was his friend Kyriakides
running past him so fast Kelley
felt tied to a tree. As he approached the finish line in downtown Boston, Kyriakides knew
he would triumph, and as an announcer shouted, “Ladies and
Gentlemen, the man they said
would die in the streets is about
to win the Boston Marathon,”
Kyriakides checked his running
watch – a rarity in those days –
crossed the line, yelled “For
Greece,” and turned over the
note. It said, “Neneekeekamen,”
the supposed words of Pheidippides when he ran back to
Athens after the battle of
Marathon and announced, “We
are victorious.” The win put Kyriakides on a pedestal with Pheidippides and Spiridon Loues, the
Greek shepherd who won the
first Marathon in the initial modern Olympic games in Athens in
1894. Today, they are all enshrined on two identical statues,
one in Hopkinton, Massachusetts
near the starting point of the
Boston Marathon, and the other
in the town of Marathon in
Greece, donations from Jim
Davis, the Greek American
owner of the New Balance running shoe company in Boston.
In Athens, when the news
was announced, the country rejoiced, but Kyriakides stayed in
Boston and the United States
another month to gather donations and food and clothing and
medical supplies for Greece.
When he returned, on May 23,
1946, nearly a million people
were lining the route from the
airport to Syntagma Square,
where he laid a wreath at the
memorial for the Unknown Soldier and said, “Enosis,” asking
Greeks to unite. They didn’t, of
course, and since then all Greek
runners have been chasing his
footsteps in Boston, and wherever marathons are held.
Andy Dabilis and Nick Tsiotos
are co-authors of “Running
With Pheidippides,” published
by Syracuse University Press,
the biography of Stylianos
Kyriakides, translated into
Greek and published by Kedros as “Born A Victor.”