This rhetorical question makes the reader ponder why and how Greece matters, individually, and to the world. Articles analyze this question in the context of the younger generation, in Greek cinema, Modern Greek literature, food, culture and more. Find Op-Eds that examine the crisis in Greece today; and political commentary from Dan Georgakas, the Director of the Greek American Studies Project at the Center for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, Queens College (CUNY), and editor of the policy journal of the American Hellenic Institute. Learn why Chicago 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett, Jr. calls Greektown “a hot community,” describing it as “part of the economic engine of the city.” There’s much more inside.

“The Greek Star has a long and honored history in Chicago and is a powerful influence in the community,” said Diane Adam, editor of the newspaper. “We are excited about our relaunch and to continue our mission as the voice of Chicago’s Hellenic community.”

The print edition is currently available by subscription only. A new interactive website will be unveiled next month, including subscription-only content. Print subscribers will receive digital content for free.  The Greek Star will continue to report news from the local Greek community, as well as news from Greece and the Diaspora. They’ll expand their coverage, exploring Hellenic issues around the globe with more in-depth analysis, and more closely examining the Greek-American experience.

Aleco Haralampides

As the former President of the American-Hellenic Institute, Miami lawyer Aleco Haralambides had a stake in promoting Hellenism, but says his biggest hope now for his heritage is saving its beloved language, and promoting it not just to fellow Greeks, but Philhellenes and the rest of the world. There are some 50,000 words in English derived in some way or another from Greek, and Haralambides said he wants to make sure their rich history and place are preserved. He helped do it at Archimedean Academy in Miami, a charter school that has Greek as a mandatory subject, and now said he wants to find supporters to start an international foundation to showcase the Greek language and keep it alive outside of Greece.

The formula is working at Archimedean, which now teaches through the high school level and is rated one of Florida’s top schools and successful enough that there’s a waiting list of more than 1,000 students – most not of Greek heritage. Besides instilling self-discipline in students, Archimedean requires them to take classes 2 ½ hours a day in Greek – not just Greek, but other subjects, and it’s a wonderment to see students not from Greek American households conversing in Greek in the corridors and classrooms, and coming to school on Saturdays to participate in projects, a role model for schools around the country. As a charter school,  Archimedean doesn’t charge tuition but receives state assistance as a public school open to students who can get in. On Jan. 30, it was rated Florida’s best middle school and praised for using Greek and mathematics – and teaching math in Greek – as one of the reasons for its achievements.

The Archimedian Acadamy in Miami, FL

When Archimedean students took a proficiency exam in Greek from Thessaloniki University, 44 of 45 passed, he said. Not one was Greek or Greek American. The school has only 70 students with Greek heritage out of an enrollment of 950. “Using the Archimedean model is a proven way to perpetuate the Greek language,” he said in an interview with Greek Reporter. “When you see native speakers talking Greek to these kids who have no background in Greek and they are processing difficult problems and answering in Greek, there just isn’t anybody else out there doing this,” he said. It’s even more astonishing when you realize the students have had no background at all in Greek or Hellenism.

Now, he said, he hopes to get the word out that the model can work in an international foundation, although he knows how tough it is to get Greek Americans together and behind programs. Still, he said, “Once it’s started and promoted you’d have a lot of non-Greeks supporting this and there’s a potential for partnerships with classics programs,” he said, adding he’d like to see the Archimedean model repeated in other charter schools in Florida and across the country, where children could learn Greek – once a stable of great schools such as Boston Latin Academy, and others where Greek and classics were intertwined. “Our goal is not to have a Greek school necessarily, but to have a great school,” he said.

“They aren’t going to come just to learn Greek. They want it to be a very good school academically,” he said. Some parents are not happy with the rigid format, he acknowledged, but said they were a minority.

Haralambides said with a declining birth rate among Greeks, Greek Americans and those in the Diaspora, the need to save Greek is becoming critical because the language is being spoken less. “It’s a mathematical certainty that if we don’t stop that, that it will disappear,” he said. “One way to promote the Greek language and Hellenism is to open charter schools,” he said. Archimedean is applying from further accreditation and said, if granted, “That will allow us to be accredited as a district, which means if we open a school in Alabama, it will be accredited and recognized by colleges.

Like many Greeks of the United States and Disapora, his passion comes from his heritage. “My grandparents were forced to leave Asian Minor because they wanted to maintain their identity as Greeks and Greek Orthodox Christians. They were willing to give up their entire livelihood to maintain their identity. The least we can do is make an effort to preserve it,” he said.

The school’s Chief Executive Business Officer Dimitri Bardoutsos, said the school will admit another 150 students in the next academic year and there is a clamor to attend because he said parents know the students will get a good education beyond Greek too. The school’s charter is with the Miami Dade County public school administration, to which it reports. Classes begin at kindergarten to groom students young. “Our goal is not just to graduate students but those who can enter colleges at the Ivy League level,” he said. “We pay attention to every individual student. We work with parents and students. This is a school of choice. Parents have to offer 300 volunteer hours a year and are part of the school and the process, and they are working together to improve education.”

The school’s President, Founder, and Chairman of the Board, George Kafkoulis, said, “The reason for the success of the school is the commitment to excellence. The school is based on two very important ideas of Greek civilization: language and the dedication to excellence, the rigorous teaching of mathematics and philosophy.” He said many parents weren’t initially interested in Greek, but wanted their children to have the benefit of a good education, but discovered the benefits of the students learning the language. He said the model can work for other schools to emulate. “This can be replicated … it’s a recipe that works in every environment,” he said. Even the Greek Ministry of Education, he said, is studying Archimedean to see how its methods can be used to teach Greek and other courses.

Haralambides said he’s gotten calls from people in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and San Francisco, among other areas, who want to open an Archimedean-style academy that prepares students for college and teaches them Greek as well. “We need someone to spearhead it and is committed to spending the time to do it.” Sounds like he may be the best candidate for this.

2011 was a year marked by uncertainty, economic crisis and natural disasters that now is history. However during this tough period of time some individuals of Greek descent made great progress in their field as well as gave back to the world proving that even during harsh times people can imagine positively and realize their dreams. So here is a list with the Greek-Americans that made progress and marked positively the year of 2011.

Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington sold The Huffington Post to AOL for $315 million. Huffington Post was co-founded by the Greek-American and is considered one of the Web’s most prominent news and opinion sites. As part of the deal, Huffington – who co-founded the left-leaning site in 2005 with investor and well-known communications exec Kenneth Lerer – became president and editor in chief of the Huffington Post Media Group within AOL. Arianna Stasinopoulos-Huffington (Greek: Αριάννα Στασινοπούλου) is a Greek-American author and syndicated columnist. She is best known as co-founder of The Huffington Post. She is the ex-wife of former Republican congressman Michael Huffington. In 2003, she ran as an independent candidate for Governor in the California recall election.

Peter Economides

Peter Economides, a brand strategist with a global perspective sparked the flame for an ongoing talk about re-branding Greece. Greece that faces the worst economic crisis since 1974 is “a brand that has never been branded” according to Economides. With his speech at a business forum in the fall of 2011 Economides managed to get Greeks inside and outside of Greece thinking about how they can change their image internationally. Economides has lived on four continents doing work that has impacted brands and consumers almost everywhere. Owner and founder of Felix BNI based in Athens, Peter is a former Executive Vice President and Worldwide Director of Client Services at global advertising agency McCann Erickson Worldwide and Head of Global Clients at TBWA\Worldwide. His journey through the world of advertising and marketing started in his native South Africa and took him via Hong Kong, Greece and Mexico to New York, and back to Athens. At TBWA\Worldwide he structured and rolled out the global “Think Different” campaign following the return of Steve Jobs to Apple. Peter’s work is focused on change – on the strategic responses to shifting culture, consumer habits and behavior, and the challenges of regional and global expansion.

Thomas Belesis

Thomas Belesis is founder and CEO of John Thomas Financial. In Spring 2011 he was appointed Co-Chairman of the New York State Finance Committee for the Republican Party. In May 2011 he also received the Businessman of the Year Award from the Queens County Republican Party. Thomas Belesis founded his firm in 2007, naming it after his two grandfathers. In the years since he has grown it from a three-person brokerage to 300-employee firm providing a full range of retail brokerage, investment banking and corporate advisory services. Mr. Belesis is regularly invited by the leading news outlets to discuss macroeconomic trends and economic policy. He found a broad audience in “Wall Street II: Money Never Sleeps” appearing as a trader alongside Jacob “Jake” Moore (Shia LaBeouf). His role in that film was larger than what appeared onscreen – he also served as advisor to Director Oliver Stone, helping to ensure the film captured an authentic view of Wall Street. Outside of his work at John Thomas Financial, Mr. Belesis sits on the Executive Board of the World Energy Forum. He actively supports organizations including the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Greek America Foundation and Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer Research, as well as animal rights and rescue charities.

George Logothetis

George Logothetis is the CEO of Libra Group, a privately owned global conglomerate created in 2003. In 2011 his company experienced great growth and George came up with an idea to help Greek and Greek-American students. Working with the American College of Greece and the Greek America foundation, Libra group established an internship program in which the company covers all the expenses for Greek and Greek-American university students to travel and work at Libra’s offices throughout the world. The objective is to provide opportunities for students to learn about businesses, strategy and management philosophy while they further develop the skills that will ensure their future success. Based in New York, George Logothetis, age 36, has principal executive responsibility for the Libra Group. In 1993 George joined Lomar Shipping, the Logothetis family’s London-based shipping company. In 1995 at the age of 20 he was appointed CEO. He spearheaded Lomar’s evolution from a three vessel fleet to a modern and diversified 55 vessel fleet before becoming the founding Chairman and CEO of the Libra Group when it was formed in 2003. As Chairman and CEO, George has led the group’s transformation from a shipping company to a diverse multinational and multicultural conglomerate.

Alexander Payne

Alexander Payne, the award winning Greek-American film director & screen writer after a 7-year hiatus returned to the director’s chair to make “The Descendants,” a movie worth at least an Oscar nomination. The film, starring George Clooney has received excellent reviews from critics and audiences. Payne, a Greek American (his grandfather’s family name was Anglicized from Papadopoulos), was born in Omaha, Nebraska to parents who were restaurant owners. He was the youngest of three sons. Payne attended Creighton Preparatory School high school and later Stanford University, where he double majored in Spanish and History. Payne’s films revolve around adultery in marriage and relationships. He also tends to set his films in Omaha. He has scenes of historical landmarks and museums in his films, and tends to use non-actors for minor roles. He is on the short list of directors who have final cut rights for their films. Payne is on the Board of Directors of an Omaha non-profit film theater, Film Streams. He maintains a passion for preservation.

Gregory C. Pappas

Gregory C. Pappas is the Founder of the Greek America Foundation. He and the foundation managed to gather some of the most important Greek-Americans to celebrate Greek Heritage and pay tribute to the first Greeks who immigrated to the US. The event titled the GABBY Awards (Greek America’s Best and Brightest) honored individuals of Greek heritage in several categories including Science, Arts, Politics, Education and Philanthropy. The black-tie event was exceptionally orchestrated and produced and it has been called the Greek Oscars. With the Manhattan skyline as backdrop, the awards ceremony took place inside the Immigration Hall of Ellis Island. It was a galvanizing experience to be celebrating the success of first, second and third generation Greek-Americans inside the building where hundreds of immigrants from all walks of life got their start in the New World. Pappas is also the President of The Pappas Group, a media and public relations firm based in Chicago and the publisher of Greek America Magazine. The Greek America foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of Greek culture, history and ideals in America.

Kosta Koufos

On February 22nd 2011, Konstantine Demetrios Koufos, a Greek-American professional basketball player was acquired by the Denver Nuggets in a three-way blockbuster deal which also involved New York Knicks that brought Carmelo Anthony to New York. Koufos was playing in important teams throughout his university years. Koufos holds dual citizenship of both the United States and Greece. He plays for the senior Greek national basketball team. Koufos attended GlenOak High School in Canton, Ohio. He was a McDonald’s All-American as a senior, and he was ranked the #3 center of the 2007 high school class by Rivals.com. He also played for the AAU team sponsored by LeBron James. In 2007, Koufos finished second to Buckeye teammate Jon Diebler in the Mr. Ohio Basketball voting. Koufos was selected by the NBA team Utah Jazz with the 23rd overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. In March 2009, the Jazz assigned him to the NBA D-League club the Utah Flash. On July 14, 2010, Koufos was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a deal involving Al Jefferson. On February 22, 2011, Koufos was acquired by the Denver Nuggets. Koufos was a member of the junior Greek national under-18 team at the 2007 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship in Spain. Koufos is considered to be one of the top Greek basketball center talents. In 2009, he debuted with the senior Greek national basketball team and competed at the EuroBasket 2009, where he won a bronze medal.

Chrysa Tsakopoulos

Chrysa Tsakopoulos is the Vice President of AKT Development Company who has done great philanthropy for underprivileged students in Bangladesh. In 2009 she spent a month in the village of Sripur picking out trees to turn into benches and desks, learning how electricity can be fueled by cow dung, and doling out money. The final cost of construction for the school was $7,000.The Pabna Association for General Education opened in June 2009 with 54 students – about a third of whom are girls. Tsakopoulos who still spends about $6,000 a year to keep the school running announced in 2011 that she is working to open a second school for 500 students. Tsakopoulos, a proud Greek-American, also sits in the UC Davis MIND Institute board of Directors and supports Hellenic causes actively through her participation in different Greek-American non profit organizations.

Van Vlahakis

Van Vlahakis, the CEO of Earth Friendly Products, produced “A Green Story,” a movie about the tale of a young immigrant’s vision for a brighter future, the struggle to create an entity that placed people ahead of greed, and threatened billions of dollars in corporations’ profits. The film is based on Vlahakis’ life. Van left Greece five decades ago with 22 dollars in his pocket. He arrived in the US hoping for a better future for him and his family. Eftehios – as is his Greek name- not only managed to live the American dream for himself, but also created Earth Friendly Products, a US giant for environmentally friendly cleaning products. His story, which is not just about transforming his life but also the lives of the ones around him as the owner and CEO of Earth Friendly Products was filmed in the fall 2011. The movie is set to hit the big screens in 2012. The movie centers on the modern day Vlahakis (O’Ross), who is misdiagnosed with cancer and given only few months to live. During this time, he reflects on his early life as an immigrant (Finn) during the 1950’s and ultimately decides to push himself to the limit by closing one final business deal that will concretize his company’s success, even if he is not around to see it. Van Vlahakis is a green issues advocate and has donated thousands of dollars to organizations that support such causes.

Paulette Poulos

Paulette Poulos is the Executive Director of the Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Endowment. Poulos has been the heart and soul of L100 but only in 2011 she was named it’s executive director by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios and the Executive Committee “in view of her dedicated and productive work.” Poulos had been Acting Executive Director since June of 2006, having served as Director of Development in 2005 after the passing of Archbishop Iakovos. She has been associated with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese since 1965 and served as the Administrator for Archbishop Iakovos from 1984 to 1996, continuing to serve him in his retirement.

On TV, we would see a never-ending series comprised of the interchangeable reels of CNBC commentators making jokes about paying back debts in drachmas, young unemployed Greeks throwing Molotov cocktails at the Greek police, and European politicians talking about resolving the crisis by announcing half-measures one after the other.

Unfortunately, we know that there are no fairytale scenarios for Greece. The bill has finally come due for the ever-expanding twin deficits the country had run since the 1980s and the de-facto economic expansion via massive sovereign borrowing. I am not sure what 2012 is going to bring but after the European Summit of Dec. 9, it seems that Greece and the rest of the peripheral European countries have two choices: a) sacrifice national sovereignty in exchange for continued support from European Institutions (i.e. Germany) or b) abandon the euro, declare bankruptcy, devalue the currency, and enter a prolonged period of self-imposed self-sufficiency, banned from global financial and debt markets, ala Argentina 2001.

Now, one could argue that the latter option would be better for Greece, if only one had faith that the political and economic elite of the country could successfully lead the country into a new era. However, I am afraid that the last 37 years are live testimony to a remarkable combination of incompetence and corruption that this very elite has shown. There is no catalyst to make me believe that any of this will change if Greece were to return to the drachma.

Greece is therefore obliged to choose the former of the two difficult options. Make no mistake about it: that option comes with 5-10 years of internal devaluation and a lower standard of living for all Greeks. It comes hand in hand with constant EU and IMF supervision, never-ending austerity measures, persistently high unemployment, potential social unrest, and (as the Dec. 9 summit made clear) a surrender of national sovereignty.

Thus, the question we have to ask is how much national sovereignty shall Greece need to sacrifice in exchange for the next installment of the bailout package? What is the price that Greece’s creditor nations will ask in exchange for keeping it solvent while it is getting its fiscal house in order?

We don’t know the answer to that question but we do know that both the Greek government and the Greek diaspora will need to work toward the goal of preventing any territorial or other national security compromise that Greece might need to make in order to remain solvent.

2011 was clearly the year in which the national security interest of Greece became very tightly linked to its failed economic model and the irresponsible policies of the past. 2012 should be the year in which there is better communication between the Greek-American community and the Greek government.

On the one hand, the Greek government should listen to the concerns and ideas of the Greek-American community and take them seriously. The attraction of capable people should not stop in flying Prime Minister Lucas Papademos from Harvard to “Megaro Maximou.” There is a lot of talent that fled Greece and came to the United States during the last 30 years due to the political and bureaucratic institutions that literally strangled the most productive elements of society and left them no choice but to seek safe harbors elsewhere. Greece can use and should tap the knowledge, connections, and advice of that very talent, directly or indirectly. There should finally be an honest and consistent effort on behalf of the Greek government to collaborate with its own diaspora within a long-term win-win framework, Israel-style (or even China-style). This collaboration can result in a faster turnaround of the economic situation in Greece and therefore fewer compromises for the living standards and national interests of the country.

On the other hand, the Greek-American community should re-focus its efforts to reflect the new reality for Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. Lobbying for the religious freedoms of Christians in Turkey, calling for justice in Cyprus, and other efforts should continue. However, we, as Greek-Americans, need to realize that military and political stability in the region cannot be achieved without a strong Greece, internally. With Turkey growing economically in leaps and bounds and the rest of the Balkan nations following in its footsteps, the balance of the power equation is shifting dramatically. Greece, at the mercy of creditors, might be forced sooner or later to make a diplomatic compromise that those very creditors have been trying to achieve and would not otherwise do so if Greece were not under their financial yoke. The Greek-American community should realize that the best way to protect both Cyprus and the Ecumenical Patriarchate is to strengthen Greece itself and that should be the number one priority for the community’s lobbying efforts in 2012 and beyond.

*Alex Mizan is the director of the  American Hellenic Council

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, State Representative Derrick Smith (D-10th) and 27th ward Alderman Walter Burnett, Jr. joined Ioanna Efthymiadou, Consul General of Greece, members of the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture,  the board of directors, staff and supporters for the occasion.

White declared that he “couldn’t miss this opportunity  to be with my Greek family on this momentous occasion.” He wished the community congratulations and said, “when people come to Greektown, they must stop at this wonderful edifice. I’ll be a regular visitor.”

“We’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” Burnett stated. “We’ve been working on this for so long. I commend you all. It took faith and heart to make this dream come to fruition.”  He added, “you believed, and you made everyone else believe.” The alderman said that the National Hellenic Museum “is not just a Greek museum, but rather a museum for the entire City of Chicago.” He said that the museum will help young people understand the history and culture of the Greeks. “We’ve received so many great things from Greece, such a rich history. The Greeks have contributed so much to the world.”

Mayor Rahm Emanuel could not attend, but sent his greetings. “Chicago is proud to be the host of the only Hellenic Museum in the US. Visitors will have a greater understanding of civilization, how the Greeks shaped the world and how we live. The National Hellenic Museum makes the city’s cultural landscape so much richer.”

“This museum can be a beacon of universal culture,” Efthymiadou remarked. “That’s how Greeks have always seen their culture. Today, we embark on a new journey, to share our culture, share the story of Western Civilization.”

Executive Director Stephanie Vlahakis invited all to “Join us, as we embark on this journey, sharing our Greek history, and the contributions of Greek-Americans.” President of the Board Aristotle Halikias thanked everyone for their support, and added, “It was a dream to build a place where our history and culture could come alive. And here it is. Welcome home!”

*By Nick Larigakis

Less than a year from now Americans will be going to the polls to vote. Up for election are the office of President, the entire House of Representatives, and about one-third of the Senate. This provides an opportunity for the Greek American community to become actively involved in securing support for issues affecting U.S. relations with Greece and Cyprus.

President Obama swept into victory three years ago proclaiming: “The time for change is now!” I will leave it up to the readers to decide how any of the changes incorporated by President Obama have affected them personally. However, as it relates to the issues of importance to the Greek American community there is one thing for sure—nothing has changed significantly. In some instances one can claim the community’s issues have even digressed. One example is the recent increase in provocative actions and extremely belligerent rhetoric directed at Cyprus by Turkey.

A quick review of our issues since President Barack Obama came to office shows the following:

• The illegal occupation of Cyprus, now in its 37^th year, by more than 40,000 Turkish troops, continues;
• Provocations in the Aegean Sea continue as Turkish military aircraft violate Greek national airspace with frequency. The Turkish threat of war (casus belli) if Greece exercises its legal rights in the Aegean Sea under the Law of the Sea Treaty and international law remains in effect. Turkey continues to claim sovereign rights in the Aegean Sea which are unfounded and devoid of any legal basis;
• The Halki Patriarchal School of Theology remains closed and the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s rights, freedoms, and security continue to be threatened in violation of the U.S. International Religious Freedom Act; and
• The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) continues with its intransigent and provocative actions against Greece refusing to negotiate in good faith to resolve the name issue.

Yes, we have seen slight progress on certain issues, and I want to properly acknowledge them. In March 2010, Greece entered the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. Turkey did return an illegally confiscated orphanage as ordered by the European Court of Human Rights and granted citizenship to a number of Orthodox clerics that will help to address concerns about sustaining a line of succession for the Ecumenical Patriarch. With respect to the latter two developments, the question of how influential of a role the Obama administration played is debatable.

In 2008, Presidential Candidate Obama’s campaign statements on the community’s issues were frankly the most favorable ones that we have seen in quite some time from a presidential candidate. However, the community must remind the president that his campaign statements have largely gone unfulfilled during his first term.

And the opportunities for Obama administration to fulfill them have been there!

President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have visited Turkey. There, they did make some important gestures, including the president’s visible meeting with His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, and in the case of Secretary Clinton, a meeting with His All Holiness at the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Unfortunately, public statements calling for the immediate re-opening of the Halki Seminary and full recognition, support, and protection of the Ecumenical Patriarchate were absent. At separate venues during press conferences in Turkey opportunities to call for the “immediate” removal of all Turkish occupying troops in Cyprus or to call for an end to provocative acts by Turkey against Greece in the Aegean were missed. Will Vice President Joe Biden’s December visit to Turkey be different?

While it seems President Obama finds it difficult to express public support for the Ecumenical Patriarchate or allies Greece and Cyprus, The Los Angeles Times reported in October that President Obama has placed more calls to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan than to any other world leader this year next to British Prime Minister David Cameron, prompting former New York Times İstanbul bureau chief Stephen Kinzer to jokingly refer to Prime Minister Erdogan “Obama’s second best friend.” In addition, at the recent G20 Summit the president supposedly reserved the “biggest hug” for the Turkish prime minister. In my opinion, this would indicate the president is not willing to press Turkey on issues of concern to the Greek American community. Whether or not the closeness of their relationship will be an asset or liability for the president in 2012 is uncertain.

Turkey’s aggressive behavior in the region is well-documented, ranging from airspace violations of Greece, it’s continuing occupation of Cyprus, its saber-rattling rhetoric as Cyprus and Israel explore for gas and oil, its support of Iran in the UN Security Council, and its dispute with Israel, to name a few.

Yet, the Obama Administration is presently pushing for a $111 million arms sale to Turkey during a time when she is acting increasingly belligerently in the eastern Mediterranean and threatening U.S. allies. Frankly, this is unacceptable, irresponsible, and disappointing.

Our community needs to send a strong message. One way to convey a strong message will be through our wallets as election season kicks in.

In a tough political environment, fundraising will be at a premium and every candidate will be looking to outreach to as many ethnic groups as possible to gain an edge. Let’s be smart with our contributions. Let’s make sure we get a candidate’s commitment so we can make our contribution count. If we don’t like what we hear, let’s support the candidate that will.

This message is especially important for those who will be running for president. In the case of President Obama we need to hold him accountable to his campaign statements.

Can we count on President Obama to communicate a hard-hitting message to Ankara over her continuous irresponsible and destabilizing actions? After all, if the United States can’t feel secure and confident enough to candidly express to a fellow NATO ally with whom “… our bonds are sound, our friendship is sure, and our alliance is strong,” and, “Our partnership is rooted in our long history and very long list of mutual interests, but most importantly, it is rooted on our common democratic values,” as stated by Secretary Clinton on her visit to Turkey in July, then to whom can we say it?

President Obama has another year to show us if he is willing to send that message.

__________________

*Nick Larigakis is President of the American Hellenic Institute

“The Hellenic Charity Ball represents a synthesis of achievements: a veritable Who’s Who of the most influential Greek Americans in business and entertainment today, joining to celebrate centuries of Hellenic influence on American culture: one part Greek family reunion, one part gala fundraiser, finished with a touch of Hollywood glamour,” said Elios Society President Anthony T. Saris.

Founded to celebrate and preserve the spirit, values and ideals of Hellenic culture and heritage, the Elios Society launched the Hellenic Charity Ball in 1997 as a way to continually note the ongoing arts and entertainment contributions of Greek-Americans on American culture.

Past honorees and participants have included Michael Chiklis, Maria Menounos, Marilu Henner, Nia Vardalos, Olympia Dukakis, Nicholas Gage, Tony Orlando, Melina Kanakaredes and many others.

The Hellenic Charity Ball is one of San Francisco’s most star-studded gala events, honoring the brightest arts and entertainment luminaries in the Greek-American community.

In format, the evening included a formal seated dinner and award show that attracted over 700 taste-makers and industry leaders from the Bay Area and Los Angeles.

Proceeds from this year’s gala will support several organizations and projects that preserve and promote Greek heritage and the arts.

If you awoke today in Athens – and before you went to bed last night – one of your first duties would be to check the Strike Report so you’d know who’s working and who’s not, what’s open and what’s not. There are so many work stoppages that most TV stations have taken to listing the daily strikes. At one time or another, growing numbers of Greeks angry at austerity measures they say have hit workers and left politicians, tax evaders and the country’s rich elite alone have walked off their jobs – to no avail.

Prime Minister George Papandreou, following the orders of the Troika of the European Union-International Monetary Fund-European Central Bank which is loaning the country $152 billion in rescue loans to stave off bankruptcy, has repeatedly cut the pay of workers, raised taxes for everyone (except tax evaders who don’t pay any) slashed pensions, and – after constant denials he would never do so, has begun the layoff and eventual firing of as many as 120,000 municipal employees.

It was a brewing cauldron of volatile elements. A new wave of tax hikes and pay cuts, bringing the pay of teachers with 30 years tenure below $20,000, has fomented social unrest, demonstrations, protests, and riots, all of which have failed, so desperate workers worried about their jobs and futures have been striking across most sectors. That’s included tax inspectors, taxi drivers, customs officers, air traffic controllers, civil servants, lawyers, pharmacists, transportation workers (closing the Metro, buses, trams, trolleys and trains) hospital workers, prison guards, teachers, garbage collectors and self-employed professionals, making life difficult for everyone as there was no way to get around the city as rubbish piled up. Coupled with news that the poor, those making $6,700 a year will be taxed and the minimum wage of $700 a month net will be scrapped, it was too much for the workers to take. It was all they could stands and they couldn’t stands no more,  so they took a stand.

They are getting little sympathy though because of their reputation as lazy, inefficient lifers in decent-paying no-heavy lifting jobs stamping papers and waiting for an early retirement, but the fat in Greece is marbled in, not layered, so the many decent, hard working civil employees are first in line to be laid off unless they have political backing. Working against everyone is the math: Greece has been spending more than it takes in and the bill has come due for packing payrolls with patronage hires for generations: someone has to go and everyone’s pay had to be cut – unless Greece collected the $40 billion a year it cedes to tax evaders. That won’t happen because they include most Members of Parliament and politicians so they aren’t going to prosecute themselves nor pay up, even while they make everyone else do so and beat their jingoistic breasts.

The best among the strikers say what they want is justice and fairness and are willing to sacrifice for the common good, but are not willing to give their lives, jobs and money to people who abscond with all of it and, as the saying goes, drink wine from their skulls. Their chief enemies are the Troika who control Greece, and Papandreou, who they believe has dismantled the principles of his PASOK Socialist party, although the Prime Minister’s retort is that he is saving Greece from them and for them. But the new focal point of anger is Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos, who has become Papandreou’s pit bull in administering the Draconian measures (why are they never Solonian measures?) In the country which created democracy, built on the right to dissent, Venizelos wants none of that and has attacked the strikers as unpatriotic and undemocratic.

“The picture we have seen over recent days is one of lawlessness,” Venizelos told lawmakers in Parliament in Athens, in comments televised live on state-run Vouli TV. “Some believe that occupations, strikes, blackmail, pressure can lead to the satisfaction of vested interests to the detriment of the national interest.” The problem with that is that Venizelos and his cohorts ARE the vested interests, and the strikers believe what they’re doing is in their best interest, although many among them just want to keep their sinecures, including some very highly paid positions indeed, such as railway and petroleum workers making five to six times the salaries of most municipal employees because they are employed in state-run entities. But with nearly a million public workers in a country of 11 million people, something had to give. Even workers at the Finance Ministry walked out – and then promptly walked back in and occupied the building in protest.

Could this happen in the United States? What would life be like if it did? Because Greece is a small country in population and geographical size, the laws of the land spread fast and wide, as does lawlessness, so it’s unlikely you’d get transportation workers in 50 states in the U.S. to strike no matter how angry they were because there’s no central authority affecting all their pay simultaneously. There is one example though of when it did. In 1981, air traffic controllers at Washington Dulles airport called an illegal strike and were joined by 11,000 others around the country. President Ronald Reagan, who had been in office less than a year – and who had been endorsed by the controllers’ union – fired all of them after getting the sympathy of Americans.

There are no real parallels for nationwide strikes in the U.S. as in Greece, and you won’t see air traffic controllers going on strike again in America. Ditto for customs inspectors and airport security workers who’d be fired in an eye blink if they stopped working. Likewise, it’s inconceivable that all of the country’s pharmacists would strike at the same time and there’s just too many franchises and chain stores to imagine that happening. Taxis are regulated by every separate city and town in which they are located and, unlike Greece, which sets conditions and even fee schedules for closed professions such as lawyers, architects, pharmacists and engineers, guaranteeing them a big profit margin and no competition in the monopolies they enjoy, American professionals set their own fees and services.

Each state has its own version of Civil Service requirements dictating standards for who will be hired, unlike Greece where a phone call from a politician or influential banker or business executive gets someone a job. Amtrak, the national railway system, last year carried more than 30 million people, a record, but Americans can drive, fly or take buses and could get alone just fine if there were a railway strike. Likewise, teachers get no respect in America nor in Greece, but try standing on your feet six hours a day trying to educate students who often are out of reach, do lesson plans, grade papers and prepare classes and see how long you’d last. Still, when American teachers strike, their students parents usually side with management and the teachers know it so they’re unlikely to walk off the job, especially after last year’s experience in Central Falls, R.I. when all the high school’s striking teachers were fired.

In Greece, strikers may or may not be paid under a whimsical system, although teachers always have their pay docked. Other striking workers were getting paid under a loophole that allowed it if they declared their strike a “symbolic protest.” Why didn’t American workers think of that? It’s one Greek export that would be sure to sell.

Governor Cuomo signs an agreement with the Port Authority and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese to rebuild St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church that was destroyed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America officially signed an agreement today on rebuilding the church of St. Nicholas, which was destroyed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that he, joined by Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward, representatives of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and St. Nicholas Parish and Majority Leader Dean Skelos, signed the agreement that permits the rebuilding of the Church with a nondenominational bereavement center at the east end of Liberty Park, at 130 Liberty Street. The agreement follows a four-month independent engineering study commissioned by the Port Authority and the Archdiocese, which found that the Church could be built on the site with minor modifications to the original plan and with no impact on the World Trade Center construction schedule.

“We lost St. Nicholas Church in the destruction of September 11 and for too long its future has been uncertain,” Governor Cuomo said. “Rebuilding St. Nicholas Church, with a nondenominational bereavement center, is not just good news for the Greek Orthodox community, but for all New Yorkers. With this agreement, we are continuing New York’s collective healing, restoration, and resurgence. Now we are finally returning this treasured place of reflection to where it belongs.”

As a result of settlement discussions mediated by the Governor’s office, the Port Authority and Archdiocese agreed to an independent engineering study to determine the feasibility of siting the Church at various locations in Liberty Park. The four-month study was led by Peter Lehrer, a nationally renowned construction expert, who worked on the project on a pro bono basis with Director of World Trade Center Construction Steven Plate and independent engineers Gorton & Partners and McNamara/Salvia, Inc. The study concluded that structural issues could be resolved to site the Church at 130 Liberty Street at significantly reduced cost compared to the original agreement and with no delay to construction at the World Trade Center site.

The church and the port authority had been at odds over the details of a land swap that will move the church slightly down the street to make way for some of the giant construction projects now under way at ground zero.

The settlement, mediated by the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, will end a lawsuit filed by the archdiocese earlier this year. Under the deal, the Port Authority will pay for site-work and below-ground infrastructure. The cost of that work is estimated to be about $25 million, according to the governor’s office. The archdiocese will pay for the construction of the chapel.

His Eminence the Archbishop Demetrios said “We are grateful to everyone who has helped in bringing to reality the dream we have nourished for ten long years. St. Nicholas Church, rising again with the help of God at Ground Zero – where it stood spiritually important for 85 years, is an affirmation of the significance of religious freedom and experience for all New Yorkers and all Americans”

The original Church was founded by Greek immigrants in 1916.

Hellenic Caucus Co-Chairs Applaud Agreement to Rebuild St. Nicholas Church

U.S. Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, applauded the agreement announced today between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to rebuild St. Nicholas Church at 130 Liberty Street in lower Manhattan.

“I congratulate Governor Cuomo, Archbishop Demetrios, and Chairman Ward for their hard work to reach this agreement. Rebuilding St. Nicholas Church, along with the major progress underway at the World Trade Center site, will help complete our city’s recovery from the 9/11 attacks. St. Nicholas Church has been an important part of the Hellenic community for generations, but has also served as a place of respite, calm, and prayer for countless others in the lower Manhattan community. I am delighted that this iconic Church will soon rise again,” said Rep. Maloney.

“The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese has been ready, willing, and able to re-erect its beloved church for some time now and I am pleased that the Port Authority and New York City officials have reached this important and symbolic agreement to reconstruct St. Nicholas Church. As the only house of worship destroyed in the tragic attacks on 9/11, St. Nicholas not only serves as a house of prayer and worship for the Hellenic community, but is a reminder that the United States and its resounding faith cannot and will not be held down by those who wish to harm us. I look forward to the day that this church re-opens its doors and the first post-9/11 Divine Liturgy is celebrated,” said Rep. Bilirakis.

Greek Stamp in honor of Christopher Columbus

There has been more written about Christopher Columbus than about any person with the exception of Jesus Christ, and yet his past has been shrouded in mystery. It is generally known and agreed upon by the majority of historians that Columbus’ family was from Liguria and Christopher was born in the city of Genoa, the son of Domenico Columbo, a local weaver. However, the exact origin of Christopher Columbus (his national or ethnic background) has been a source of speculation since the 19th century and recently many books have been published claiming that the great admiral might have been Portugese, Catalan, Polish or Greek.

In fact, according to the book  A New Theory Clarifying the Identity of Christopher Columbus: A Byzantine Prince from Chios, Greece” Columbus never said he was from Genoa.

“He said he was from the Republic of Genoa, something much different. The island of Chios was part of the Republic of Genoa. The name Columbus is carved above many doors in the villages of Pirgi and Cimbori and a priest with that last name traces his ancestry on the island back over 600 years. There are also many Genovese families who trace their ancestry back to Chios. Columbus also wrote about the gum-mastic called mastika which comes only from Chios.” Till this day on the Greek Island Chios, there are a lot of people that have the last name Colombus.

The argument supporting this theory also states that Columbus kept his journal in Latin and Greek instead of the Italian of Genoa.

The House of Christopher Columbus in Chios, Greece

Columbus also referred to himself as “Columbus de Terra Rubra” (Columbus of the Red Earth); Chios was known for its red soil in the south of the island where grow the mastic trees that the Genoese traded. There is also a village named Pirgi in the island of Chios where to this day many of its inhabitants carry the surname “Columbus.” At the village of Pirgi where he also had a house, Columbus convinced a lot of Greek sailors to follow him on his Spanish funded journey to discover India, as he- then- thought.

A few more researchers have speculated that Columbus may have come from the island of Chios in Greece.

A Greek immigrant to America, Seraphim Canoutas, spent years trying to prove that Columbus was from a Greek family originally from Byzantium.

Ruth G Durlacher-Wolper, the founder and the director of the New World Museum and the New World Foundation in San Salvador, Bahamas, where Columbus’ ships first landed in 1492 and author of “A New Theory Clarifying the Identity of Christopher Columbus: A Byzantine Prince from Chios, Greece” summarized the 22 facts contributing to the clarification of Columbus’ identity.

Among the most interesting:

Columbus' Signature

Columbus signature “Xro-Ferens” Christophoros is Greek-Latin or Byzantine.

Columbus spelled Chios with a Greek ‘X’.

Columbus named Cape Maysi in Cuba using Greek words, Alpha and Omega.

Columbus never asked Italy for ships or aid for food and shelter when he needed help. If he was from Genoa than why not? Nor does he ever mention the Columbo family of Genoa to whom history says he was related. He neither spoke or read Italian. Yet in his favorite book Imago Mundi by Cardinal Pierre d’Ailly he wrote in Greek in the margins.

Columbus was called Genovese because he dressed in Genovese fashion from Chios. He signed his name “Columbus de terra Rubra” which means of the red earth. The Mastic areas of Chios was known for the red color of the earth. He banked at St. George in Genoa which took care of the colonies like Chios.

Columbus kept two logs on his journey, one real and one false. The true log used the measurements in Greek leagues and the false in Roman. The author used the real logs and measurements to reconstruct Columbus discovery of the island of San Salvador and cleared up many discrepancies in the geography of the area.

The Colombo family of Genoa were illiterate and the Genovese Christophoro was a woolweaver. For this person to acquire the learning, experience and spirituality that Columbus had that could convince a foreign king and queen to entrust a small navy and a fortune to him doesn’t seem probable. Maybe in twentieth century America, a poor son of a common garment worker can grow up to become president but in the Europe of the 15th century it is unlikely he could make Captain, much less Admiral in Command of a fleet. It is more likely that for Columbus to have received an audience with a king and queen, have to be royal himself, or have some pretty good connections.

Columbus’ son Ferdinand wrote that his ancestors have always followed the sea. Unless the Columbo family of Genoa had a long history of being ships tailors or official shearers of sea-sheep then they were not related. In fact even though they were living in Genoa at the time that Ferdinand was writing about his father, they are not mentioned. Nor are they mentioned in the Will of Columbus.

Columbus was not a wool-worker struck by God like Joan of Arc and instantly filled with knowledge of navigation, philosophy, astronomy, psychology, languages and the power to convince kings to give him whatever he wanted. This was a man with a lifetime of education, culture, experience and inspiration who had a sense of his own destiny and the drive to fulfill it.

In the book, we discover that not only was Columbus connected with the Paleologos family but many of his buddies were Greek too. Perhaps this is the most convincing argument for me. Anyone knowing Greeks in exile is aware that they are a tight group that trust each other and spend all their time together, bound by that thread of Hellenism. As convincing as all the other arguments, (and there are many in this small book), the fact that his ‘parea’ was Greek, (in other words his group of friends and associates), proved to me that Christopher Columbus was not the son of an itinerant Genovese wool-worker, but a Byzantine prince from Chios who came from a life of enlightened education and spiritual aspirations, and as an islander, combined it with a love of the sea.

The islanders from Chios are known for their skill on the sea and for the number of sea captains and ship owners from there. If Columbus was Greek then Chios is the most likely island he would be from. Chios has Genovese architecture and a sea-faring history, and its people have executed heroic exploits.

(Sources: Wikipedia, Ruth G Durlacher-Wolper, GreeceTravel.com, Daily Mail, Hellenism.net)