Is That a Greek Myth Behind the Fiscal Crisis? Turkish Cypriots' Hard-Line
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o C V ΓΡΑΦΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ Bringing the news ΤΟΥ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΥ to generations of ΑΠΟ ΤΟ 1915 The National Herald Greek Americans c v A weekly Greek AmericAn PublicAtion www.thenationalherald.com VOL. 13, ISSUE 654 April 24-30 , 2010 $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 Chairmen Mamie Stathatos- TNH Staff Writer Fulgieri, President of the Hel - lenic Lawyers Association and NEW YORK – As Greece strug - Dr. John Tsioulias, President of gled under the weight of a the Hellenic Medical Society, crushing economic deficit that and dignitaries from the United threatened to bankrupt the States, Greece and Cyprus, led country and pushed many to - by Greece’s Deputy Foreign Min - ward poverty, the resilient spirit ister Spyros Kouvelis, Ambas - of Greeks showed thousands of sador Nicholas Emiliou, Perma - miles away, here in New York nent Secretary of the Ministry City, where thousands of Greek of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus and Americans, Philhellenes and N.Y. State Comptroller Thomas others thronged Fifth Avenue DiNapoli. under intermittent clouds for When the clouds thickened, the annual Independence Day this year’s grand marshals lit the parade. It was marked by a way with smiles. They were somber moment too, with a rid - Phillip Christopher, President of erless horse in honor of the the Pancyprian Association of memory of Takis Nikolopoulos, America, Col. Matthew Bog - who for years thrilled children danos, FOX 5 Anchorman Ernie by dressing as Kolokotronis, the Anastos and representatives of great hero of 1821, who would the Boy Scouts of America. The ride no more. Hellenic Warriors Living History For a few hours though – group, dressed like ancient even if many dignitaries on the Greek warriors, delighted adults reviewing stand fled before it and children alike with armor finished – the parade served to flashing in the moments when give everyone a break from the the sun shone, pretend images bad news in Greece, which mir - of what their ancestors had to rors much of that in the United do for real to be free from Turk - eurokinissi States, where people are still ish occupation after nearly 400 They looked like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to Greek from the European Union and International Monetary Fund suffering from a worldwide re - years. trade unions and public workers who feared the finances of the (IMF) in Athens to work out the details of a loan guarantee to cession that has cost millions country would face further cuts, but they were finance officials keep Greece from defaulting. their jobs and homes. Not this Continued on page 4 day. The first sign of the glory to follow was the cavalry and View the NYC Parade Is That a Greek Myth Behind the Fiscal Crisis? honor guard of the N.Y. Police Department bearing the flags of Greece, the United States and For a front row view of all NEW YORK – That speaker was not speaking on behalf of try’s borrowing costs - said highs, making borrowing expen - the State of New York. The cer - the marchers, floats and George Handjinicolaou’s words the Hellenic Capital Market Handjinicoalou, joking that it sive for Greece. emonial band of the NYPD participants, you can see resonated with the Hellenic Commission (the Greek equiva - took him 20 years to master the His talk came as officials struck set a temporary local tone them by visiting our web - American Bankers Association lent to the U.S. Securities and subject now on every talk show from the International Monetary with the strains of “New York site www.thenationalher - (HABA) audience in Manhattan Exchange Commission,) of hosts’ lips in Greece. The Fund (IMF) and the European New York,” but after that it was ald.com to see the video. was audible. Almost every para - which he is the Vice Chairman. speaker focused on Greece’s Union (EU) were in Athens to all Blue and White and “Zito E graph of his speech on the Greek Unlike Greek Prime Minister ever-climbing CDS (credit-de - put together the details of what Ellas” – Long Live Greece! debt crisis was punctuated by George Papandreou, however, fault swap) market, one of the could be a 45 billion euros loan The Hellenic heart of the pa - loud whispers of assent. The au - Handjinicolaou concluded that leading indicators of economic guarantee to keep Greece from rade was led by the Honorary dience of men and women in there was no evidence of crimi - sentiments and said to be a rea - defaulting as it struggles with a Battalion consisting of Arch - suits laughed at each joke. His nal speculators being responsi - son why Greece is now in such deficit of 12.7%, which bishop Demetrios of America, They Came, main question was a serious ble for the debt crisis. dire straits. The CDS spread prompted Papandreou’s admin - the grand marshals, the Presi - one, however: Was the Greece “Everyone has become an ex - (measure of risk premium of istration to issue wage cuts and dent of the Federation of Hel - the victim of speculators? Hand - pert on spreads,” – interest rate Greek versus German bonds) lenic Societies of Greater N.Y. They Saw, jinicolaou underscored that he differentials that affect a coun - has been climbing to record Continued on page 7 Dimitrius Kalamaras, parade Co- They Stayed The Ongoing Surge to the ATHENS - Dan Chavez came to Greece two years ago for a job change he thought would be an Sea: Greeks in Oregon and adventure – and it has been – but unlike more than 24,000 other Americans who’ve retired Southwest Washington in the country, he won’t be, even though he will stop working in two years. But he knows why so By Steve Frangos oneering study; “A Photographic many are. Chavez is the Re - TNH Staff Writer History of the Holy Trinity Greek gional Federal Benefits Attache Orthodox Community of Ore - – a title that means he oversees CHICAGO - “A Surge to the Sea: gon and Southern Washington.” the staff helping retired Ameri - The Greeks in Oregon,” by It is not just that the book may cans here deal with issues such Thomas Doulis remains a classic well be the first visual history as Social Security and medical of Greek American history. This of a Greek community any - care problems, so his staff has volume’s subtitle offers more of where in North America but that daily dealings with them. the community base for this pi - it is part of the longest-running “At the beginning of the continuous historic projects on month we get a lot of calls be - Greek communities anywhere in cause people did get their paper the nation. What few Greek checks,” he says, pointing out Americans realize, outside the yet another quirk about Ameri - No Waiver-ing Great Northwest, is that after can retirees here, most of whom that book Doulis researched and he said are Greeks who lived in wrote two other history photo- the United States and returned, from Burns volumes dealing with the same Greek Americans, or Americans Greek community, using an who, in a frequent romantic ever-expanding base of source twist, met Greek men or on US Policy material, while generally work - women, married them and, of ing with the same band of Greek course, had to stay because who American colleagues from Ore - wants to leave Greece? It’s a By Angelike Contis gon and Washington. nice premise for a movie, but TNH Staff Writer Long recognized as a novelist it’s mostly true too, he says. and literary historian, Doulis’ Greece is so popular, he said, NEW YORK – After 27 years in contributions to Modern Greek that only six other countries the diplomatic hot seat – Literature are better known out - have more retired Americans whether as U.S. Ambassador to side the Greek American com - AP Photo/Petros kArAdjiAs living there: Canada, at the top, Greece during the fighting in munity. His four novels (to date) A supporter of newly-elected Turkish Cypriots leader Dervis Eroglu holds a Turkish flag to his followed by Mexico, Germany, Kosovo or Ambassador to NATO include: “Path for Our Valor,” face during victory celebrations, in the Turkish occupied area of Nicosia, April 18, before the Japan, Italy, and the United when the terrorist attacks of “The Quarries of Sicily,” Open effect of the results could sink into Greece and the European Union. It remains to be seen what Kingdom, although they can’t, September 11, 2001 struck, Hearth: The First Generation, A the nationalist leader’s impact will be on stalled reunification talks on the divided island. of course, compete with the Nick Burns decided to retire two Novel of Immigration,” and weather, food and style of life, years ago at the age of 51, but “City of Brotherly Love: The Sec - American retirees here often he’s still firing a diplomat’s mea - ond Generation.” The last two point out. So who are they? sured philosophy, teaching in - novels aim, in what is promised Turkish Cypriots’ Hard-Line Leader “Some of them are Greek na - ternational relations at the to be a trilogy. to fictionally sur - tionals who emigrated to the US Kennedy School of Government vey the pioneer, bridge and fully and got Green Cards, and many at Harvard, in Cambridge, Mass - Americanized (or not) genera - NICOSIA- The election of Turk - renewed skepticism that Ankara phoned Eroglu and "conveyed became citizens and after 35 or achusetts, near his Boston roots.