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Home , Mike Connors, Stavros Dimas, Telly Savalas

S O C V ΓΡΑΦΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ Bringing the news W ΤΟΥ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΥ to generations of E ΑΠΟ ΤΟ 1915 The National Herald Greek- Americans N c v A wEEkly GrEEk-AmEriCAN PuBliCATiON www.thenationalherald.com VOL. 18, ISSUE 898 December 25-31, 2014 $1.50 Dimas Loses in 2nd Round of Voting, But Is Closing the Gap Samaras Hopes His Presidential Pick Will Prevail; Stave off Early Elections

ATHENS – Prime Minister and to one of his lawmakers, former leader Antonis TV actor Pavlos Haikalis, but a Samaras' hopes to get his party's prosecutor threw out the Vice-President Stavros Dimas charges. elected Greek President to stave The government is reeling, Spiro Agnew Maria Callas Michael Dukakis Andreas C. Dracopoulos off early national elections went its popularity undercut after im - down for a second time on Dec. posing harsh austerity measures 23, but picked up eight more demanded by the Troika of the votes over a first round, leaving European Union-International him to gain 12 more in a final Monetary Fund-European Cen - ballot on Dec. 29 to succeed. tral Bank (EU-IMF-ECB) in re - The 300-member Parliament turn for economy bailouts of gave Dimas 168 votes, with 131 240 billion euros ($306 billion) voting present and one not vot - that began in 2010. ing. He had gotten 160 votes Tsipras has been demanding the first time but since then snap polls for months but Sama - Samaras said he would offer na - ras argued he was leading tional elections at the end of to a recovery, although next year if enough lawmakers stalled negotiations with the from rival parties and Indepen - Troika over undone reforms and dents would support his man for a how to close a hole in the president. 2015 budget of as much as three It takes 200 votes in the first billion euros forced him to give two rounds in the Parliament up plans for an early exit from and the coalition government, the memorandum he signed which includes the fast-fading agreeing to big pay cuts, tax PASOK Socialists has only 155 combined, leaving the Premier Continued on page 11 Archbishop Iakovos (w. MLK) Betty White Elia Kazan to effectively concede the first two ballots and set his sights on the last. If that fails, national elec - All Time Highly-Influential Greek-Americans tions will be scheduled in Janu - Claim of Vote ary or February with polls show - ing the major opposition By Constantinos E. Scaros Nader and Betty Friedan are of years of age, a very young na - who were among the Founding Coalition of the Radical Left Bribe in Greece Lebanese and Russian/Hungar - tion. Half of the people on the Fathers: (2), (SYRIZA) leading. The Atlantic magazine re - ian descent, respectively; list exacted their influence long John Adams (25), Thomas Jef - With his party leading in sur - Is Dismissed cently completed quite a daunt - Supreme Court Chief Justice before the 20th century, when ferson (3), and James Madison veys, the Leftist leader, Alexis ing list: the 100 most influential Earl Warren’s ancestors were the first significant wave of (13). Two other Founders who Tsipras is trying to thwart the people in American history. from Norway, and Hollywood gi - Greek immigration to the United were not president but made the election of Dimas and is being ATHENS – A judicial investiga - There is not a Greek to be found ant Sam Goldwyn’s from . States occurred. That there are list were Alexander Hamilton backed so far by most Indepen - tion has dismissed a Greek law - among them. Then again, there Italians can lay claim to one of no on the list, then, (5) and Benjamin Franklin (6). dent lawmakers and the govern - maker’s allegations he was of - is not a Spaniard, a Frenchman, the list’s honorees, Enrico Fermi. should be no surprise. Topping the list overall was ment's rival parties, chiefly the fered money to back the a Korean, or a Belgian in the And that’s it – no other nation - The most prevalent category President Abraham Lincoln, em - Independent Greeks (ANEL) government candidate in the mix, either. In fact, everyone’s alities are represented. in terms of occupation/field title blematic of a consistent theme leader, former New Democracy country’s Presidential vote with ancestry can be traced to Great Also, it is important to keep was, predictably, president of the of African-Americans’ civil rights member Panos Kammenos. anti-austerity parties trying to Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, in mind that despite its profound . Seventeen of our throughout the rankings, in The ANEL leader had thwart the election and force or Africa, with scant exception: impact on world history, the nation’s chief executives made claimed that a government in - early national elections during social/political activists Ralph United States remains, at 238 the list, including the first four, Continued on page 8 termediary had offered a bribe a perilous economic time. Court officials said that pros - ecutor Panagiotis Panagiotopou - los found the claim by Pavlos Haikalis, a lawmaker from a Behrakis Establishes Plan small opposition right-wing In - dependent Greeks (ANEL) party, was unfounded. For a Smoke-Free Greece Prime Minister and New Democracy Conservative leader

By Theodore Kalmoukos One of the books is called Ed - Continued on page 11 ucation for a World without LOWELL, MA – George D. Smoking; another is I Learned Behrakis, a prominent Greek- Not to Smoke. American businessman and phil - Behrakis is also concerned anthropist from Lowell, MA is about adults, especially the Community on a sacred and patriotic mis - pregnant women, who are sion these days trying to save hooked on smoking. Thus, he Greece’s children from dying funded a book depicting on its Responds to from illnesses linked to smoking cover a young mother holding cigarettes. He has spent a lot of her newborn baby. The book is Cuba Policy time traveling back and forth to called Because I love You, I Greece over the past six years, Don’t Smoke. It is actually and devoted over $10 million in “guide of self-help to stop smok - By Constantine S. Sirigos an antismoking campaign aimed ing during pregnancy and for - TNH Staff Writer at Greek students, to convince ever.” them to quit smoking or never It all began about six years NEW YORK – When President start. ago, Behrakis told TNH, “during Obama called for the restoration Behrakis created a package one of trips my to Greece be - of full diplomatic relations with called “The Truth about Smok - cause of the riots that were Cuba, he unleashed floods of ing” and has funded the writing, taken place in the center of both hope and anger among publishing, and continuous dis - Athens, at that time I stayed in Cuban-Americans. The decision tribution a series of booklets ac - a small hotel in Kifisia. I woke also stimulated interest in the cordingly. up one day very early in the Orthodox Christian community morning and I walked around in the United States in renewing the block and I happened to ties with their co-religionists in come in front of a school and the Caribbean nation. For subscription: there were two women dressed In 2004, the Greek Orthodox 718.784.5255 in black giving free cigarettes to church that was built in 1950 [email protected] little girls. I walked up to them: TNH/COSTAS BEJ as Sts. Constantine and Helen they couldn’t speak Greek or Students of Spyropoulos Day School Spread Christmas Cheer but was never used as anything English, and I wanted to know but a children’s theater was re - what they were doing. They Eleftherios Eleftheriades, chanter and teacher at the St. Nicholas Shrine Church, leads the stu - opened after renovations as the dents of the parish’s William Spyropoulos Greek-American School as they sing carols while Fa - Continued on page 6 ther Paul Palesty, parish staff, and the children’s families enjoy the program. Continued on page 5 8 COMMUNITY THE NATIONAL HERALD, DECEMBER 25-31, 2014 All-Time Highly-Influential U.S. Greeks on American Society Overall

Continued from page 1 (note: megastar what makes Agnew so impor - the most “obvious” choice for and prestigious news chief tant? Why not any of the other this list, for lack of a better word, which abolitionists ranked very George Stephanopoulos are not 46 American vice presidents and a plausible argument can be highly, as did civil rights leader included), nor does the influence (only one of which, John Adams made for his inclusion on At - Martin Luther King, Jr., who fin - have to be based on a positive – who later became president – lantic’s 100. He was the discov - ished 8th overall. Other notable accomplishment (the list in - made Atlantic’s list)? erer of the Pap Smear (or Pap African-Americans included cludes Spiro Agnew’s scandal-in - Was it that Agnew was a par - Test), which can detect cervical baseball great Jackie Robinson duced resignation as U.S. vice ticularly great vice president? cancer and other reproductive (35), activist W.E.B. DuBois president, for example). Not exactly. In fact, he tarnished diseases. The very future of the (43), abolitionist Frederick Dou - In no particular order of rank - his own political career by re - perpetuation of civilization, in glass (47), Musician Louie Arm - ing and by no means an exhaus - signing amid a bribery scandal, terms of reproduction, owes a strong (74), Supreme Court Jus - tive anthology, here are 15 a year before his boss, Richard great deal to Dr. Papanicolaou. tice Thurgood Marshall (84), Greeks who were born and/or Nixon, resigned the presidency. That is more than enough to and educator Booker T. Wash - lived in the United States, in al - In fact, that whole sequence of place his among America’s all- ington (98). Barack Obama, the phabetical order, who influenced events is what makes Agnew so time most influential individu - current and first African-Ameri - not specifically Greek America, influential. Dr. George Papanicolaou als. can president, is not on the list. but America as a whole. One of the reasons Nixon was PETE SAMPRAS GREXCELLENCE SPIRO AGNEW essentially forced to resign – fac - Americans to stand united be - fellow Greek-Americans. But Like Maria Callas, Pete Sam - Though some names ar - Perhaps no one exemplifies ing near-certain impeachment hind their country’s war effort Fey’s spot-on imitation of GOP pras was, quite simply, the best guably could have been shuffled what this list is all about than and conviction – was because of and purchase war bonds, in turn VP nominee Sarah Palin in the at what he did. Widely consid - to present a more appropriate Spiro Agnew. If this were a list the alternative: Gerald Ford. inspiring other celebrities – most 2008 campaign may have been ered one of the greatest tennis overall ranking, it does not ap - about the most influential Greek- Ford was widely liked and re - notably – also to un - just what was needed to tip the players of all time, few would pear that anyone on the list is Americans, then certainly Agnew spected, not just by Democrats dertake that initiative. They election in Barack Obama’s favor dispute he is the best of the lot undeserving. Nonetheless, there would be at or near the top. Af - but by Republicans as well. Ag - starred in 17 Hollywood films – for good. Granted, there were out of those born in the United have been countless Greek- ter all, having served as Vice new, by contrast, had become more than any other singing many reasons Americans had de - States. He had a versatile style Americans whose influence has President of the United States, quite adept at being Nixon’s group in history. termined they would vote for a and was dominant in three of greatly affected this country. Agnew held a position more “hatchet man.” Accordingly, MARIA CALLAS Democrat. But many were gun - Even if they didn’t make At - powerful in American politics there is good reason to believe Maria Callas is not simply the shy about choosing the first ever lantic’s Top 100, they deserve than any Greek before or since. that Congressional Democrats greatest female opera singer of African-American president, and our attention. But if this list is about highly would have been less willing to Greek descent: along with Re - one with an exotic-sounding An influential list does not influential Americans whose impeach Nixon if that would nata Tebaldi, she is considered name who, as a relative new - necessarily mean most successful Greek descent is only incidental, have resulted in President Ag - arguably the greatest soprano in comer to American national pol - new. During George W. Bush’s history. Moreover, her tempera - itics, was largely an unknown presidency, when some on the mental demeanor offstage as entity. left, angered by his decision to well as her commanding pres - John McCain, by comparison, use military force in Iraq, called ence on it classifies her as the was the safe choice. But Fey, for his impeachment, others quintessential diva. Louie Arm - playing Sarah Palin, saying “I can said: “do you want to wind up strong and composer Stephen see Russia from my house” with Dick Cheney as president? Foster were the only two musi - sealed the Alaska governor as a That would be worse!” Consider, cians on Atlantic’s list. It is plau - caricature of herself. To this day, instead, if Bush’s vice president sible to suggest that Callas many Americans think Palin her - had been, say, John McCain. should have been on it, too. self actually uttered those words. McCain is to Ford as Cheney TOM CARVEL Tina Fey was just being funny, is to Agnew. Without Agnew re - Most people take the simple on Saturday Night Live. But her signing, we might never have things in life, like an ice cream performance had farther-reach - had Watergate. Or President sandwich, for granted. Or the ing implications than even she Ford…etc. notion that they can find multi - ever would have imagined. ANDREWS SISTERS ple locations of their favorite ARCHBISHOP IAKOVOS Tom Carvel Okay, there were three of store – whether it sells, ice The National Herald has writ - them – LaVerne, Maxene, and cream, toys, or power drills – be - ten countless times about what the four grand slam competi - Patty – but here we count them cause of the franchising model. an influence on Greek America tions, the French Open the only as one, for it was as a trio that Both of those concepts were in Archbishop Iakovos was one he never won. That, and a these three singers not only were great part inspired and imple - throughout his tenure. But what workmanlike but not gregarious preeminent in the entertaining mented by Tom Carvel. He made him so influential on personality – like Jimmy Con - of American troops overseas dur - turned ice cream in America America as a whole? His march nors or John McEnroe – perhaps Maxene, Patty, and LaVerne Andrews ing World War II, but inspired from an eclectic dessert for the from the Alabama city Selma, to tempered his superstardom, but elite into the quintessential the capital Montgomery, in 1965, he is undoubtedly one of the American treat. And when he standing side-by-side with Mar - greatest ever to play the game started running the stores to tin Luther King, which made the of tennis. which he sold his patented freez - cover of Life magazine. Sure, TELLY SAVALAS ers himself, that was a prototype that was a boon for Greek Or - Remember, this is not a list THE HERALD SQUARE for modern-day franchising. thodoxy, but how did that influ - of the most successful Greek- KELLY CLARKSON Americans. Why, then, Telly TNH's Crossword Challenge Kelly Clarkson is a Savalas, who played TV Cop Ko - singer/songwriter whose albums jak, and not other TV cops, like have sold in the millions. That’s (Columbo), Paul great, but what makes Clarkson Michael Glaser and David Soul 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 more influential to America than (Starsky & Hutch), countless other musicians who (Baretta), (Man - 11 12 13 14 have done the same thing? How nix), or Andy Griffith – America’s she got there. Clarkson was the most beloved sheriff – Andy Tay - 15 16 17 18 first winner of American Idol – lor? Because Savalas made bald and so Americans got a chance sexy and lollipops manly. In the to watch her rise from obscurity original decade of big hair, 19 to superstardom. They were part Savalas had a scalp and smooth of it – they saw the American as a cue ball, compared to 20 21 22 dream unfold right before their Columbo’s floppy hair, Starsky’s every eyes – on the television curly locks, and the other police 23 24 25 26 27 screens in their living rooms. pompadours of the seventies. Sure, we hear about how music With a wardrobe and a smart legends and Elvis mouth that made him quintes - 28 29 30 31 32 Presley went from rags to riches, sentially New York City, Lieu - but with Clarkson, we didn’t just Tina “Sarah Palin” Fey tenant was a sex symbol, 33 34 35 hear it, we witnessed it. and men with receding hairlines ANDREAS DRACOPOULOS ence America overall? It demon - no longer had to feel hopeless. 36 37 Though not a high-profile strated that King’s initiative was Moreover, Savalas also quit celebrity, Andreas C. Dracopou - ecumenical. Here was a man, smoking, and so did his charac - los, co-President of the Stavros largely unknown to most of ter – who turned to lollipops. Ko - 38 39 40 41 Niarchos Foundation, through America, dressed in an imposing jak made lollipop licking cool, his cultural, education, and phil - black gown and headpiece, and inspiring others to put out their 42 43 44 anthropic initiatives, has cer - an ostentatious Christian medal, butts and stogies, too. tainly affected the lives of a great standing by King’s side. If a pic - SPYROS SKOURAS 45 46 47 48 49 many Americans. ture is worth 1000 words, a Like George Papanicolaou, In particular, Dracopoulos’ front-page cover on a magazine say the name “Spyros Skouras” contributions to education – his as prestigious as Life is worth a and a lot of people might re - 50 51 support of Greek schools, but million. spond: “who’s he?” But hardly also his work in establishing pro - ELIA KAZAN anyone would fail to recognize 52 53 54 55 56 grams for young learners at the Elia Kazan was a great direc - the name of his most famous cre - New York Public Library, and his tor, but so are Steven Spielberg, ation, Marilyn Monroe. Skouras 57 58 59 major donations to Johns Hop - Francis Ford-Coppola, Martin achieved tremendous success in kins and Rockefeller Universities, Scorcese, and countless others. establishing the merger between two of the foremost research in - How did Kazan, in particular, in - motion picture companies Fox www.CrosswordWeaver.com stitutions in the world – render and Twentieth Century, and was ACROSS 18 Joanie Loves ______(Happy Days spinoff) him one of the most significant responsible for countless classic 1 Lindos is on this island 20 Hawaiian musician Don benefactors of American culture, films. But what sets Skouras 7 Seaver and Selleck 2 2 D i splace education, and philanthropy. apart from most of his peers is 11 President Jefferson, informally 2 5 T e o of Indy 500 MI CHAEL DUKAKIS turning Monroe from unknown 12 Strrd. in American Pie (init.) 26 Similar As in the case of Spiro Agnew, Norman Jean Mortenson into 13 "...an d a part ridge in a ____ tree" 2 7 C h emical s ymbol fo r nickel one can certainly consider Mass - Marilyn Monroe, the world’s 15 End of En gagmnt. (abbrev.) 2 8 P r ohibit achusetts Governor and 1988 most famous sex symbol. His 16 Book unit 29 United States Aviary Lge. (abbrev.) Democratic Presidential nomi - other monumental accomplish - 18 Starred in Angels with Dirty Faces 3 0 E s t.Tim es of Arr ival (abbrev.) nee Michael Dukakis one of our ment was keeping the film in - 19 Flanked by E and I 31 Biloxi's st. (abbrev.) country’s all-time successful dustry not only alive, but thriv - 21 Cigar si ze 3 3 D o ctors' o rg. (init.) Greek-Americans. But how is he ing, in the 1950s, when for a 23 Tulsa's st. (a bbrev.) 3 4 "_ _ ___ Sue" Bud dy Holly Song one of the most influential Amer - while it seemed as if the new 24 Unit Equip. (abbrev.) 40 Charlie or Maria icans who just happens to be craze of television would render 25 Suppor ter 4 1 G r oup of isla nd s containin g Corfu Greek? W hat makes the ran-and- it obsolete. 28 Ralph Kramden drove one 4 2 S a ng "Oh B oy " (ini t.) lost Dukakis any more influential BETTY WHITE 30 Electr. Mail Host (abbrev.) 43 Greek suffix meaning something written or than, say, Mitt Romney? It wasn’t Betty White became well- 32 Tsipou ro d raw n just that Dukakis lost, but it was known when she starred on the 34 Lasagna's Greek counterpart 44 Spooky how he lost. He took the high Mary Tyler Moore Show in the 3 5 " White W edding" sngr. (init.) 4 5 M ets' p rior resi dence road and stayed on it throughout , and she had attained 36 One, in Greek 4 6 A n ger the campaign, all the way up to Kelly Clarkson nowhere near the fame of some 37 Not out 47 American Bankruptcy Institute (init.) Election Day. When mud was of her costars, not least of which 38 Asst. Atto rney General (abbrev.) 4 8 U n der's oppo site thrown his way, he didn’t throw fluence America? Not so much Moore herself. That she debuted 3 9 Washingto n St. Arts Commission (abbrev.) 53 Initials on American sea vessels any back. because of his great films – and on that show in 1973 at age 51 43 Greek prefix meaning earth 55 Cowboys' Super Bowl QB Init.) Negative campaigning in there were many – but because was no big deal. That she con - 45 Type of red wine America began with the John he named names. He testified tinues to go to work every day, 49 Ms. Bacall Adams-Thomas Jefferson presi - before the House of Representa - starring on Hot in Cleveland, at 50 HB's Casabla nca c o-star (init.) dential race of 1796. But there tives Un-American Activities age 92, is a big deal – very big. 51 Chrst ina's tycoon dad Solution to last week’s puzzle have been ebbs and flows, and committee, about certain of his White has become the toast of 52 Eng. as a Second Lang. Institute (abbrev.) H O M A G E N A D I A M the nastiness in America had fellow actors and actresses who television in her golden years – 54 Sliced Greek cheese? O B A M A I I N G A subsided considerably from 1912 at one time or another – like he appropriately, having starred on 5 6 Asian and Pacific Isla nder Amer. (abbrev.) M E O G P E L U to 1988. In fact, in the Summer did, as a young man – had ties The Golden Girls in the eighties 57 "At ____, solider!" I K E A P O L O N A I of 1988, Dukakis held a double- to the Communist Party. Kazan and nineties – as, now in her 58 Remo te Acce ss Serv. (abbrev.) digit lead over incumbent Vice quit the communists, hated own nineties, she has long out - 59 Female chicken T E V A S L O President George H.W. Bush, but them, and said he wasn’t about lasted most of her contempo - A I R U A P I S Y R A H then Bush’s campaign manager, to give up his professional career raries onscreen. She is an inspi - DOWN C I N T E L M A Lee Atwater, reinvented negative to defend something he didn’t ration to men and women of 1 Alt. name for highway or road (abbrev.) O I R I O A P C N campaigning. Dukakis didn’t believe in. Some despised him mature years everywhere. 2 Rudolph's foot S A T H E N A I T C H Y fight back, and he lost. The les - for being selfish, others ap - WHAT DO YOU THINK? 3 "Ultimate" wristwatch brand? son learned: fight dirty. Since plauded his blunt sincerity. He Again, the list is not based on 4 Ment. Telepathy (abbrev) B E O T A A then, negative campaigning, un - influenced a large handful of ac - how any of these individuals (or 5 Poseidon's domain R N K N I N K S fortunately, has flourished. By tors as a director, but millions others not on the list) have in - 6 He's counterpart I C A N B D E T R O I T behaving like a gentleman and more as a government witness. fluenced Greek America, but 8 Greek cheer T H P E L E A E R proceeding to lose the election, Through his testimony, he was rather, how they influenced 9 Actress Ryan Dukakis highly influenced others effectively saying: it’s okay to co - America as a whole. If you wish A U P O I T I E R T I N 10 Without not to do the same. operate with the feds. to share your thoughts about 14 "In __:" about S H E A A R E S C A S A TINA FEY GEORGE PAPANICOLAOU others who ought to be included 17 Match Game Host Rayburn There are bigger TV stars Along with Maria Callas, Dr. on this list, by all means, let us than Tina Fey, even among her George Papanicolaou is arguably know. We welcome your ideas.