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Bailout Reform Talks to Be Cont Greek-American Recruit from Texas

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Bailout Reform Talks to Be Cont Greek-American Recruit from Texas S O C V st ΓΡΑΦΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ W ΤΟΥ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΥ E 101 ΑΠΟ ΤΟ 1915 The National Herald anniversa ry N www.thenationalherald.com A wEEkly GrEEk-AmEriCAN PuBliCATiON 1915-2016 VOL. 20, ISSUE 1002 December 24-30 , 2016 c v $1.50 Bailout Greek-American Recruit from Texas Became ISIS Prince Reform John Georgelas, now known as Yahya Abu Talks to Hassan, converted to Islam in college TNH Staff pushed for a Caliphate, a Mus - lim state, and the death of non- Be Cont On Dec. 8, 2015, a voice was believers – which would include heard on Al Bayan radio – the his own parents and even Mus - voice of the Islamic State – one lims he feels do not embrace the Tsipras’ Turnabout unknown outside the violent most radical tenets the group world of jihad, but not to a fam - holds dear. Causes Delays ily in Plano, TX. After getting his family out into Next Year It was that of an Islamic of Syria in 2013, Georgelas – scholar known as Yahya, so for - whose garb and beard and eyes midable in his knowledge of the locked on his new life make him TNH Staff Koran and Arabic and religion resemble not an American but that even hardened devotees of a passionate follower of Islam – ATHENS – Prime Minister ISIS bowed to him and showed he was free, as Wood wrote, to Alexis Tsipras' handout to pen - respect. “pursue his dreams unencum - sioners has delayed third bailout But it was also that of a once- bered by a wife and children. reform talks until next year, troubled teen, now 32 years old, He felt liberated. He carried vi - withholding critically needed who grew up in the Texas town, sions of the caliphate yet to be funds. son of Tim Georgelas, a West declared, and ideas for how to Tsipras on Dec. 5 got some Point graduate and doctor, and shape it.” promise of debt relief from the a conservative mother who had At that time, three years ago, Eurozone but within days said - taken a proud photo outside the Yahya, as he called himself, had with his Radical Left SYRIZA George W. Bush Library. a small but influential following floundering after he reneged on Yahya is John Georgelas, and he was not the gullible fol - anti-austerity promises - that he whose zeal for Islam surpassed lower his father remembered, would give lower-income pen - even those of the killers and but rising to become a leader of sioners a 300-euro ($312) holi - scholars and philosophers of the ISIS and one who would be fol - day bonus without telling the religion and led him to jump lowed even at the cost of giving country's international creditors. over Iraqis and Syrians to be - up one’s life. He also said he would re - come a fervent leader and now He’s known as Yahya Abu verse his imposition of a Value a likely assassination target of Hassan and is now reported to Added Tax (VAT) hike on TNH/COSTAS BEJ American drones and the mili - have succeeded as ISIS’ number Aegean islands without clearing Students Sing the Kalanta tary. it with the creditors, who It was an unlikely ascent and Continued on page 6 promptly yanked his debt relief The William Spyropoulos Greek-American School of St. Nicholas in Flushing visited the National circuitous odyssey for Georgelas package. Herald offices in Long Island City as did St. Demetrios Greek Afternoon School in Astoria. The that went from Texas to London, All that means the negotia - Holy Cross-Greek Orthodox Day School of Whitestone was also among those who continue the Cairo, Syria, back to Texas, back tions he said should have al - tradition of the kalanta. See our festive Christmas insert for more. to the Middle East, one that in - WITH THIS ISSUE ready been wrapped up, some volved relentless attention to 18 months after the bailout was learning not just Arabic and Is - agreed, likely won't be done un - lam but at a scholar’s level by til March or April of 2017, the someone who barely passed an newspaper Kathimerini said. Dr. Kardaras: Kids on Digital Heroin open-admission community col - EU officials told the newspa - lege in Texas. per that Tsipras’ pension and He was not alone, taking a – VAT announcements caught TNH Staff to overcome than drug addiction. of the outdoor-loving McVeigh for a long time – equally de - them off guard as the money is The article went viral, and the family who enjoyed sharing the voted wife, a British woman being taken from a primary sur - NEW YORK – Dr. Nicholas Kar - Post reported over 3.3 million wonders of nature with their chil - who bore him four children, plus that doesn't include interest daras, a highly-regarded addic - views of the article since it ap - dren in Marin County, CA. Sailing three of them who lived with on debt, the cost of running mu - tion expert and Executive Direc - peared on August 28. Parents and camping were among the the family in war zones and ISIS nicipalities, social security, state tor of the Dunes ―one of the worried about their own chil - outdoor adventures the family territory before she tired of it enterprises, and some military world’s top rehab facilities – pub - dren’s time on computers, lap - enjoyed. Indeed, mom Barbara and left, pregnant, to move in expenditures. lished an article in the New York tops, tablets, and other devices had gotten rid of the TV a quarter with his family and have a Greece had earlier indicated Post called “The Frightening Ef - wrote in to voice their concerns. of a century earlier, but her 9- fourth child he’s never seen. it would use any primary sur - fects of Digital Heroin,” based on On December 17, Dr. Kardaras year-old son was exposed to dig - Georgelas is a lost cause to plus cash to help pensioners but his book Glow Kids: How Screen wrote a follow-up article in the ital screens at school with edu - his family, his father said to jour - it was left at that, exasperating Addiction Is Hijacking Our Kids- Post about the response of par - cational games encouraged after nalist Graeme Wood, who grew the lenders. and How to Break the Trance. ents against their children’s digi - school in the first grade at one of up not far from Plano and wrote “We don’t understand The article discussed the exces - tal addiction, reminding all of the California’s “Distinguished in the Atlantic about the Ameri - whether that move was part of sive exposure of young children dangers such obsessions can Schools” and then at the homes can who became a key figure a strategy of blackmail, exerting to digital screens developing into wreak in people’s lives. for the world’s most notorious further pressure in a bid to push a digital addiction more difficult Kardaras offered the example Continued on page 8 terrorist organization and away the IMF, or if there was some other goal,” one European official told Kathimerini. Another official said he un - derstood the political advantage Paleologos Greek- for Tsipras of such a move which, however, “put in doubt the commitments of the Greek New PAC for American government” and proved the ar - gument of critics that any relief would lead Greece back into More Gr-Am Angels Dress spendthrift ways. BOTH WAYS MITSOTAKIS New Democracy chief Kyri - Candidates Needy Girls akos Mitsotakis told European Union leaders he is friendly to austerity reforms he told Greek Inspired by the career of his By Theodore Kalmoukos voters he'll fight against. brother, former state legislator Visiting Brussels – with his Nick Paleologos – as well as for - BOSTON, MA – Two Greek- party taking a growing lead over mer Gov. Mike Dukakis and the American women from Chicago, the faltering SYRIZA – Mitso - late U.S. Sen Paul Tsongas – Helene Frankos and Dorothy noted Massachusetts political Bezemes, have become the an - Continued on page 12 pollster David Paleologos has gels of love and dressing girls formed a new Greek Political ages 2 to 10 who are in need. Action Committee (PAC). This year, with the help of the The national political survey Philoptochos ladies of St. Basil specialist told the State House of Chicago and surrounding Panagiotis News Service he wants to get parishes made 1000 dresses from Greek-American candidates ex - scratch at the St. Basil Commu - cited about getting into public nity Center. They described this Liaropoulos: service again after Dukakis and phenomenon to The National Tsongas and a raft of others with Herald. Greek heritage blazed a trail. “It was in 2011 and I was Composer “It’s about encouraging watching Brian Williams inter - young Greek-American women viewing a woman, just a plain and men to run for office,” Pa - AP PHOTO/THANASSiS STAvrAkiS ordinary woman and I was fas - By Theodore Kalmoukos leologos told the SHNS about Selfies with Refugees cinated with her,” Bezemes said. the new group, of which he is “She was saying how she started BOSTON, MA – Dr. Panagiotis Chairman. He said, “There’s Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, center, takes selfies with unaccompanied refugee minors making dresses out of pillow Liaropoulos, professor at been kind of a void since Mike during an event organized by the Greek Parliament in Athens, Thursday, Dec. 22. Tsipras has cases for young girls in foreign Berklee College of Music in Dukakis left office,” and ran for promised to return the country to international bond markets in 2017, despite delays in a bailout countries who don’t have any - Boston, was awarded an impor - President in 1988.
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