23 August 2009
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
THE GREEK AUSTRALIAN The oldest circulating Greek newspaper outside VEMA Greece AUGUST 2009 Tel. (02) 9559 7022 Fax: (02) 9559 7033 E-mail: [email protected] OUR PRIMATE’S VIEW THE IMMUNITY OF THE PRIVATELY-OWNED MEDIA (Part 2) PAGES 5/27 - 6/28 GREEKS OF THE WORLD Man is what he eats A few steps in tackling UNITE “childhood obesity”. PAGE 3/25 Even though parliament is closed for the summer recess, its ordinarily quiet corridors were filled earlier this month with the multicultural sights and sounds of some of the world’s leading lawmakers - all the sons, daughters and grandchildren of Greek immigrants. More than 100 foreign parliamentarians and ministers of Greek origin attended the high-profile general assembly of the World Hellenic Inter-Parliamentary Association, held be- tween July 29 and August 2. Coming from as far away as North America, Australia and Zimbabwe, members of this association, established in 1996, were welcomed by Greek parliamentarians, including Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and Culture Minister Anto- nis Samaras. During the general assembly’s opening session on July 30, parliament became a virtual turnstile of Greek politicians paying tribute to the accomplishments of Greeks abroad The opening session of the World Hellenic Music Alive 2009 and the diaspora’s role in bolstering Greece’s image on the Inter-Parliamentary Association’s general assembly world stage. The Greek Experience “It is with great emotion and high expectations that we re- The most important concerns the return of the Parthenon ceive the worthy members of the Greek community from Marbles. The Greek Orthodox Youth Orchestra abroad who have been elected in the parliaments of their Other resolutions focused on helping the Greek minority in of Brisbane will present their second countries,” Bakoyannis said. “There is no doubt that the Albania gain the “appropriate” recognition from the Albanian Greek community abroad has a major multiplier effect for government, while another resolution focused on efforts to Music Alive concert - The Greek expe- solve the Fyrom name issue with the help of the United Na- rience - on 10 October 2009. Greece. There is no doubt that you have been building strong bridges of friendship and cooperation between our tions. PAGE 18/40 country and other states.” The general assembly also called on Greece’s neighbour The next general assembly will be held in 2011. Turkey to admit to the Pontian genocide during Ottoman rule. The general assembly adopted a number of resolutions. ATHENS NEWS 10/08/2009 The New Acropolis Museum Raising the bar on cultural morality Rhodes Living up the romantic dream This longtime destination offers abundant natural beauty and an impressive heritage. PAGES 10/32 - 11/33 PAGE 17/39 The Greek Australian VEMA AUGUST 2009 2/24 TO BHMA This Day Political calculus behind IInn HHiissttoorryy presidential elections Judging by the tenor of the August 24, 79 political debate between rul- Karolos Papoulias Vesuvius erupts ing New Democracy and main opposition Pasok, the biggest After centuries of dormancy, Mount problem facing Greece at the Vesuvius erupts in southern Italy, moment is who will be the devastating the prosperous Roman c- next president of the Hellenic ities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and Republic. killing thousands. The cities, buried un- But really, the debate is der a thick layer of volcanic material about when general elections and mud, were never rebuilt and will be held, and on whose largely forgotten in the course of his- terms. tory. In the 18th century, Pompeii and To be re-elected, President Herculaneum were rediscovered and Karolos Papoulias (photo) in excavated, providing an unprecedent- March must garner the sup- ed archaeological record of the every- port of three-fifths of parlia- ment. day life of an ancient civilization, star- Dimitris tlingly preserved in sudden death. But Pasok leader George Papandreou intends to deny Tsatsos August 31, 1997 the popular sitting president his majority, thereby trigger- government to turn a page New Democracy’s decided- constitutional guarantees and Princess Diana ing snap polls. Only after the after its June electoral defeat, ly rightwing, law-and-order a- individual freedoms have general election would Pa- and to ply on with needed re- genda since its defeat in the been compromised for the dies pandreou then back Papou- forms. A reshuffle would like- June 7 European Parliament sake of security and political lias. ly aim to rally the ND troops elections has drawn a flurry gain. Diana, Princess That strategy has for weeks until March elections. of opposition criticism that ATHENS NEWS of Wales, dies in now drawn strong attacks Paris' Pitie-Salpe- from the government. The tiere Hospital af- government’s spokesman as ter suffering mas- well as several New Democ- sive chest injuries racy MPs have accused Pa- in an early morn- pandreou of “playing with in- ing car accident. stitutions”, a reference to the Her companion, country’s highest office. Dodi Fayed, was The same criticism carried killed instantly in a more potent sting when the 12:25 a.m. crash, as was driver levelled by Dimitris Tsatsos Henri Paul, who was drunk and lost (photo), a constitutional law control of the Mercedes in a highway professor and former Pasok underpass. He was driving at exces- MEP, in a July 19 interview in sive speeds in a reckless attempt to the Sunday Kathimerini news- escape paparazzi photographers. The paper. death of Diana, beloved by millions for Tsatsos launched a frontal her beauty and good nature, plunged attack on Papandreou’s strat- the world into mourning. egy, asserting that the consti- tution (article 32) calls for par- September 2, 1969 liament’s dissolution only in the event of a “true inability to First ATM opens for achieve an enhanced parlia- mentary majority for a presi- business dential candidate”. The din over the presiden- On this day in 1969, America's first tial election next year has automatic teller machine (ATM) makes served to overshadow, per- its public debut, dispensing cash to haps intentionally, several customers at Chemical Bank in crucial domestic and foreign Rockville Centre, New York. ATMs policy issues that are much went on to revolutionize the banking more immediate. These in- industry, eliminating the need to visit a clude reported plans for new bank to conduct basic financial trans- autumn tax hikes to rein in a actions. By the 1980s, these money burgeoning budget deficit. machines had become widely popular Though there is still specu- and handled many of the functions lation that Prime Minister previously performed by human Kostas Karamanlis may call tellers, such as check deposits and snap elections in the autumn, money transfers between accounts. recent polls showing Pasok Today, ATMs are as indispensable to- as much as five percentage most people as cell phones and points ahead of ND are gen- e-mail. erally thought to render that prospect unlikely. More recently, there has been talk of a sweeping cab- inet reshuffle around the end of this month, which propo- nents in ND say will allow the AUGUST 2009 The Greek Australian VEMA TO BHMA 3/25 Editorial gion were no longer confined to the roles established them, to deal with its weaknesses and to determine Greece, Turkey, Russia by the Cold War. Unfortunately, Greece found itself ab- new strategies and tactics. A country can be strong and sorbed by the efforts of a small northern neighbor to self-confident only when its economy and society are and the United States gain international recognition with the name “Macedo- strong and when it is a valuable ally on the basis of mu- nia.” tual interests, not as the result of pleas for assistance. Ten years after the sudden thaw in Greek-Turkish re- Instead of using its unique weight as a longtime mem- lations - when killer earthquakes in each country al- ber of NATO and the EU to forge new alliances in the ATHENSPLUS lowed their peoples to reach out to each other after region and influence developments, Greece spent all its decades of tension - it is disheartening to see the main diplomatic capital in the EU and the Balkans scrambling Who will capture sources of friction remain unchanged. to prevent recognition of “Macedonia.” The Cyprus problem is unsolved, Turkey misses no If Athens had quickly solved the problem through a the truth? opportunity to challenge Greece’s sea and territorial compromise, it would have had the time and energy to rights in the Aegean and the Turkish government now deal effectively with Turkey and the Cyprus problem. plans to explore for oil in the eastern Mediterranean The result is that none of these fronts looks likely to For 35 years, we have suffered with that grizzly mo- near Cyprus. close anytime soon. And Greece has lost its compara- ment in the history of the Hellenic people, captured in a Greece’s advantage in the years since Turkey invad- tive advantage because, in the meantime, most coun- photograph by a Turkish photojournalist. ed Cyprus in 1974 has been the strength of Greek- tries in the region have joined NATO and have either be- Five Greek Cypriots, prisoners of war, unarmed, American support and its membership in the European come full members of the EU (such as Bulgaria and Ro- kneeling with their hands behind their heads, encircled Union (since 1981). Its membership of NATO, which set mania) or are on their way to accession. by Turkish soldiers. it way above its other Balkan neighbors, was not an ad- A closer relationship with Russia was expected to And then silence; and darkness. vantage over Turkey, as both countries became mem- make up for some of the lost diplomatic capital.