House Rep Tsongas to Run for Reelection Greek-Americans Also
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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 NEWS c v A wEEkly GrEEk-AMEricAn PublicAtion www.thenationalherald.com VOL. 15, ISSUE 774 August 11-17, 2012 $1.50 House Rep Greek-Americans Also Tsongas to Represent Hellas and Run for Hellenism in London Reelection TNH Staff shield, or on it" when Tina’s body was ready to shut down. LONDON, England – Greece’s She told her sister by cellphone Redistricting May financial crisis left its Olympic that she could not possibly run athletes short of resources, but the remaining six miles to the Pose Challenges the Hellenic heart is still beating finish line. “Well can you walk?” To Her Campaign at the 2012 games in London, her sister asked. thanks both to the athletes who Tina did it. But that was only are competing – including her final challenge. By Constantine S. Sirigos Greek-Americans like marathon Kefalas is from San Fran- TNH Staff Writer runner Tina Kefalas and diver cisco, CA and a graduate of Christina Loukas – and to those USC, but her dream was to rep- NEW YORK – Countless Ameri- individuals and organizations resent the land of her ancestors. cans, Greeks and non-Greeks that have stepped up to the Her competitive philosophy is alike, were stirred to have a vi- plate to assist them. simple: “Winning isn't about sion of a better America by the A TALE OF TWO ATHLETES kicking everybody else's a**...it’s ideas and integrity of the great For Greeks watching the about kicking your own.” son of Lowell, MA Paul Tsongas. Games, the focus has shifted She qualified in April as the One of them is his wife, Con- from physical feats to acts of only Greek female marathon gresswoman Niki Tsongas. heart, generating pride and ap- runner, but she was not sure she She was elected to Congress preciation for the gutsy efforts would be able to participate. in 2007, and faces a strong re- of the Greek-Americans. The official government election challenge this Novem- Surely Kefalas must have had stipends to athlete had been cut, ber. Redistricting has moved the great Pheidippides in mind delayed or eliminated, but she 160,000 new voters into her dis- AP Photo/thAnAssis stAvrAkis during her run. He gave his life was able to find sponsors in the trict, and she is busy this sum- Warm Welcome for Israeli President Shimon Peres in the 26-mile run from the an- United States and Greece. mer sharing the Tsongas legacy cient battlefield by the sea In 2010 Kefalas ran Athens with them. Last week Tsongas Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, right, shakes hands with Israeli President Shimon Peres which gave its name to one of Classic Marathon in 2 hours 40 set aside some time to visit the during their meeting at Maximos mansion in Athens, on Aug. 6. Peres has started a three-day the world’s great sporting minutes and 36 seconds. All her offices of TNH. visit to Greece, at a time of heightened cooperation between the two Mediterranean countries. events. Kefalas pushed body and achievements would make her Paul’s heroic struggles Traditionally pro-Arab Greece has boosted ties with Israel in recent years, particularly after soul to their limits to finish the Greek ancestors proud, but they against non-Hodgkin’s lym- Israel's gradual falling-out with Greece's regional rival, Turkey. course after sustaining a serious are not abstractions for her. Ke- phoma, first diagnosed in 1984, injury to her gluteus muscles. falas’ grandfather was the first left powerful marks on the peo- Or perhaps her sister Agape Greek to win the 5,000-meter ple who knew him. Such battles quoted her the great Spartan ad- are never lost, because the peo- monition, "come back with your Continued on page 9 ple they inspire continue the Coalition Dissent over New Layoffs fight. Tsongas helped her husband run a campaign that many say By Andy Dabilis the line on firing public workers There were rumblings that defined the national debate that TNH Staff Writer or further decreasing pensions. some Democratic Left and PA- year. Paul was ahead of his time, The Troika had warned that SOK members might bolt if their and his wife now leads the ATHENS – Struggling to meet any attempt to tinker with re- leaders consented to the scheme charge on issues that are even the demands of international forms or fail to make more cuts to put as many as 75,000 work- more critical after the 2007 fi- lenders to make another $14.16 could lead to the last installment ers in a so-called labor reserve nancial crisis, especially the cru- billion in cuts, Greece’s uneasy of a first rescue package of $153 pool under which they would cial economic issues of compet- coalition government is wran- billion – a $38.8 billion payment be immediately laid off with a itiveness and fiscal gling over Prime Minister Anto- next month – being withheld 40 percent pay cut and be fired responsibility. nis Samaras’ plans to lay off and jeopardize the second in a year. The Troika wants the Regarding globalization and scores of thousands of public bailout. workforce reduced by 150,000 its challenges, “it’s been a long workers this year, although Samaras’ New Democracy workers over the next two years. time coming, but its effects are there seems to be agreement Conservatives are ruling, but Kouvelis noted that the idea particularly pronounced now,” that workers, pensioners, and only with the consent of its part- of a labor reserve pool had been she said. the poor will again bear the ners and rivals, the PASOK So- proposed by a previous govern- She is focused on boosting brunt of new austerity mea- cialists under former finance ment but abandoned in the face American competiveness and sures. minister Evangelos Venizelos, of unwilting opposition from manufacturing. She noted “Paul Samaras, who has back- and the tiny Democratic Left led workers and labor unions. He tuned in on manufacturing,” tracked on his vow to renegoti- by Fotis Kouvelis. The Leftist called it a “fiasco,” but there and she believes “putting in ate the terms of a pending sec- leaders, who have acceded to were reports that while Venize- place policies that support those ond bailout of $173 billion from Samaras on most issues, said the los and Kouvelis are publicly de- who make it in America remains the Troika of the European laying off of public workers – nouncing the idea that privately critically important.” Union-International Monetary their core constituency – was a they may be willing to go along, EPA/kEriM oktEn She has some large manufac- Fund-European Central Bank “red line” they would not cross as they have with other de- Spiridon Lebesis of Greece competes in the Men's Javelin Throw turers in her district that are (EU-IMF-ECB) has also now for fear of alienating their own Qualification Group A at the London 2012 Olympic Games Ath- highly innovative. “They are changed his mind not to hold members. Continued on page 9 letics, Track and Field events at the Olympic Stadium. here because they made a deci- sion to stay here. They could have easily outsourced. They say every decision after their big decision in geared to staying Greek Banker Moved His Money out of Greece Greek Frack- here. As a country we need to have policies that support those decisions,” she told TNH. Financial Times I come back to Athens,” Mr Pan- Greece had given details of such ernment’s decision to privatise ing Pioneer Tsongas said the research talakis told the FT from his villa transactions to the tax authori- the bank, arguing that it could and development tax credit is a A political row has erupted on the Aegean island of Paros. ties. be turned around with a €4.6bn very important way that a gov- in Athens after the former head He is expected to testify on his “Nobody has suggested Mr capital injection from the Hel- Is Pro-Regs ernment can partner with inno- of a big Greek state bank admit- three years at the helm of ATE- Pantalakis sent the funds abroad lenic Financial Stability Fund, a vators but that is due to expire. ted to transferring €8m of per- bank before a parliamentary illegally ... But there is clearly vehicle for recapitalising Greek She tells entrepreneurs “we un- sonal savings abroad to buy a committee at the end of August, an ethical issue since he was lenders using funds from its sec- By Christopher Helman derstand you have to constantly London property months before said a person with knowledge serving as the head of a big state ond €174bn bailout package. Forbes his Agricultural Bank headed to- of the dispute. bank at time of financial and A government official said Continued on page 3 wards insolvency. Dozens of wealthy Greeks, economic crisis,” said a Greek Greece came under pressure Going to see George Phydias Theodoros Pantalakis, former among them politicians, bankers banker who declined to be iden- from the European Commission Mitchell feels kind of like a pil- chief executive of Greece’s Agri- and shipowners, have bought tified. and European Central Bank to grimage. It was Mitchell who in cultural Bank (ATEbank), high-end properties in London Mr Pantalakis stepped down split ATEbank into a “good” and the 1990s, as the wildcatting strongly denied any wrongdo- in the past three years seeking from ATEbank last month when a “bad” bank and sell its healthy boss of Mitchell Energy & De- Exiting Amb.