Wikileaks Releases Show Greek Infighting a Letter to a Young
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This Sunday We Should All Be Present At the Greek Independence Day Parades in NY, Detroit, Tarpon Springs & San Francisco 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. 14, ISSUE 702 March 26-April 1, 2011 $1.50 A Letter to Wikileaks a Young Releases Godson: Show Greek Pride Infighting About the Greek Political suspicion, Independence corruption and Parade, The Meaning connections revealed of Being Greek in American cables By Spyros D. Orfanos ATHENS – Classified diplomatic cables from the U.S. Embassy Spyros D. Orfanos is the Clinic here to Washington that were Director of the NYU Postdoctoral released to the Greek newspaper Program in Psychotherapy and Kathimerini by the website Wik - Psychoanalysis. Unlike most of us, ileaks show deep infighting in he has taught thousands of young the ruling Greek political parties, people complex subjects in one of as well as mistrust between lead - America’s top schools. A very im - ers and their appointees. They portant job. On the other hand, also revealed American fears he is among the many hundreds over Greece’s handling of Islamic of thousands of fathers, godfathers fundamentalists, illegal immi - and grandfathers who have un - grants, the 20-year-old dispute dertaken the sacred task of con - over the issue of what to call the veying the values of Hellenism and Former Yugoslav Republic of what it means to be Greek to our Macedonia. They assert that for - community’s children. In the arti - mer Prime Minister Costas Kara - cle that follows, he shares with the pANAgiOTiS mAdAmOpOulOS mOrAriS manlis bungled the handling of readers of The National Herald Hail to Hellas! the disastrous 2008 Athens riots, what he would say today to his that his Foreign Minister Dora 10-year-old godson Dimitrios, It was a fitting place for the Greek flag – on the Monument to Philadelphia Museum of Art, to mark the Greek Independence Bakoyianni was soft on Cyprus, who is getting ready for the Greek George Washington by Rudolf Siemering (1897) in front of the Day parade that kicked off the season for Greek parades. and that corruption and connec - parade. tions are the only way to succeed in Greece. The documents, You asked me for advice on which also show fears the ter - how to prepare for marching up New York’s Greeks Ready to Party on Fifth Ave. rorist group Nov. 17 could res - Fifth Avenue next Sunday at the urrect itself and that the Greek Greek Independence Day Parade. higher education system was al - I know this is the fourth time you By Constantine S. Sirigos making critical contributions, all and Member of Parliament and lican of Florida, and Democrat most worthless. The cables were are marching with your Holy TNH Staff Writer thanks to the permanent struc - former minister Panos Pana - Carolyn Maloney of Astoria, co- especially embarrassing as they Trinity Greek Afternoon School ture that recruits and organizes giotopoulos, and other members chairs of the Congressional Hel - revealed American perceptions so I am not quite sure what to NEW YORK – Celebrating the the parade and related events, of the Greek Parliament. Along lenic Caucus, distinguished car - that Greek leaders were en - say to you. So here goes and if real Greek Independence Day – the Federation of Hellenic Soci - with the Greek and Cypriot diologist Dr. William Tenet, and trenched in a timeless system of this is too long and you get bored March 25 – closer to the real eties of Greater New York. There diplomatic corps and other broadcaster Dimitris Kastanas. catering to a long-held tradition and decide to distract yourself date this year, the New York is an additional ingredient that Greek and non-Greek digni - Elias Tsekerides is the Federa - of appeasing their constituencies by going outside and playing area’s Greek American commu - makes Greek parades in New taries, they will review thou - tion’s current President, and this – which ultimately led to the with your sisters, Katerina and nity is planning to show up in York a delight, the presence of sands of marchers from more year’s parade Co-chairmen are current economic near-collapse. Eleni, I will understand; I often the scores of thousands to the Evzones, the Presidential than 89 communities and orga - businessman Philip Christopher It showed the kind of internecine distract myself with books. march in, and watch, this year’s Guard of the Republic of Greece, nizations, 16 bands and 39 and Dr. Frixos Goussis, who political warfare that goes back Sometimes I wish I played more. parade on March 27, helped by who are flown in for the big floats. This year’s theme - in oversee the work of dozens to the ancient days of city states But even though you spend time an army of volunteers who are weekend and will be there again support of Greece’s vitally im - leading up the big event and the and the Peloponnesian Wars. playing like other children your critical to the preparation and this year despite the Greek eco - portant tourism sector during hundreds that make it unfold The documents portrayed Greek age do, I know that you are a execution of the event. And, like nomic crisis. Additional digni - one of the country’s most tur - beautifully and smoothly on pa - leaders as incapable, or unwill - mighty intelligent and capable a real army, the Greek Parade taries from Greece will include bulent economic times - is Visit rade day. Christopher an - ing, to take on the powerful or 10-year-old. You already know in New York has its generals the Deputy Foreign Minister Greece, a message that will ap - nounced at a recent Federation their constituencies even though some important things about the and soldiers, some of whom Dimitrios Dollis, and reportedly, pear on all floats. The Grand meeting that New York’s Mayor it has caused the near-ruination serve for decades and others New Democracy Party Vice Pres - Marshals will be Members of of the country. The cables con - Continued on page 7 who come and go, though still ident Dimitrios Avramopoulos Congress Gus Bilirakis, Repub - Continued on page 6 cerning Greece, most of them is - sued from the US Embassy in Athens over the past three or four years, also shed light on Washington’s assessment of Rich Greeks Rank on Prime Minister George Papan - dreou, his conservative prede - Forbes Billionaires List cessor Costas Karamanlis and Continued on page 13 Just weeks after The Na - widened his lead at No. 1 over tional Herald released its annual Microsoft’s Bill Gates. The rich - list of the 50 Wealthiest Greek est Greek in the world still is Americans, seven of them – Spyros Latsis, 64, and his family, along with two Greeks and one who ranked 219th with a total Fixing Canadian – ranked in Forbe’s net worth of $4.8 billion from magazine’s annual listing of bil - his dealings. Greek American lionaires, a report showing that George Fidias Mitchell, 91, of What Ails the Great Recession of 2008 that Woodlands, Texas came next at continues to linger for the work - 420th with a worth of $2.l7 bil - ing class and poor didn’t slow lion, a fortune earned in the en - Greece the growth of wealth among the ergy business. With a property super-duper uber rich. This of 2, 7 billion dollars. In the The problems that have year’s list broke records in size 459th place with a worth of nearly bankrupted Greece (1,210 billionaires) and total $2.5 billion is Filippos Niarchos, are well known: an un - net worth ($4.5 trillion). China 57, of Greece, a member of the competitive economy, doubled its number of 10-figure Board of Directors of the Mod - bloated public sector, run - fortunes, and Moscow now has ern Art Museum and a collect away tax evasion, unsus - more billionaires than any other of works of art. At number 651 tainable debt and $360 bil - city. Mexico’s Carlos Slim is 49-year-old Mike Lazaridis of lion deficit, corruption and Waterloo, Canada, co-founder a system where the politi - of the constructing company cally-favored benefit. Dr. For subscription: Blackberry, and Research in Mo - Aris Christodolou, a New 718.784.5255 tion, with $1.9 billion, tying York management consul - [email protected] Michael Zacharis of New York, TNH/COSTAS BEJ tant, offers some solu - who made his wealth in phar - Dancing the Greek Way tions. See: The Missing maceutical products. At 692 is Link – An Overdue Indus - John Catsimadities, 62, of New Students from local Greek schools dance in the neoclassical confines of Borough Hall at a cel - trial Policy for Greece, ebration of Greek Independence day sponsored by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, pages 10-11 Continued on page 9 who also honored six community members. 2 COMMUNITY THE NATIONAL HERALD, MARCH 26 - APRIL 1, 2011 Spotlight on: Demetra Tsavaris – Lecourezos GOINGS ON... n THRU MARCH 30 n MARCH 28 By Angelike Contis ment to making her husband’s fi - all of my grandparents were born NEW YORK, N.Y. – The spirit of MANHATTAN, N.Y. - The World TNH Staff Writer nal dreams come true is evident in the Dodecanese Islands of the greatest opera diva ever, Financial Crisis is the title of a as she works to see through an - Greece. My paternal ancestors Maria Callas, is recreated in an panel sponsored by the Consulate NEW YORK- As spring begins in other of their shared ideas, the are from Symi and my maternal exhibit of precious photos, 23 General of Greece in New York Tarpon Springs, Florida, Demetra new Young World Travellers, LLC are from Chalki.