O C V ΓΡΑΦΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ Bringing the news ΤΟΥ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΥ to generations of ΑΠΟ ΤΟ 1915 The National Herald Greek Americans A WEEKLY GREEK AMERICAN PUBLICATION c v www.thenationalherald.com VOL. 12, ISSUE 587 January 10, 2009 $1.25 GREECE: 1.75 EURO Art Agnos’ Harry Markopolos: The Legacy not Unheeded Prophet and Forgotten in His Report to the SEC San Fran By Evan C. Lambrou now, but for the longest time, he Special to The National Herald was the unheeded prophet, the whistle blower who was repeatedly Ex-Mayor on “Milk,” NEW YORK – Congress wants Har- ignored. ry Markopolos to testify about the Mr. Markopolos waged a re- Proposition 8 and latest investment scandal involving markable battle to uncover fraud at disgraced financier Bernard L. Mr. Madoff’s operation, sounding Being Shot in the Chest Madoff, who allegedly operated a the alarm back in 1999 and contin- hedge fund which cost investors uing with his warnings all through By Mark Frangos both here and abroad billions in this decade. Special to The National Herald what many observers are now call- Mr. Markopolos reached his ing a giant Ponzi Scheme. conclusions with the help of mathe- NEW YORK – In the new movie Congress is now looking into maticians like Dan di Bartolomeo, “Milk,” a biography of San Francis- how Mr. Madoff evaded federal whose analysis of Mr. Madoff’s co politician and gay activist Har- regulators who were tipped off for methods helped keep Mr. Markopo- vey Milk, Art Agnos (played by more than a decade, and held its los’ suspicions burning. American artist Jeff Koons) taught first public hearing on the Madoff “People should have seen the the title character (played by likely scandal this past Monday, January writing on the wall,” Mr. di Bar- Oscar nominee Sean Penn) a valu- 5, the same day Mr. Madoff was in a tolomeo told the Associated Press. able lesson. Even though they were New York courtroom answering But the government never act- political opponents in 1976 and prosecutors who alleged he violat- ed; Mr. Madoff continued his ways; running for the same seat in the ed his bail by mailing a million dol- and people lost billions. California State Assembly, Agnos’ lars in jewelry and assets to rela- Based on information from a va- critique of Milk's campaign speech- tives. riety of old and new media sources, es as “a downer” was a turning Mr. Markopolos (many people here is a brief rundown of Mr. point for his career. are inclined to think his last name is Markopolos: He is originally from “You talk about how you're Markopoulos, but it isn’t) was Erie, Pennsylvania; he received his gonna throw the bums out, but scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill bachelor’s degree from Loyola Col- how are you gonna fix things—oth- AP PHOTO/THANASSIS STAVRAKIS that day, too, but he told Congress lege in Maryland, and his master’s er than beat me? You shouldn't Greek Government Resuffling he was too physically worn down to in finance from Boston College; he leave your audience on a down,” testify Monday, citing a sinus infec- worked at Rampart Investment Agnos told Milk. Members of the new Cabinet of the Greek government, reach out to touch a bible as they are sworn in by tion. Management from 1991 through Despite losing to Agnos, Milk re- Archbishop Ieronymos, left, at the Presidential Palace in Athens on Thursday, January 8, 2009. The Congress readily agreed to 2004; and also worked as an inde- sponded by changing to a message Cabinet was sworn in, observed by President Karolos Papoulias, background right, and Prime Minister reschedule a meeting with Mr. pendent financial fraud investiga- of hope, leading him to become the Costas Karamanlis, background left. Karamanlis reshuffled his government following extensive riots last Markopoulos for an in-depth inter- tor. He is also a chartered financial first openly gay man elected to pub- month, retaining the interior minister, who had been criticized for the government's handling of the riots, view on the record later this month. lic office in San Francisco before he but dismissing the finance minister. (See related story on page 9). Mr. Markopolos is in demand Continued on page 4 was assassinated in 1978. Teaching Harvey Milk was one of Art Agnos’ many accomplish- ments during his time in California politics. He served in the State Leg- islature for 12 years before being Gunmen Shoot Police Officer in Athens elected Mayor of San Francisco in 1987. By Evan C. Lambrou Hundreds of police officers from a 9mm weapon and automat- Agnos was born in 1938 in Special to The National Herald gathered outside the hospital in ic rifles were fired at three riot po- Springfield, Massachusetts to im- Greece this past Tuesday, January licemen standing guard outside the migrant parents. NEW YORK – Greece’s worst civil 6, where the wounded policeman Culture Ministry. They also said the “Both my mother and father unrest in more than 30 years took was being treated after the shoot- victim spotted the gunmen, and were both and raised in Greece in yet another dangerous turn earlier ing attack, staging a silent vigil to managed to warn his colleagues small towns outside Pyrgos,” he this week after two gunmen carry- support their injured comrade. shortly before he was hit by two said. “My father came here when ing automatic weapons and linked The wounded officer, whom bullets – one in the chest, the other he was 15 to work building rail- to a far-left militant group shot a Hellenic authorities identified as in the leg. roads in the Midwest. After a few young riot police officer in central 21-year-old Diamandis Mantzou- The two men sprayed the police years he developed a business with Athens. nis, was listed in critical but stable unit with gunfire, according to Hel- his brothers running restaurants. The gunmen attacked a riot po- condition at press time. lenic police, who have frequently Then he returned to Greece and lice unit guarding the Greek Cul- Mr. Mantzounis was part of a come under attack from protesters married my mother.” ture Ministry early this past Mon- unit guarding the culture ministry throwing gasoline bombs and Agnos and his two younger sis- day morning, January 5, just one when the pre-dawn attack took Molotov cocktails during almost ters were raised in a very Greek day before the national celebration place on Monday. He was taken to three weeks of riots triggered by home. He attended St. George of Epiphany, seriously wounding the hospital and underwent the December 6 death of 16-year- AP PHOTO Greek Orthodox Church in Spring- the officer in an escalation of vio- surgery for two gunshot wounds, old Alexander Grigoropoulos in the Greek police and forensic experts investigate the scene of a gunfire field where he attended Greek lence after the fatal police shooting one to the thigh and one near the volatile Exarchia district, while and a hand grenade attack that severely injured a riot police officer in school and was an alter boy. of a teenager last month sparked shoulder. central Athens, Monday, January 5, 2009. In the background, bullet “I didn’t speak Greek until I was Greece’s worst riots in decades. Police said more than 30 shots Continued on page 9 holes can be seen in the wall of the National Archaeological Museum. five and went to public school,” he said. “When I went to kindergarten I was rejected because I couldn’t speak English. My father had to come to school with my birth cer- tificate to prove I was an American Social Networking Increasingly Popular in Greece John citizen. When they asked him why I couldn’t speak English, my father By Eleni Kostopoulos year. Is this surge in virtual corre- 2004 and 2008, concluding that institutional organization of con- Catsimatidis: spoke these immortal words, ‘I Special to The National Herald spondence merely a convenient, Greek internet users spend an aver- temporary Greek society,” he con- spent the first five years teaching beneficial means of communication age of three to four hours a week cluded from his research. “Greek It is becoming increasingly more or does it pose a serious threat to on Facebook updating their pro- young people due to their introver- Going From Continued on page 5 common to interact with our loved fundamental human interaction? files, posting photographs or en- sion, inordinately exaggerate the ones and acquaintances via the “I personally believe that online gaging in one of the many applica- objective difficulties and risks all Web and this nation-wide phenom- communication between Greeks tions offered. Facebook chat room, youth face, especially when they Supermarkets enon is rapidly spreading overseas. and Greek Americans can become said Papanis, is the most popular of are about to start their integration According to Inside Facebook, a site an effective way for preserving our applications, utilized by 45.5 per- process in the labor market. Within that tracks the social networking national identity, especially when cent of Greek users. the framework of the social capital to Oil A Greek service’s platform for marketers other ethnic groups are very active Papanis said that this growing of young people’s family and life and developers, Greece ranks 25th in defending their national rights involvement of Greek youth in vir- world, the young tend to undertake By Brian Baskin Rogue of the among the world’s most active through the Internet,” said Efstra- tual communities is attributed to a important initiatives mainly in the Wall Street Journal Facebook users.