S o C V ΓΡΑΦΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ Bringing the news W ΤΟΥ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΥ to generations of E ΑΠΟ ΤΟ 1915 The National Herald Greek- Americans N c v A wEEKly GREEK-AmERICAN PUblICAtIoN www.thenationalherald.com VOL. 16, ISSUE 810 April 20-26, 2013 $1.50 Patriarch Boston’s Greek-Americans Speak about the Deadly Explosions Unhappy Community Shaken In the Aftermath of With Lax Marathon Attacks Demetrios By Theodore Kalmoukos TNH Staff Writer By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON, MA – The Greek- TNH Staff Writer American Community of Boston is deeply shaken, sorrowful, and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartho - certainly troubled by the deadly lomew, speaking from Constan - bombing at the Marathon’s fin - tinople, expressed for the first ish line on April 15. Business - time disappointment toward man Thanasis Haberis was very Archbishop Demetrios of Amer - close to the point that the sec - ica for not responding to a Pa - ond bomb exploded. Luckily, he triarchal invitation to send was not injured because just young men and women from minutes before the explosion he the Greek-American community had entered a restaurant with to participate in a conference his friends to have lunch. honoring one of Greece’s major “I can’t believe that they hit poets Konstantinos Cavafy, a na - the Marathon,” Haberis told tive of the city. TNH. He said that “I was there Bartholomew told the news - with some friends of mine just paper Apogevmatini of Constan - outside of the Abe & Louie’s tinople that “we desired and we restaurant watching the tried to achieve to have repre - Marathon. At some point we got sentatives from the Greek-Amer - hungry and went into the ican community, at least a few restaurant to have some lunch, children. AP Photo/EURoKINISSI so just minutes later, the first Unfortunately, no proper in - 29 Migrant Strawberry Pickers In Greece Shot and Wounded By Foreman over Pay Dispute explosion took place. Initially, I terest or enthusiasm was shown thought it was those steam ex - and thus we are deprived of the Unidentified migrant workers receive first aid at the Medical foreman opened fire on them with a shotgun, police said. The hausts from underground but joy to welcome the representa - Center of Varda, in Greece on Wednesday, April 17. Twenty- incident occurred near the village of Manolada about 160 miles 15 seconds later another explo - tives from the great Greek- nine migrant strawberry pickers, most of them from west of Athens. Greek officials are promising "swift and exem - sion just went off near us. We American community.” Bangladesh, were shot and wounded in a pay dispute after a plary" punishment for three strawberry plantation foremen. saw people running, bloody He added that “it would have men, women, and children. been good for our children from Panic, sirens went, off and blood America to see that there are was all around. We couldn’t not only memories in Constan - leave, there was no way to es - tinople, or a museum or rem - Boston Surgeon Velmahos Saved Marathon Victims cape. A friend managed to go nants from the past, but there across the street to the Man - is a live Greek Community that darin Hotel and he saw a human can organize conferences such By Theodore Kalmoukos injured patients and there was exploded in a low level or ap - he was not aware of any Greek- body part that probably belongs as this one.” TNH Staff Writer no problem at all.” parently it was placed on the American victims. to a small girl. People who had The patriarch read Cavafy’s He said that “we received 31 ground and its energy spread on Velmahos performed four been injured were trying to get noted work, Thermopylae, dur - BOSTON, MA – Greek-Ameri - patients in total out of which 12 the lower parts of the body and surgeries. He said that “the away. Also, injured people were ing the session of the conference can surgeon Dr. George C. of were admitted and stayed in that’s why we saw people with paramedics did an excellent job transported to the hospitals in at the Halki Theological School. Velmahos, Division Chief of the and the rest of them had sec - terrible injuries in the lags in assisting the injured. They ordinary cars and also in police He said that, “The poet’s descent trauma unit at the renowned ondary injuries. Thank God they which couldn’t be saved.” separated very correctly the sev - cars. We became so afraid and from Alexandria and Constan - Massachusetts General Hospital, were cared for a few hours and He also said that “unfortu - ered injured from the less criti - we departed headed towards tinople formed his ecumenical helped saved the lives of many were sent home.” He also said nately we had to amputate four cal and transported them di - the river because we feared of personality and his poetry.” wounded in the terrorist bomb - that “8 of those 12 had severe patients. There was no other rectly to the hospital. Five of the probable existence of more Bartholomew said that he be - ings at the Boston Marathon fin - injuries. They had major surg - way to because essentially their them required surgery immedi - bombs.” gan reading Cavafy as a student ish line that killed three people eries and were kept in the In - legs were hanging from some ately. So, five surgeons went Haberis praised the emer - – as Demetris Archontonis – and on April 15. tensive Care Unit.” skin and muscles.” He added: into five operating rooms and I gency personnel. He said still does today. Thirteen public In an interview with TNH, As far as the type of the in - “We were able to save the legs was coordinating the entire ef - “within five minutes all the re - and private schools with 150 Velmahos said that, “The MGH’s juries, he said “they were mostly of the rest of the patients.” He fort. I did one surgery and then spondents were there.” He also Trauma Center was completely injuries of the legs” and added said the age of the injured pa - Continued on page 6 ready to receive and treat the that “it seems that bomb was tients ranged from 28 to 71, and Continued on page 4 Continued on page 4 Calamos is Detroit’s Greek-Americans Beaming with Pride Greek Govt: Cautiously By Constantine S. Sirigos Reforms, but TNH Staff Writer Optimistic DETROIT, MI – The Greek- Tax Relief American communities of De - troit, MI and its environs gath - By Yannis Sophianou ered to celebrate Greek Planned,Too TNH Staff Writer Independence Day and their Hellenic heritage with a parade By Andy Dabilis ATHENS – John Calamos, the through downtown that culmi - TNH Staff Writer noted Greek-American money nated in a rally in historic Greek - manager and investor, is guard - town on April 14. ATHENS – Prime Minister An - edly optimistic about Greece. The Greek Consul Joanna tonis Samaras, confident that The chairman and chief execu - Efthymiadou kept a promise to Greece can begin to recover in tive officer of Calamos Invest - be in the city just north and 2014 as more international ments said questions remain re - across the Detroit river from loans are set to keep coming, main regarding Greece as a Canada for a historic weekend, said he will stick to harsh re - destination for international in - which included the grand open - forms in return but that he vestment when he spoke at a ing of the Hellenic Museum of wants to convince creditors to conference that is part of the Michigan that tells the story the lower the Value Added Tax Economist magazine’s Europe Hellenes who have been in the (VAT) from 23 to 15 percent Unbound conference series. area for more than 100 years. across the board. In a conversation with TNH, Metropolitan Nicholas and The tax is cutting deeply into he pointed out that although the organizers of the parade, the the ability of key sectors, such Greece is changing, it is happen - Detroit Greek Independence Day as restaurants and taverns as ing slowly and stressed the need Committee expressed their ap - part of the tourist business, to for the state to make important preciation for the ebullient stay alive and cut expected rev - changes,for it not to be so in - diplomat whose colleagues rep - enues despite a big hike as many trusive, and to implement the resented Greece at the parade Greeks buried under pay cuts, laws that have already been held the same day in Chicago. tax hikes, and slashed pensions passed. The marchers included chil - tNh/C. SIRIGoS have slowed spending almost to The conference was titled Not everyone in Detroit’s Greek Parade donned traditional costumes, but the ancient warrior a standstill. “Overcoming Stagnation: Re-ig - Continued on page 6 that preceded the contingent of the Pan-Macedonian Association USA won applause. With hopes that the tourism niting Greece’s Potential” and industry could rebound from a he participated on the panel that disappointing 2012 when peo - addressed the question of ple spooked by constant images whether faith can be restored in of protests, strikes, and riots Europe, the Eurozone, and Germans Ok Greeks’ Dream is Realized in Detroit stayed away in droves, Samaras Greece. is eager to hold down unrest He posed a series of critical and find ways to bring in busi - questions on the panel and to Euro Bailout DETROIT, MI – The Greek- peatable, it is who we are and ness and boost employment to the TNH. “My father was born American community of Detroit how we understand ourselves.” counter a record 27.2 percent in Greece; he went to the United For Cyprus celebrated both its heritage and He added: “That offering here jobless rate.