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. 15, ISSUE 775 August 18-24, 2012 $1.50 Astoria Dr. is Charged Samaras Sets to Implement Additional Austerity With Practicing with New Measures to Affect the Workers, Revoked MD License Pensioners, Poor By Constantine S. Sirigos tive bodies and courts have de - By Andy Dabilis TNH Staff Writer cided against his client, the NY TNH Staff Writer State Attorney General and the NEW YORK – Greek-American press “were unaware that the ATHENS – With a deadline physician Harry Theodore Josi - decision to revoke his license looming to convince interna - fidis was arrested at his Astoria was modified by our seeking tional lenders that he can pro - office on August 9 for allegedly leave to re-argue the case… duce $14.16 billion in cuts to practicing medicine after his li - there is another motion that is keep rescue loans coming, cense had been revoked. He was pending and still has not been Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’ arraigned the following day on decided by the Court of Ap - uneasy coalition government is one count of Unauthorized Prac - peals.” He said that continues set to impose yet harsher aus - tice of a Profession, a felony, but the stay and that the license is terity measures on the most vul - the doctor and his attorney vig - still valid. nerable part of Greek society: orously denied the charge to As of August 14, however, workers, pensioners, and the TNH. the position of the Attorney poor. The case is being investi - General’s office is that Josifidis Samaras is under intense gated by the Attorney General’s was informed on May 15 that pressure from the Troika of the Medicaid Fraud Unit but the his license would be revoked on European Union-International New York Post, which broke the May 26. Attorney General Eric Monetary Fund-European Cen - story, reported that Josifidis, 56, T. Schneiderman issued a state - tral Bank (EU-IMF-ECB,) which “lives on Manhattan’s East Side ment saying, “Practicing medi - is withholding a second bailout and has three offices in cine without a license is a very – this one for $173 billion – until Queens,” and “it took a pair of serious crime in New York State, he administers more reforms. handcuffs to make this doctor and we will seek accountability Greece is also waiting for the stop practicing his bad medi - from anyone who puts the pub - last installment of a first series cine…The Mercedes-driving lic in danger by breaking the of $152 billion in rescue loans, doctor said little as detectives law.” some $38.8 billion, next month, hauled him away.” Josifidis, who graduated in AP PHOTO/PETrOS GiANNAkOuriS without which the country Josifidis’ attorney, Nathan 1981 from the Aristotle Univer - Tourists take pictures next to the ruins of the 5th century B.C. Temple of Poseidon at Cape won’t be able to pay its workers Dembin, told TNH “there were sity of Thessaloniki’s school of Sounion, south of Athens, on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2012. Greece held its biggest debt sale since its and pensioners. no findings whatsoever – and I Medicine, spoke with TNH as he economy imploded two years ago as it raised euros4.06 billion ($5.01 billion) in short-term debt Under the gun to produce re - want to make it clear – of any was preparing to visit Greece. to pay off a bond due next week. sults, the government said it quality of care issues…no find - He insisted on his innocence, was imposing a moratorium on ings of negligence, gross negli - saying his license was valid and spending for everything except gence, malpractice, incompe - that he was not so crazy as to salaries and pension benefits, tence of anything like that.” practice without a license. He freezing more than $8.1 billion The Post article also focused told TNH the judge released him August 18, 1917: Great Fire of Salonika due to suppliers and vendors, on clerical rather than medical on his own recognizance and and is readying to lower the issues: “Josifidis, who has a without bail on August 3. boom again with more austerity long, ugly history with state He will return in time for a By Marcia Haddad- of the city, as a refugee was fry - toman Empire, densely over - measures. medical regulators, lost his li - scheduled meeting with the Ikonomopoulos and ing eggplant when the pan crowded with ancient wooden Samaras’ difficulties were cense and was fined $20,000 af - judge in September. Robert Bedford turned over and quickly caught structures. Major fires in the compounded by news that the ter being charged in 2010 with THE INVESTIGATION fire. A simple start to what 1890s and in 1910 had nearly country’s economy shrank by 15 counts of professional mis - Dembin said that in 2010 he August 18 marks the 95th would become a devastating de - devastated portions of the town, 6.2 percent in the second quar - conduct, including fraud and was brought up on 15 charges, anniversary of the Great Fire in struction, not only of physical but the Fire of 1917 was to ter as the pay cuts, tax hikes, failing to maintain proper pa - 14 of which were dismissed. He Salonika (Thessaloniki). The structures but, also, of human prove, by far, the most destruc - and slashed pensions insisted tient records…He fought to explained, “This is an adminis - central portion of the city actu - lives. While few would be killed tive one in the history of the city. upon by the Troika in return for keep his license for more than trative process, started by the ally destroyed by the fire was by the fire (a group of drunken Salonika was already over - rescue loans have backfired, cre - two years, taking the case all Bureau of Professional Medical only about a mile and a quarter French soldiers were reportedly crowded by an increase of ating 23.1 percent unemploy - the way to the state Court of conduct, the prosecutorial arm in length and a little over half a burned alive in a wine-shop), refugees who had fled into the ment – 54.9 percent for those Appeals, which eventually of the Department of Health.” mile in width but the general 49% of the total population of city during the Balkan Wars of under 25 - as beleaguered turned the doc away.” “Josifidis was found guilty of loss was as immeasurable as to the city was left homeless, the 1912-13, with many more es - Greeks have nearly stopped The latter information was one thing, basically, billing for defy all imagination. greater majority of them, Jews. caping atrocities committed by spending. challenged by Josifidis’ attorney, services that were performed by The fire had started on a Sat - Over the centuries Salonika the Austrian, Bulgarian and With no news about going af - Nathan Dembin, who told TNH urday afternoon in a little was constantly plagued by fire, that although other administra - Continued on page 5 wooden house in the upper part as were most cities in the Ot - Continued on page 8 Continued on page 9 Poor Get Poorer: Financially The Lives of Europe’s Youth: First Stop, Greece Struggling European Nations ATHENS (AP) – Meet AP's Class of 2012: five talented and vi - brant university graduates who Find it Hard to Fund Athletes face a rocky future as they emerge from the cocoon of stu - By Bruce Orwall, David Greece and Spain are likely to dent life and head into the worst Enrich, Paul Sonne, and leave London with fewer medals economic crisis Europe has seen Patricia Kowsmann than in 2008 and face dimmer since the end of World War II, The Wall Street Journal prospects as funding cuts bite one that threatens to engulf an hard on the road to 2016. entire generation. They're ex - The economic crisis hitting The four countries that have cited. They're scared. They're full Europe's most troubled nations been recipients of high-profile of hope. And full of uncertainty. hasn't spared their Olympic per - international bailouts collected The Associated Press will fol - formance. Portugal, Ireland, a total of 27 medals, and six low them over the next 12 gold medals in Beijing. Heading months as their lives unfold in into the final two days of com - the crisis — through text, photo petition in London, they so far and video dispatches, as well as have 18 total medals and three webcam diaries and tweets Elpidoforos: gold. Italy, which hasn't received straight from the graduates a bailout but is similarly trou - themselves. The tapestry of their bled, had 27 total and 8 gold in lives will help illuminate the Halki is Close Beijing compared with 20 total story of Europe's crisis itself, as and seven gold here so far. their futures are shaped by the Joel Gonzalez Bonilla of continent's soaring youth unem - To Reopening Spain celebrates winning the ployment, corrosive debt, migra - Men's -58kg Taekwondo final tion trends and aging popula - match against Daehoon Lee of tion. By Theodore Kalmoukos Korea. EURO CRISIS DEVASTATING The road will get more diffi - FOR ITS YOUTH BOSTON, MA – The Theological cult. As governments cut sports Europe's turmoil has pro - School of Halki of the Ecumeni - budgets, they are expected to found implications for the future TNH/COSTAS BEJ cal Patriarchate is ready to open compete in fewer sports and fo - In this photo taken Saturday, June 30, Athina Prassa poses for a photograph during an interview its doors as soon as the Turkish cus funding on elite athletes in Continued on page 8 with The Associated Press at her apartment in the Agios Panteleimonas area of Athens.