:: APR 2010 $2.95 The Officers and Directors of the Hellenic American Bankers Association, Inc. are pleased to announce that Mr. James S. Chanos Founder & Managing Partner of Kynikos Associates is HABA's Executive of the Year for 2010 as HABA celebrates its 28th Anniversary of service to the Greek American community The Executive of the Year Award Dinner will take place at the Union League Club of New York 38 East 37th Street, New York, NY 10016 the evening of Thursday, May 13, 2010 6:15 pm Registration, 6:30 pm Reception, 7:30pm Dinner Admission is by prepaid reservation only and business attire is required Registration $250 per person all-inclusive Benefactor and Supporter Tables Available SEATING IS LIMITED: For your convenience please register online at www.HABA.org Καλό Πάσχα/Happy Easter! for additional information or questions, please email [email protected] or call HABA at +1 212 421-1057 Romancing the past :: magazine I told Ariana Savalas, our cover profile this month, that when I was a teenager living in Chicago and her father’s FOUNDED IN 2005 BY television show, Kojak, was then one of the biggest hits Demetrios Rhompotis on television and Greeks were swellingly-proud of Dimitri Michalakis having a star like Telly Savalas as their own, I heard that Kyprianos Bazenikas he planned to visit Chicago one of these days and I FROM THE EDITOR decided to pre-empt every other Greek in Chicago who Publishing would offer him their hospitality by inviting him to our Committee Chairman house first, and I sat down and wrote him a very long and fulsome letter, with :: magazine Demetrios Rhompotis sentiments that I thought, in my callow teenage sensibility, would be calculated to sway PUBLISHED MONTHLY IN NEW YORK [email protected] him. Editor in Chief: Mr. Savalas…May I call you Telly?...If you come over to our house we will have moussaka Dimitri C. Michalakis Director of Operations and my mother makes the best pastitsio…And you can stay the night if you want…I love Kyprianos Bazenikas [email protected] the stories you tell and the way you tell them…We will have wine…We will have [email protected] Features Editor music…We will invite all our friends—all Greeks—and many other of Chicago’s cultural Katerina Georgiou Marketing & elites, if you like (I was proud of remembering and inserting the word elite, though I [email protected] Advertising Director didn’t know who those “elites” might be and how you distinguished them and how I Lifestyle Editor Mary Politis would ever get up the nerve to invite any of them, once I knew them, to our apartment, Maria A. Pardalis (973) 610-8944 even for such a big star like Telly Savalas). [email protected] [email protected] Mercifully, Telly Savalas never took me up on my offer, and my letter must have been Western Region Desk one of the thousands he received every week, many from Greeks throughout the world Alexander Mizan Account Executive who thought they knew him just as personally as I did back in my burb in Chicago. But I [email protected] Emily Mihailidis did make contact, in my mind, with one of my heroes. Baltimore Desk (973) 713-9713 Georgia Vavas [email protected] Just as I made contact many years later after I put him on a pedestal with one of my [email protected] literary idols, Harry Mark Petrakis. I first heard his booming, orotund voice forever Photo/Fashion ATHENS - GREECE declaiming Petrakis maxims when I did a telephone interview with him for the National ETA Press Public Relations & Herald, and later got to know him for the fiercely-proud and committed artist he is [email protected] Marketing Director when I staged a play I wrote called The Petrakis Universe based on his life and work. He Graphic Design Margarita Vartholomeou didn’t like it much (he liked his stories uncut), but he loyally attended our reading in New NEOgraphics Inc. [email protected] York with his wife Diana, though he didn’t feel well, and he still allows me a place as an Adrian Salescu acolyte while I still consider him a literary mentor. Athens Desk It’s heartening to hear that Ariana Savalas is very much her father’s daughter (in acting Konstantinos Rhompotis and music and love of life) and that she’s an incurable romantic whose protean talent (01130) 210 51 42 446 SUBSCRIPTION CARD (01130) 6937 02 39 94 spills over into many styles and media. Her father inspired many of us, and perhaps she [email protected] will be an inspiration, as well, to some Greek kid in Chicago, or elsewhere in this wired world, who might send her an e-mail, or tweet, or “friend” her on Facebook, and might Check our website 1 Year Subscription www.neomagazine.com 10 Issues for $29.95 even get the thrill of a response. NEO Magazine Hronia Polla from all of us at NEO! is published monthly by NAME Neocorp Media Inc. P.O. Box 560105 College Point, NY 11356 Phone: (718) 554-0308 ADDRESS e-Fax: (718) 878-4448 Dimitri C. Michalakis [email protected] CITY STATE ZIP TELEPHONE# E-MAIL Check(pa yablet o NEOCORPMEDIA) MailT o: NEOCORP MEDIA P.O.Bo x 560105Colleg eP oint, NY 11356 VISA MASTER CARD AMEX NAME CARD# EXPIRATION DATE: SIGNATURE by Dr. John Brademas A Political Prognostication LOOKING TO NOVEMBER A big challenge facing Democrats going into Still, Democratic Congressman John One of the nation’s the November midterms is the retirement Sarbanes of Maryland was optimistic and of several prominent members of the cited the success of House Speaker Nancy most seasoned political House and Senate. Here I point to Senator Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. Evan Bayh of my native State of Indiana. The Democratic Caucus in the House is analysts is Charlie Cook, Yet the most recent analysis by Nate Silver large and diverse yet the House passed the publisher of The Cook of the polling website, FiveThirtyEight, is health care reform bill, the economic showing that Democrats should, with at stimulus package, a new expanded jobs Political Report, who is least 55 seats, maintain their majority in creation bill and energy legislation. the Senate. Republicans in the Senate, however, have predicting a tough In speaking with several current and abused the rules and traditions of that November midterm former Members of Congress and chamber to block action by the Democrats Administration officials, I find the theme there, creating a deteriorating political election for Democrats. they all touched on is that key to environment. November elections is the economy. Writing as I am, in early March, I think it In his ratings of The economic stimulus bill passed by likely that the health care reform bill will individual House races, Congress in 2009 helped stabilize the pass as will a new jobs creation bill and a economy and stop the loss of jobs. John financial industry reform measure. Such Cook lists 26 seats Podesta, who served as White House Chief actions will give the President and of Staff under President Clinton, suggests Members of Congress eight months to currently held by that President Barack Obama get out of communicate to voters their success in Washington, D.C. to connect with voters tackling one of the biggest challenges Democrats as either and make the case that actions by facing our country – health care – while at government can help jobs grow. the same time stabilizing the economy and likely to turn laying the foundation for new and Congressman Zack Space, Democrat of sustained growth. As my valued friend and Republican, or tossups; Ohio, who first won in 2006, represents a former colleague, Senator Paul Sarbanes of District with 16% unemployment. Maryland, told me recently, there is an another 28, although According to Congressman Space, his anti-incumbent mood in the air right now. leaning Democratic constituents are “moderate, independent “But”, he added, “next Fall is a long way and want reasonable, substantive action…. away.” presently, competitive. The American people want government to be responsive to their concerns. There is a Dr. Brademas served twenty-one years in To take control of the sense of urgency, but a lack of progress, the House of Representatives as a and people feel frustrated.” Democrat from Indiana and was appointed House, Republicans Majority Whip by Speaker Thomas P. “Tip” Part of this frustration has, of course, O’Neill. He is a president emeritus of New would need a net gain fueled the anti-government independent York University and founder of the John Tea Party movement, which has received so Brademas Center for the Study of Congress much attention in the press. 8 of 40 seats. at NYU. 0 1 s i 0 s 2 y l L a I n R a P A Congressman John Sarbanes, President of the President of the Federation of Hellenic American Hellenic Council of California President of Hellenic Medical Society, Dr. George NEO's Demetrios Rhompotis, Peter Parthenis, Societies NY Dimitrios Kalamaras with Michael Galanakis, former Senator Paul John and Mae Calamos with Archbishop Elina Mihalakis, Congressman Zach Space, State Tsioulias with National Commander of the President of Hational Hellenic Museum Aristotle Dr. Mary Marangos Sarbanes and a friend Demetrios of America Assemblyman Dimitrios Giannaros and a friend Archons of St. Andrew Dr. Anthony Limberakis Halikias and AHC President Michael Galanakis ON AMANTHA APPLET President Barack Obama, Prime Minister of Greece First Lady Michelle Obama greets O: S George Papandreou and Archbishop Demetrios of America Mrs.