By Theodore KalmoukosSpecial to The National Herald

BOSTON – The Church inAmerica needs to think of itself asa Church that is always ready toadapt to the context in which Shefinds Herself, as a Church in a con-stant state of mission, according toHis Eminence ArchbishopDemetrios of America.

In an interview with the Nation-al Herald, the Archbishop dis-cussed the upcoming Clergy-LaityCongress in Nashville, Tennessee.His Eminence, who will presideover the 38th Congress, empha-sized that the biennial event af-fords the Church’s membershipwith an opportunity to get togeth-er and strengthen bonds throughtogetherness.

He also discussed the major is-sues facing the Church: e.g., Arch-diocese finances; family and inter-faith marriages; Hellenic educa-tion in America; and the overalldirection in which he thinks theChurch is going.

The Archbishop noted that theArchdiocese debt has decreasedfrom $9.8 million to $7 million,and said the debt should eventual-ly be resolved, although he did notspecify which measures will be tak-en to do that: “I do not want to saythat there will be any earth-shak-ing announcements, but substan-tial steps will be taken.”

His Eminence cited that 65-80percent of Church marriages areinterfaith marriages. “Automati-cally, the next generation and thegeneration after that will comefrom these marriages, and in thisrespect, much work and a great

deal of care is needed,” he said, sothe Clergy-Laity in Nashville willdiscuss this issue extensively.

Regarding Hellenic education,the Archbishop said there is aneed to expand teacher-trainingprograms and improve teachersalaries.

He referred to the recentSWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses,Opportunities & Threats) Survey,an Archdiocese initiative, to re-view and evaluate Archdiocesanministries and programs to helpcreate a smoother and more effi-cient national outreach, and to de-velop a strategic plan for theGreek Orthodox Archdiocese ofAmerica.

The Archbishop also made itclear that he is not planning to re-tire any time soon. “An archbishopdies on his throne in active duty,”he said. The full text of the inter-view is published below:

TTNNHH:: Your Eminence, wouldyou please tells us your thoughtsabout the upcoming Clergy LaityCongress?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: I anticipate thisClergy-Laity Congress with specialjoy and eagerness because it willgive us the opportunity to get to-gether with our clergy and laity,our brother hierarchs, our priestsand our laymen for a common dis-cussion, presence and study of theissues concerning our Church. Weare going to have the opportunityto further unite with one another,and to look, in a more organizedway, at the future that lies in frontof us, which is always bright for ourblessed Orthodox Church.

AP/PHILIPPOS CHRISTOU

By Liana SideriSpecial to the National Herald

NEW YORK - The StavrosNiarchos Foundation made twosubstantial donations recently, oneto the newly renovated IntensiveCare Unit of the Panagiotis &Aglaia Kyriakou Children's Gener-al Hospital and another to the newNational Gallery for Sculpture,both located in Athens.

Hellenic Republic PresidentKarolos Papoulias attended the in-auguration of the new ICU at thehospital commonly known as“Paidon” on June 29, and present-ed Andreas Dracopoulos, a mem-ber of the Foundation’s board oftrustees, with an honorary plaque.

Mr. Papoulias also honoredYiannis Papadatos, the ICU’s gen-eral director. The new ICU, with itseight-bed capacity, is fully

Continued on Page 4

NNiiaarrcchhoossFFoouunnddaattiioonnGGiivveess AAggaaiinn

BERLIN (AP) – 2004 Euro-pean Cup champion Greece hasbeen suspended from internation-al competition by soccer's rulingbody because of government inter-ference in the domestic adminis-tration of the sport.

The ban was applied becausethe Greek Government supposed-ly went back on a commitment toscrap legislation which imposedcontrols on the Hellenic FootballFederation.

Athens is due to host the finalof the Champions League nextyear. Under the ban, Greek clubscan not participate in the Champi-ons League, and the national teamis banned from playing in competi-tive or international friendlymatches.

As defending European cham-pion, Greece could miss out onqualifying for Euro 2008, and theEuropean confederation could beforced to move next May's Cham-pions League final from Athens.

But Greece can have the sus-pension lifted if the Greek Gov-ernment agrees to stop interferingin the domestic administration ofthe sport by July 15, according toSepp Blatter, president of FIFA(Federation Internationale deFootball Association).

"The decision was taken be-cause the Greek Parliament willmeet this week. We want them toknow this is a serious matter. Theyhave until July 15 to show they'retaking this sanction by FIFA seri-ously, and they have to movequickly. This should be an alarmfor the Greek Government," Blat-ter told a news conference onTuesday.

Soccer's ruling body is opposed

Continued on Page 7

WWoorrllddSSoocccceerrSSuussppeennddssGGrreeeeccee

Continued on Page 5

AArrcchhbbiisshhoopp SSaayyssWWee aarree aa CChhuurrcchh oonnAA CCoonnssttaanntt MMiissssiioonn

NNeeww aatttteemmpptt ttoo bbrriiddggee tthhee ddiivviiddee

CCyypprriioott PPrreessiiddeenntt TTaassssooss PPaappaaddooppoouullooss,, rriigghhtt,, aanndd TTuurrkkiisshh CCyypprriioott lleeaaddeerr MMeehhmmeett AAllii TTaallaatt sshhaakkee hhaannddssaahheeaadd ooff aa mmeeeettiinngg tthhiiss ppaasstt MMoonnddaayy,, JJuullyy 33,, ttoo ddiissccuussss tthhee ffaattee ooff ssoommee 22,,000000 ppeeooppllee mmiissssiinngg ssiinnccee tthhee 11996600’’ss..IItt wwaass tthhee ffiirrsstt ttiimmee tthhee lleeaaddeerrss bbootthh ccoommmmuunniittiieess mmeett ssiinnccee aa UU..NN.. rreeuunniiffiiccaattiioonn ppllaann wwaass ddeeffeeaatteedd ttwwoo yyeeaarrssaaggoo.. UU..NN.. SSppeecciiaall CCyypprruuss RReepprreesseennttaattiivvee MMiicchhaaeell MMoolllleerr iiss sshhoowwnn 22nndd ffrroomm tthhee rriigghhtt ((sseeee ssttoorryy,, ppaaggee 77))..

By Benjamin HarveyAssociated Press

ISTANBUL (AP) – A cocktailparty may be the last place you’dexpect to see the holiest man inOrthodox Christendom.

But there was Ecumenical Pa-triarch Bartholomew I, spiritualleader of the Orthodox Church,standing at one end of a hotel ter-race overlooking the Sea of Mar-mara, throwing his own cocktailparty one evening last week.

The event was the release inTurkish of Bartholomew’s book,“When a Patriarch was a Child.”

Bartholomew was, of course,the life of the party.

He wore a long black robe anda thick white beard, a black hat,glasses and a silver sun medallionaround his neck. He gave a shortspeech and then the music started– among the songs was a throatyrendition of “I Did It My Way.”

Then Bartholomew began tomingle, shaking hands, kissing

people on the cheek, signing auto-graphs, talking with a man in awheelchair. You might havethought he was running for publicoffice.

And that’s what some Turks areafraid of. Every actionBartholomew takes in this mili-tantly secular, 99 percent Muslimcountry is loaded with political un-dercurrents.

For those who don’t know the

PPaattrriiaarrcchh PPuubblliisshheess HHiiss MMeemmooiirrss

Continued on Page 7

By Liana SideriSpecial to the National Herald

NEW YORK – Mostly knownfor his panels and outdoor archi-tectural exteriors combining light,paint and metal leaf, Stephen An-tonakos began working with neonlight on abstract geometric formsin the early 1960s. He saw powerand potential in the neon, whichcan be seen from a distance, andcan be experienced spatially.

Early in his career, Mr. Anton-akos, an internationally acclaimedartist, was influenced by the mys-tery of light.

“In 1959, I was experimentingwith light bulbs and discarded ma-terials,” he says of his earlier work.“Later, when I was walking thestreets of New York, lookingaround, I was impressed by themany neon signs down on Broad-way,” he told the National Herald.

Sitting in his spacious, meticu-lously neat and light-filled cornerstudio in Soho, the Greek-bornartist contemplated the intensityand flexibility of neon, which hasbecome a significant medium forhis artistic expression over the past40-plus years.

“I saw that neon could offer ahigher level of visual experience. Iknew I could manipulate thoseneon tubes in any dimension Iwanted and create abstract realforms,” he says. “I’m still interest-ed in how light relates to space andhow colors can work alone or to-gether.”

Pointing at a blue circle behindhim, cut on top and emanating asoft glow of colored light behindthe cut edge, reminiscent of lunareclipse, Mr. Antonakos gives it atitle: “Looking Up.”

Sometimes, he gives titles to hispanels before he begins to work on

them; other times, he knows whatto call them only after he com-pletes them. At times, the influ-ence of a panel may depend on itstitle, he observes. A series of hispanels were titled after Greek Or-thodox saints during a periodwhen he lost members of his fami-ly.

He explained his interest in theway colors reflect on the walls andsurfaces, as well as on each other,and he shared his fascination ofwhat a color or a light can do tothe space around it. He alwaysasks himself, “What else can bedone?”

He is also concerned with thepossibility of reverberations in thedimension between the work andthe viewer’s inner life.

“For me, the panels relate to ahigher individual consciousness,

AArrttiisstt FFrreeeess HHiimmsseellff tthhrroouugghh LLiigghhtt

Continued on Page 4

By Dimitri SoultogiannisSpecial to The National Herald

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sena-tor Robert Menendez (D-NewJersey) considers himself a strongsupporter of Greece and Cyprus.

In a recent interview with theNational Herald, he discussed is-sues concerning the two countries;Greek-Turkish bilateral relations;a potential solution to the Cyprusproblem and the reunification ofthe island; as well as his views onthe role the Greek American com-munity plays today in the UnitedStates today.

Senator Menendez has been avocal supporter of Cyprus. He hassponsored a resolution calling onTurkey to meet all EuropeanUnion requirements, including fullrecognition and a customs unionagreement with Cyprus prior to ac-ceding to the E.U., as well as re-turning property and locatingmissing Greek Cypriots.

The Senator has also signed nu-merous letters criticizing the Unit-ed Nations’ Cyprus reunificationproposal submitted by U.N. Secre-tary-General Kofi Annan on theGreek Cypriot right to regainproperty and the continued milita-rization of Cyprus, and has alsosent letters to the Secretary ofState protesting flights from theUnited States into occupiedCyprus.

“I had been to Cyprus manytimes when I was in the House ofRepresentative. The Cyprus issue

IInntteerrvviieewwWWiitthh SSeenn..RRoobbeerrttMMeenneennddeezz

Continued on Page 3

MMaarrccooss PPaaggddaattiiss ooff CCyypprruuss rreeaaccttss aass hhee wwiinnss aa ppooiinntt ffrroomm LLlleeyyttoonn HHee--wwiitttt ooff AAuussttrraalliiaa dduurriinngg tthheeiirr MMeenn’’ss SSiinngglleess qquuaarrtteerrffiinnaall mmaattcchh oonnWWiimmbblleeddoonn’’ss CCeennttrree CCoouurrtt tthhiiss ppaasstt WWeeddnneessddaayy,, JJuullyy 55.. PPaaggddaattiiss ddee--ffeeaatteedd HHeewwiitttt ttoo ggaaiinn aa ssppoott iinn tthhee sseemmiiffiinnaall..

((LL--RR)) GGrreeeekk HHeeaalltthh MMiinniisstteerr DDeemmeettrriiss AAvvrraammooppoouullooss,, lleefftt,, eennggaaggeedd iinnddiissccuussssiioonn wwiitthh AAnnddrreeaass CC.. DDrraaccooppoouullooss,, bbooaarrdd mmeemmbbeerr ooff tthhee SSttaavvrroossNNiiaarrcchhooss FFoouunnddaattiioonn,, aanndd hhiiss wwiiffee KKaatteerriinnaa dduurriinngg tthhee iinnaauugguurraattiioonnooff tthhee nneeww IInntteennssiivvee CCaarree UUnniitt aatt ““PPaaiiddoonn”” HHoossppiittaall iinn AAtthheennss.. TThheeFFoouunnddaattiioonn iissssuueedd aa ssuubbssttaannttiiaall ggrraanntt ttoo hheellpp uuppggrraaddee tthhee IICCUU..

WIMBLEDON – The family ofMarcos Pagdatis hails from aCypriot village whose name trans-lates into English as “fairytale.”

For a fortnight each year Wim-bledon becomes the GreatBritain's favorite soap opera, spe-cializing in unlikely storylines, in-cidental drama and unrequitedlust. The difference, of course, isthat rain never delays an episodeof East Enders. Pending the instal-lation of a retractable roof overCentre Court – a pipe dreamscheduled to become reality inthree years’ time – the world’s toptennis players have no other op-tion but to sit, wait and pray theyare not about to be written out ofthe script.

As twilight fell on Centre Courtthis past Wednesday night, onecame true for Pagdatis himself, ashe served up a stunning display toreach a Wimbledon semifinal atthe expense of Australia’s LleytonHewitt, the tournament’s number-

6 seed.The 21-year-old who left his

home in Paramitha, just outsideLimassol, at the age of 13 to be in-ducted into a French tennisschool, is already the biggest namein Cyprus. The island came to astandstill when he reached theAustralian Open final six monthsago, and appeared likely to do soagain on Friday.

Pagdatis once more showed hisliking for all things from DownUnder, as 2002 Wimbledon Cham-pion Hewitt had no answer to agame plan which kept him guess-ing from the moment the first ballwas struck. It proved good enoughto seal a 6-1, 5-7, 7-6, 6-2 win.

Pagdatis’ mother Andry, sittingin the players’ box, couldn’t watchand hid her head in her hands dur-ing match point. She needn’t haveworried. The ball was dispatchedwith a calmness which was the

Continued on Page 3

Pagdatis Vanquishes HewittOn his Way to the Semis

TThhee NNaattiioonnaall HHeerraalldda b

VOL. 9, ISSUE 456 AA WWEEEEKKLLYY GGRREEEEKK AAMMEERRIICCAANN PPUUBBLLIICCAATTIIOONN JJUULLYY 88,, 22000066 $1.00 - GREECE: 1.75 Euro

wwwwww..tthheennaattiioonnaallhheerraalldd..ccoomm

*070806*

AP/ANJA NIEDRINGHAUS

ETHNIKOS KHRYKAS/GIANNHS SOFIANOS

By Theodore KalmoukosSpecial to The National Herald

BOSTON, Mass. – The lastchapter of the Kalogeropoulos fam-ily from Peabody was written on lastThursday, June 29, at the SaintsConstantine & Helen Church inCambridge. The week before, thefamily’s son, George Kalogeropou-los, 25, killed his father Demetrios,52, and his sister Joanna, 23, andthen reportedly killed himself.

Marina Kalogeropoulos, thewife of Demetrios and mother ofGeorge and Joanna, discoveredtheir bodies on June 23, after re-turning to home from work at herBeauty Salon in Danvers.

The funeral scene was very grim:Three open caskets had been placein the nave of the church, with abrown one in the middle for the fa-ther, a white casket on the left forthe daughter, and green one on theright for the son who allegedly com-mitted the homicides.

The reality of death was verystrong. Everybody in the church wasin tears. The eyes of Mrs.Kalogeropoulos and her oldestdaughter Eleni were looking con-stantly on their lost family mem-bers. Hundreds of family andfriends had arrived at the churchfrom early on to bid their finalfarewells to Demetrios, Joanna andGeorge, while many were trying tomake sense of why the tragedy oc-curred.

The police had closed the streetsaround the church. Three hearseswere parked outside of the church.Vasilis Kalogeropoulos, the brotherof Demetrios, came out of thechurch to take care of last-minutedetails for the procession to thecemetery. Visibly shaken from thetragic events, he spoke briefly to theNational Herald.

“Demetris was a good man, andhe loved his family, but this is notthe time for interviews because, asyou can see, I am alone in trying toarrange a funeral for three mem-bers of my family,” he said. “Do youknow what it’s like to organize a fu-neral for three persons?”

Mr. Kalogeropoulos also said hisbrother loved his family, “includinghis son who killed him. What holdsme on me feet is to do all I can formy family, my sister in-law and my

niece. I do not want to reflect at thismoment. The time will come to saysomething more, but that time isnot now.”

Shortly before the funeral ser-vice, The Herald asked Rev. Aster-ios Gerostergios, parish pastor, tooffer his comments, “What can any-one say? Today we have no anythoughts. We can’t find the words.There are no words. Only God cangrant comfort and His grace uponthe remaining family. The Churchwill speak with its hymnology andthrough the grace of God. Our aimtoday is to make the family feel the

comfort of God. There is no needfor anything else,” he said.

Father Gerostergios has been apriest for 34 years, 29 of them atSaints Constantine & Helen.

“I have seen and experienced somany things during my priestly life.I have officiated more than 1,000funerals, but I have never seen any-

thing like this, and I pray not to seeit again,” he said. “All my parish-ioners are numbed. They don’tknow what to say, and everybodyasks why,” Father Gerostergiosadded. “The Kalogeropoulos familybelonged to this parish when theyfirst came from Greece. That is whytheir funeral is being done here. In

the parish archives, I saw thatDemetris and Marina were marriedhere a year before I came.”

The Very Rev. ArchimandriteVasilios Flionis, pastor of the Dor-mition (of the Mother of God)Church in Somerville, said hisparish is also praying for theKalogeropoulos family.

“I know Vasilis Kalogeropoulosand his family. They are very goodpeople. Last Sunday (June 25),many parishioners were crying. Weoffered a Trisagion prayer. I hadmet the victims when Demetrios’father and mother, George andGeorgia, died a few years ago. Theywere members of my parish. Theywere golden people,” he said.

The burial was held at the Wake-field Cemetery, followed by amemorial meal at the Saints Con-stantine & Helen community cen-ter.

George Tsakalis, former Presi-dent of the Federation of the Hel-lenic-American Societies of NewEngland and Mrs. Kalogeropoulos’second cousin, told the Herald thatthe drama has shocked the commu-nity. “It was a terrible and unex-plained surprise. It was a terrificfamily. George was a good youngman. I don’t know what happened. Idon’t think anybody knows, and thisis the problem. Demetris and Mari-na had stopped by my store in Re-vere on Wednesday (June 21), andtwo days later, tragedy struck,” Mr.Tsakalis said.

Steve Karydogiannis said,“Vasilis Kalogeropoulos, the broth-er of the victim, is married to myfirst cousin, and we all are veryclose. Words can’t express whatwe’re going through today. It’s justterrible.” Asked to speculate aboutthe possible reason GeorgeKalogeropoulos allegedly mur-dered his own father and sister, Mr.Karydogiannis said, “I don’t knowanything beyond what I read in thenewspapers.”

Irene Splagounias said, “Theyare a big and a good family. I didn’tknow the victims’ family, but therest of their cousins were my stu-dents at the Somerville GreekSchool. They were all very goodkids.” Mrs. Splagounias also said,“How could we understand the de-gree of the tragedy the mother willgo through when she rememberswhat she had, and what she lost?”

Massachusetts State Policeclosed all the streets in Cambridgethrough which the funeral proces-sion passed, and they accompaniedthe procession to Wakefield Ceme-tery. Peabody Police said the inves-tigation was continuing at presstime.

2 COMMUNITY THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 8, 2006

TTrriippllee TTrraaggeeddyy LLeeaaddss ttoo TTrriippllee FFuunneerraall SSeerrvviiccee

By Theodore KalmoukosSpecial to The National Herald

BOSTON – The Supreme Courtof New York unanimously dis-missed the legal action which wasfiled some two years ago either bymembers or individuals connectedwith Orthodox Christian Laityagainst the Greek Orthodox Arch-diocese of America, and Archbish-op Demetrios personally, claimingthat the new Charter for the Churchin America was not approved by aClergy-Laity Congress.

The new charter, ratified andgranted by the Ecumenical Patriar-chate in Constantinople, which hasecclesiastical jurisdiction and over-sight over the Church here, hasbeen in effect since the year 2003.

The National Herald haslearned that the Archdiocese spentmore than $300 thousand in legalfees to defend itself during this case.

A lower court had previously dis-missed the action in December2004, but the plaintiffs filed an ap-peal. The new decision, granted infavor of the Archdiocese this pastJune 22, recognized the hierarchicalstructure of the Greek OrthodoxChurch in America, and stated thatOCL’s legal action against theArchdiocese “must be dismissed be-cause it involves a question on inter-nal governance of a hierarchicalChurch.”

The Court determined that theplaintiffs did not have “standing” tobring the action; that the case wasmoot; and that their action sought a“merely advisory opinion,” affirm-ing the lower court’s decision thatthe OCL action is barred by theFirst Amendment of the UnitedStates Constitution.

In a press release issued by OCLon June 30, Evan Chriss, an attor-ney by profession, longtime mem-ber of the Archdiocesan Councilduring the tenure of the late Arch-bishop Iakovos, and one of theplaintiffs in OCL’s action againstthe Archdiocese, said the Court’sdecision was limited in scope; tookissue with the Court’s interpretationof the Ecumenical Patriarchate’sauthority over the Church in Amer-

ica; and argued that the Court’s rul-ing violates the Constitution.

“The opinion of the AppellateDivision is very brief, and with alldue respect to the Court, it does notdeal with the basic issues in thecase, and fails to apply the law as setforth in the New York statutes con-cerning the amendment of theGreek Orthodox Archdiocese’scharter as a New York State Reli-gious Corporation. The law setforth in those statutes, and in casesof the U.S. Supreme Court and theNew York Court of Appeals, ap-plies to the Archdiocese, notwith-standing the fact that the Church ishierarchical. Instead of deciding thecase on the basis of the applicablelaw, the Court decided it on what itperceives – without citing any au-thority – to be the unfettered powerof the Patriarch to impose a newcharter,” Mr. Chriss said.

“By ruling that the Patriarch hasthe type of unfettered power that iscommonly understood by Ameri-cans to be invested in the Pope ofRome, the Court has done preciselywhat it is prohibited from doing: Itmischaracterized Orthodox ecclesi-ology and, in violation of the U.S.Constitution, has rendered an opin-ion on a purely ‘religious’ matter,rather than ruling on the neutralprinciples of statutory and contractlaw, which are the issues in thecase,” he added.

While the case was pending,OCL requested from the Archdio-cese a few weeks ago that it be al-lowed to have its own booth duringthe upcoming Clergy-LaityCongress in Nashville, Tennesseeand offered to pay the proper fee todistribute its own literature andmagazines, but the Executive Com-mittee of the Archdiocesan Councilturned down the request.

The Church in America has wontwo more legal cases recently – onein Houston and another one inPhiladelphia – based on the princi-pal of the hierarchical nature of theChurch. Both cases had to do withdismissed parish councils byMetropolitans Isaiah of Denver andEvangelos of New Jersey, respec-tively.

OOCCLL LLaawwssuuiitt DDiissmmiisssseeddBByy NNYYSS SSuupprreemmee CCoouurrtt

AABBOOVVEE:: TTwwoo ccooffffiinnss ooff bbrrootthheerraanndd ssiisstteerr eemmeerrggiinngg ffrroomm SSaaiinnttssCCoonnssttaannttiinnee && HHeelleenn CChhuurrcchh iinnCCaammbbrriiddggee,, MMaassssaacchhuusseettttss.. TThheeggrreeeenn ccaasskkeett ((ffoorreeggrroouunndd)) ccoonn--ttaaiinneedd tthhee bbooddyy ooff GGeeoorrggeeKKaallooggeerrooppoouullooss,, wwhhoo aalllleeggeeddllyymmuurrddeerreedd hhiiss ssiisstteerr JJooaannnnaa ((wwhhiitteeccooffffiinn)) aanndd ffaatthheerr DDeemmeettrriiooss bbee--ffoorree ccoommmmiittttiinngg ssuuiicciiddee.. BBEELLOOWW::TThhee bbrroowwnn ccaasskkeett ooff DDeemmeettrriioossKKaallooggeerrooppoouullooss ccaarrrriieedd bbyy hhiissppaallllbbeeaarreerrss aafftteerr tthhee ffuunneerraall..

TNH/STAFF

hallmark of her son’s gameWednesday.

“It’s an amazing story for meand my parents,” Pagdatis said.“These are unbelievable emotions– both for them and for me.”

The only Cypriot to play in amajor event, Pagdatis was the Aus-tralian Open runner-up to Switzer-land’s Roger Federer in Januaryand has climbed from 56th to 16thin the rankings this year.

For Hewitt, it seemed a longway from his Grand Slam shows oflast year. He reached the final ofthe Australian Open. Then, havingmissed the French Open throughinjury, he was knocked out at thesemifinal stage at Wimbledon andthe U.S. by Federer, the world’snumber-1 player.

This year, he lasted just tworounds in Melbourne; has beendogged by calf and ankle injuries;and fell to Rafael Nadal in Paris.

Pagdatis and Hewitt had neverfaced each other, and for the firsthalf-hour, Hewitt had no answerto the challenge. Within 20 min-utes, he had been broken twiceand hardly swung his racket suc-cessfully at anything.

Pagdatis hit 53 winners; con-verted all seven of his breakpointchances to beat Hewitt; and fin-ished with a 53-29 edge in winners,pounding his chest and screamingafter key points.

Hewitt’s athleticism, such a fea-ture of his play, counted for noth-ing as Pagdatis’ ability to mix uphis range confused the Australian.Hewitt lost the first set, savingserve just once.

Pagdatis would not be shakenoff.

The challenger had to over-come two break points on his ownserve before the third was taken toa tiebreak. At set point, it seemednerves had finally caught up withPagdatis. He slammed a shot intothe net when it begged to be putaway.

No matter. Hewitt thundereddown a serve, and Pagdatiscreamed a return down the line. Itwas the defining moment of thematch, and Pagdatis coastedthrough the fourth set.

Both men looked nervous inthe eventual tiebreak, which Pag-datis took 7-5 with a stunning re-flex return that ricocheted backpast his opponent like a sniper’sbullet. He celebrated with someextravagant air punching beforetaking the fourth set with minimalfuss during a total match time oftwo hours and 31 minutes.

“It just didn’t happen for me. Istruggled to get into the match. Heplayed extremely well at the start.He didn’t give me any cheappoints,” Hewitt admitted.

Pagdatis conceded he was hav-ing some problems concentrating:“In the middle of the second set, Istart realizing that I’m, like, beat-ing Hewitt. I’m one set up and twobreak points up against Hewitt,and I’m in the quarters playing forthe semis,” Pagdatis said. “So Istart thinking a bit there – start

choking a bit. The most importantthing is that I got through it.”

That he did, and now he’ll hopea pattern continues: At eight of theprevious nine majors, the man He-witt lost to went on to win the tour-nament. Does Hewitt think Pag-datis can make that nine of ten?

“I don’t think he’ll win it, no. Ithink Roger Federer’s going towin,” he said. “Marcos can makethe final, though. And if he playsRafael Nadal, he’s got a chance.”

Federer sounded supremely

confident after knocking off num-ber-7 seed Mario Anici in straightsets Wednesday (6-4, 6-4, 6-4) forhis 26th consecutive victory at theAll England Club, and 46th in arow on a grass court, extending hisOpen era record: “If I keep up thissort of a performance, I don’t seemyself losing,” Federer said.

Pagdatis is a cool customer,however. Asked last week what heplanned to do on his days off here,he shrugged and replied, “Go andhave a beer.” Whether he can go

on to upset Federer is anothermatter, of course. But Pagdatis hasalready written one fairytale, andanother one can not be ruled out.

TThhee aabboovvee iinnccoorrppoorraatteess iinnffoorrmmaa--ttiioonn ffrroomm rreeppoorrttss ppuubblliisshheedd bbyytthhee GGuuaarrddiiaann aanndd tthhee DDaaiillyy MMaaiilloonn JJuullyy 66 ((bbyy NNeeiill MMooxxlleeyy aannddRRoobbeerrtt KKiittssoonn,, rreessppeeccttiivveellyy)),, aannddaallssoo ffoorrmm rreeppoorrttss ppoosstteedd bbyy tthheeAAssssoocciiaatteedd PPrreessss oonn JJuullyy 55 ((bbyyHHoowwaarrdd FFeennddrriicchh aanndd SStteevveennWWiinnee))..

is unfortunately still a problemthat remains unsolved, and I’ve al-ways been an advocate for a reuni-fication plan that ultimately bothsides agree with,” Mr. Menendezsaid.

“There is only one Cyprus, withone government. I stand for aCyprus reunification plan that isviable and democratic – one thatresolves property rights issues forGreek Cypriots, and that signifi-cantly demilitarizes the island.When I was a congressman, I in-troduced legislation on these is-sues,” he added.

When asked about the U.S.Government’s approach on theCyprus issue, Mr. Menendez saidit was imbalanced.

“The United States is not pur-suing a balanced approach. Itseems like, right now, our relation-ship with Turkey is the main con-cern, and I believe that is a wrongposition. Turkey has occupied thenorthern part of Cyprus for thelast 32 years, and that ultimatelyneeds to be undone. Cyprus is nowpart of the European Union, andthat’s how it should always betreated,” he said.

Senator Menendez is also thelead Democratic cosponsor of newlegislation on property owned byU.S. citizens in occupied Cyprus.

This legislation will authorize theSecretary of State to negotiatewith Turkey to get the propertiesback to their rightful owners, or toat least get compensation forthem.

The Senator also cosponsoreda Senate resolution (SR 320) call-ing on the President to ensure thatU.S. foreign policy reflects appro-priate understanding and sensitiv-ity concerning issues related tothe Armenian Genocide, andsigned onto a letter urging thePresident to reaffirm the U.S.record on the Armenian Geno-cide in his April 24th commemo-rative statement.

As a member of the House, Mr.Menendez was also an active withthe House Hellenic Caucus, andcontinues to fight for GreekAmericans and their interests as asenator, he said.

“I have a very strong bond withthe Greek American community,”he said. “The Greek Americancommunity is a strong and vibrantcommunity – a hard working com-munity that has contributed somuch to America,” he said.

Senator Menendez noted thathe is also a staunch supporter ofthe Ecumenical Patriarchate inConstantinople.

“As a congressman I intro-duced a House resolution (HR166) urging Turkey to respect the

rights and religious freedoms ofthe Ecumenical Patriarch onMarch 16, 2005 and had this lan-guage included in the Fiscal Year2006-2007 State Department Au-thorization bill. I also signed ontoa letter on August 4, 2005 to Sec-

retary Rice expressing concernabout threats the Turkish Govern-ment has made against the Ecu-menical Patriarch,” he said.

Senator Mendez also spokeabout U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes,who is retiring from the Senate af-ter his fifth Senate term expires atthe end of this year.

“One can not talk about theGreek American community withmentioning Paul Sarbanes’ name.Senator Sarbanes has been an ex-ceptional member of the UnitedStates Senate,” Mr. Menendezsaid, adding that Mr. Sarbanes’contributions will go down in his-tory.

“I’m proud to have been able toserve with him and work with himon so many issues. I’m also proudto have been an ally with him atthe House of Representatives. Iknow that my life has been madebetter because of this great man.Honesty and integrity have bothbeen key terms for Paul Sarbanesand his legacy,” he said.

Senator Menendez has re-ceived several awards from Greekand Cypriot organizations in theUnited States, to include theCyprus Federation of America in1995, the American Hellenic Insti-tute in 1997; and the Chian Feder-ation and PSEKA (InternationalCoordinating Committee – Justicefor Cyprus) in 2005.

THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 8, 2006 COMMUNITY 3

GOINGS ON...

July 8 & 10SSyyrrooss,, GGrreeeeccee.. Mid-America Pro-duction’s Festival of the Aegean2006 hosts a series of concerts cel-ebrating the 250th Anniversary ofMozart’s Birth and an evening ofBroadway tunes at the ApolloMunicipal Theatre “La PiccolaScala” on the Cycladic island ofSyros. Peter Tiboris conducts theBosulav Martinu Philharmonic,the Syros Opera Chorus and aninternational cast of soloists. July 6 & 8: a fully staged produc-tion of Mozart’s opera “Don Gio-vanni.” July 7: an all-Mozart Programwith pianist Jenia Manoussaki andthe philharmonic. July 10: “Broadway Comes to Sy-ros,” a concert featuring selec-tions from “West Side Story,”“My Fair Lady” and other Broad-way favorites – www.midamerica-music.com.

July 9EEaasstt MMeeaaddooww,, NN..YY.. “GreekAmerican Night at EisenhowerPark,” 7:30 PM. Part of NassauCounty Parks’ International Mu-sic Concert Series, at the HarryChapin Lakeside Theater. Locat-ed in Fields 6 and 6A in Eisen-hower Park. Special accommoda-tions available for disabled per-sons, including reserved parking,accessible restrooms, and a conve-nient reserved location on the hill.No formal seating at the Theater,so concertgoers are urged to bringfolding chairs. For more information, call 516-572-0223 or visit the web atwww.nassaucountyny.gov/parks.

July 10NNeeww YYoorrkk,, NN..YY.. The AmericanHellenic Institute Business Net-work and the New York Chapterof AHI requests the pleasure ofyour company at its monthly In-formal Networking Reception formembers and guests at 5:30-7:30PM on Monday, July 10 at AvraRestaurant in Manhattan (141 E.48th Street, between Lexingtonand Third Avenues, TEL: 212-759-8550). Cash bar and compli-mentary hors d’oeuvres. RSVP toDean Sirigos at csirigos100@hot-mail.com. For more information on AHI ac-tivities and membership visit theweb at ahiworld.org.

July 14-17NNaasshhvviillllee,, TTeennnn.. Online registra-tion for the 2006 National YoungAdult Conference in Nashville isnow open at www.yal.org. Work-shops with noted Orthodox speak-ers, fellowship with young adultsand Music City USA, stay at theGaylord Opryland Hotel. Eventsat the Dyer Observatory and BBKing’s Blues Club. For more in-formation, call the National Of-fice of Youth & Young AdultMinistries at 646-519-6180.

July 20AAssttoorriiaa,, NN..YY.. “CYPRUS… Landof Love and Pain.” Prepared, pro-duced and presented by the Cul-tural Organizations, AKTINAProductions and CYPRECO ofAmerica. Hellenic Cultural Cen-ter (27-09 Crescent Street at New-town Avenue), 7:30 PM, on theoccasion of the 32nd commemo-ration of the Turkish Invasion ofCyprus. The event will feature adocumentary by AKTINA TV(WNYE – 25) about the history ofCyprus from ancient times to thepresent; a cultural program withpoems about the Turkish invasionwritten by the late Lucy Maroul-leti; a musical program withGlafkos Kontemeniotis and Yior-gos Kolias; and a photo exhibi-tion, “Beyond the Division.” A re-ception will follow. Admission isfree and open to the public.

July 26WWaasshhiinnggttoonn,, DD..CC.. The AmericanHellenic Institute invites mem-bers and staff to a briefing andluncheon, “Cyprus: 32 Years Lat-er – What is Needed for a Solu-tion,” at the Rayburn House Of-fice Building Room B (369 SouthCapitol Street and IndependenceAvenue SW) on Wednesday, July26, from 11:30 AM to 2 PM. Top-ics: “Injustice Perpetuated:Cyprus and U.S. Foreign Policy,”presented by Ted Galen Carpen-ter, Vice President for ForeignPolicy & Defense Studies at theCATO Institute; “Cyprus: ActionsNow in the Interests of the U.S.,”presented by Gene Rossides,President, & Founder of AHI.RSVP to AHI by Monday, July 24(TEL: 202-785-8430 or e-mail atinfo@ahiworld.org).

August 7-18WWaasshhiinnggttoonn,, DD..CC.. Camp Shake-

speare 2006. Focusing on theGreeks. Each summer, students ages 10-18converge on the ShakespeareTheatre Company to explore thecraft of acting with professionalartists and educators in 2-weeksessions designed to enhance un-derstanding of theater throughperformance. Session IV this sum-mer, Antigone by Sophocles, willexplore another time period ofclassic theatre to provide studentswith exposure to other classicalperformance styles. For more information, please visitthe web at www.ShakespeareThe-atre.org, or call the EducationHotline at 202-547-5688.

October 13AAlleexxaannddrriiaa,, VVaa.. The AmericanHellenic Institute 3rd AnnualBenefit Golf Tournament, at theGreendale Golf Course inAlexandria (6700 TelegraphRoad, TEL: 703-971-6170).Breakfast at 7:30 AM. Shot-GunStart at 8:30 AM. For more information, contactTaryn at 703-283-4770.

November 3-4PPoorrttllaanndd,, OOrree.. aanndd SSeeaattttllee,,WWaasshh.. “The Divine Liturgy byTchaikovsky,” the work whichopened the floodgates to new mu-sical creativity in the Russian Or-thodox Church. Presented byCapella Romana. Mark Bailey,Yale Russian Chorus, guest direc-tor. Friday, 8 PM, at St. Mary’sCathedral in Portland (1716 NWDavis Street). Saturday, 8 PM, atHoly Rosary Church in Seattle(4139 42nd Avenue SW). For more information, call 503-236-8202 (Toll fee: 866-822-7735)or visit the web at www.capellaro-mana.org.

Until November 26BBaallttiimmoorree,, MMdd.. An antiquities ex-hibition entitled “Things withWings: Mythological Figures inAncient Greek Art” is hosted atthe Walters Art Museum, 600North Charles Street in Balti-more. Exploring the various mani-festations of winged beings in an-cient Greek Art: (410) 547-9000or www.thewalters.org.

January 12-13PPoorrttllaanndd,, OOrree.. aanndd SSeeaattttllee,,WWaasshh.. “Mount Sinai: The Fron-tier of Byzantium.” MedievalByzantine Chant from SaintCatherine’s Monastery in Sinai,presented by Capella Romana.Alexander Lingas, director. Pro-duced in Cooperation with the J.Paul Getty Museum, “Holy ImageHallowed Ground: Icons fromSinai.” Friday, 8 PM, at SaintMary’s Cathedral in Portland(1716 NW Davis Street). Satur-day, 8 PM, at Holy Rosary Churchin Seattle (4139 42nd AvenueSW). For more information, call 503-236-8202 (toll free: 866-822-7735)or visit the web at www.capellaro-mana.org.

April 20-21PPoorrttllaanndd,, OOrree.. aanndd SSeeaattttllee,,WWaasshh.. “Radiant Cloud,” lumi-nous choral works by contempo-rary Greek composers, featuringthe work of Michael Adamis,which creates a soundscape forthe Uncreated Light of the Trans-figuration on Mount Tabor. Pre-sented by Capella Romana.Alexander Lingas, director. Friday, 8 PM, at Saint Mary’sCathedral in Portland (1716 NWDavis Street). Saturday, 8 PM, at Holy RosaryChurch in Seattle (4139 42nd Av-enue SW). For more information, call 503-236-8202 (toll free: 866-822-7735)or visit the web at www.capellaro-mana.org.

Long Term AAtthheennss,, GGrreeeeccee.. The antiquitiesexhibition “Cyprus-1000 Frag-ments of History: the Thanos N.Zintis Collection of Cypriot An-tiquities,” is hosted at the Muse-um of Cycladic Art, 4 NeophytouDoukas Street in Athens. Featur-ing 1,500 Cypriot antiquities fromthe Chalcolithic to the Byzantineperiod, the largest private collec-tion to be displayed in any Greekmuseum: (011-30) 210-722-8321or 8323 and www.cycladic-m.gr.

NNOOTTEE TTOO OOUURR RREEAADDEERRSSThis calendar of events section is acomplimentary service to theGreek American community. All parishes, organizations and in-stitutions are encouraged to sub-mit their information on anyGreek-related event (e-mail: English.edition@then-ationalherald.com).

IInntteerrvviieeww wwiitthh SSeennaattoorr RRoobbeerrtt MMeenneennddeezz ooff NN..JJ..Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

SSeennaattoorr RRoobbeerrtt MMeenneennddeezz ((DD--NNeeww JJeerrsseeyy))..

AAbboouutt tthhee AAuutthhoorr

HHeelleenn DDuummaass is an authority in themethodology of teaching Greek as asecond language. Helen serves as theDirector of Greek Education of theWestern United States. SShhee wwaassnnaattiioonnaallllyy rreeccooggnniizzeedd ttwwiiccee aass““TTeeaacchheerr ooff tthhee YYeeaarr”” for high schooland junior college. Her unique methodis the result of 30 years of research,field-testing and development.

SSppeecciiaall FFeeaattuurreess::11)) PPhhoonneettiicc mmeetthhoodd

22)) PPeerrssoonnaalliizzeedd::

LLeessssoonn--ppllaannss;; QQuuiizzzzeess

33)) TTwwoo tteelleepphhoonnee lleessssoonnss

ppeerr wweeeekk

44)) PPrrooffeessssiioonnaallllyy ssuuppeerrvviisseedd

55)) SSiimmppllee,, eeaassyy,, qquuiicckk..

PPhheennoommeennaall rreessuullttss

$$335500

A survival course(( VV ii aa TT ee ll ee pp hh oo nn ee ))

Speak Greek in 6 weeks

HHEELLEENN DDUUMMAASS

FFOORR FFUURRTTHHEERR IINNFFOORRMMAATTIIOONN::

CCaallll:: ((331100)) 337733--00880088 oorrEE--MMaaiill:: ssppeeaakkggrreeeekknnooww@@aaooll..ccoomm

a b

CCOOSSTT OOFF CCOOUURRSSEE

BBOOOOKKSSIINNCCLLUUDDEEDD

Pagdatis Vanquishes Hewitt on his Way to Semis

MMaarrccooss PPaaggddaattiiss ooff CCyypprruuss,, rriigghhtt,, mmeeeettss wwiitthh LLlleeyyttoonn HHeewwiitttt ooff AAuussttrraalliiaa aatt tthhee nneett aafftteerr tthheeiirr MMeenn’’ss SSiinn--gglleess qquuaarrtteerrffiinnaall mmaattcchh oonn WWiimmbblleeddoonn’’ss CCeennttrree CCoouurrtt tthhiiss ppaasstt WWeeddnneessddaayy,, JJuullyy 55.. PPaaggddaattiiss wwoonn tthhee mmaattcchhiinn ffoouurr sseettss ((66--11,, 55--77,, 77--66,, 66--22))..

AP/ANJA NIEDRINGHAUS

4 FEATURE THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 8, 2006

an open responding sense of the selfin the here and now, where feelingand thought can come unforced,simply through seeing,” he says. Butthis kind of seeing is silent and in-ternal, he explains, and it involves asense of presence, both internal andphysical. Undoubtedly, viewers’ re-actions depend on their individualperceptions and feelings, which maychange or transform, as the artist’swork often reveals different aspectsin different lights, thus inciting dif-ferent experiences and perceptionsamong different viewers.

Mr. Antonakos’ work is a con-stant learning process “where onething leads to another,” he says. It isa perceptual process based on howhe sees light, darkness and form,and how he discovers possibilitiesby immersing himself in his workand letting it unfold, revealing itsown truths. “I live for work,” hestates. “My work is the most impor-tant thing to me besides my family.”

A gentle and reserved man, Mr.Antonakos, who refers to his per-sonality as “rigid,” says he recog-nizes that, through his work, andparticularly through his drawings,he learns a lot about himself. Hespends considerable time drawingdaily using pencil on vellum, assert-ing that his interests lean in manydirections, citing the infinite possi-bilities of art.

His drawings are very importantto him, he says, and he considersthem as a process of “self-learningand self-discipline.” It is through hispencil, color and the medium onwhich he draws his forms that hetries to achieve freedom. “I need tofree myself,” he says. “My drawingsgive me the opportunity to investi-gate what the movement and coloron a particular surface may revealto me,” he adds. He sees endless op-tions in his various strokes of coloras the light catches them. The dis-coveries lie in the power of the dy-namic unconscious, he says.

CCHHAAPPEELLSS,, NNEEOONNAANNDD PPUUBBLLIICC AARRTT

Born in 1926 in Agios Nikolaosof Laconia in Greece, Mr. Anton-akos came to New York, where herelocated permanently, in 1930 with

his parents, three brothers and onesister. He visits Greece regularly,and he owns a house in Agios Niko-laos near Gythion.

The artist and his wife, Naomi,have a daughter who is working onher doctorate in mathematics. Healso has a son, who is a guitarist,from a previous marriage.

His connection to Greece goesbeyond the sentimental, he says, ashe is consistently inspired by thespiritual elements of his Greek Or-thodox upbringing, but in the con-text of a personal spirituality, unre-lated to the liturgical expressionsof Orthodoxy or any traditions ofreligious art. This need has led himto designing various works of ar-chitecture, particularly the cre-ation of a series of chapels in the

1990s. The chapels are meant asnon-denominational places forpeaceful meditation and contem-plation.

His first model building was theChapel of John the Baptist (1991),where he employed the standarddesign for Byzantine churches, withsquare shapes and the Orthodoxcross with arms of equal length, andwhere windows and square or ob-long icon panels are carefullyplaced.

The Chapel of the HeavenlyLadder, a first full-scale building,was exhibited at the Venice Bien-nale in 1997. Other chapels includethe models for Chapel of the Saints,Chapel of the Martyrs, Chapel ofSaint Nicholas, Chapel of theTheotokos and Silent Chapel,

where delicate variations in shape,material and color create differenteffects. Neon halos surround partsof the chapels or panels placed inthem, intended to convey a symbol-ic theme or sublime message.

The artist, inspired by all the as-pects of the whitewashed buildingsfound throughout Greece, has cre-ated several models for elegant andinspirational chapels which have be-come articulations of his ongoinginterest in the transcendent. Thisidea developed naturally from hisinterest in the geometry of lines,planes and contained or uncon-tained spaces. Out of 25 modelsabout ten have been built to fullscale.

Silent Chapel, along with severalother models, is the first full-scalechapel to have been exhibited inManhattan, at the Onassis CulturalCenter in 2004, while other chapeldesigns are commissioned privatelythroughout Greece and other partsof the world.

Mr. Antonakos is an inquisitive,committed, methodical and veryproductive artist. He doesn’t seehimself adhering to any particularschool of thought, he says, and hisintrospective art involves a thought-ful simplicity and an exposure ofthat which lies hidden in darkness,waiting to be illuminated, or it maybe an intellectual reflection of ourpersonal ignorance.

Currently, the artist is showcas-ing an exhibition titled “Trilogy” atthe Rockland County CommunityCollege in Suffern, in addition to anew retrospective which justopened at the Drawing RoomGallery in East Hampton. The lat-ter, “Light-Location-Color,” in-cludes works from 1967 until thepresent. These are works from hisearly days, “assemblages” and “con-structions,” as well as neon struc-tures from walls to floors, graphite,colored pencil and Krylon on paper.The exhibition will remain open tothe public until the end of July.

Having exhibited his workthrough countless venues, includingmuseums, galleries and other artis-tic spaces, Mr. Antonakos is also in-terested in public art since the1970s. He exhibits around theworld, including permanent instal-

lations in Greece, like the currentlarge art collection of Alpha Bankand the bank’s newly inauguratedart exhibition in the Nafplion exhi-bition center, a site which justopened. His installations are alsoshown in a permanent exhibitioncalled “Procession” at the Ambe-lokipi Metro Station in Athens, aswell as in one called “Tria” at theMacedonian Museum of Contem-porary Art in Thessaloniki.

Other permanent public workscan be seen throughout UnitedStates, as well as Japan, Germany,Italy, Israel Ukraine and othercountries.

For Mr. Antonakos, public art,indoor or outdoor, indoor or out-door, is a crucial element of society.“It works like a private arena for in-ner experience,” he says, noting thathe sees public art as a progressiveand optimistic concept.

“I have become interested in asense of self in a certain place, an at-mosphere where a greater aware-ness is possible. Especially in themidst of a busy city, what I hope toreach is not only the public person,but also the inner one. Maybe at

some unexpected moment, therewill be some little change of feeling,an openness or a stillness in all theactivity,” he says, in an effort to con-vey the action (or the inaction) of“letting go” of the conscious aspectof ideas. “In the United States, yousee public art everywhere,” he says,“and especially in this city.”

Greece should have more publicart on display, he adds, and theGreek Government should encour-age outdoor works in parks, piazzasor outside big buildings, like Athenshas demonstrated in most of itsmetro stations. He drew a parallelbetween the US and Greece statingthat the US federal government al-locates a certain percentage of aconstruction in promotion of publicartwork.

When asked whether he feelsconnected to Greece and in whatways, Mr. Antonakos said, “I don’tlook to be connected. It comes nat-urally; after all, I was born inGreece and brought up Greek.”

As for his future plans he doesn’tquite know what will be the nextproject yet. “I don’t think about it, itjust comes,” he says.

AArrttiisstt FFrreeeess HHiimmsseellff tthhrroouugghh LLiigghhtt aanndd CCoolloorr

SSiilleenntt CChhaappeell,, aacccceessssiibbllee ttoo mmeemmbbeerrss ooff aallll ffaaiitthhss aanndd rreelliiggiioouuss iinntteerrpprree--ttaattiioonnss,, wwaass ccrreeaatteedd bbyy SStteepphheenn AAnnttoonnaakkooss iinn 22000033,, aanndd iiss tthhee ffiirrsstt ffuullll--ssccaallee cchhaappeell eexxhhiibbiitteedd iinn MMaannhhaattttaann.. IInnssiiddee,, aa rroouunndd ppaanneell iiss ppllaacceedd oonnoonnee wwaallll wwiitthh aann aarrcc sslliicceedd oouutt,, eemmaannaattiinngg aa rreedd aanndd bblluuee nneeoonn ggllooww bbee--hhiinndd tthhee eeddggeess.. TThhee ppaanneell,, ““SSaaiinntt SStteepphheenn,,”” iiss aalluummiinnuumm lleeaaff oonn vveerrssaacceell..

AA mmooddeell ffoorr tthhee CChhaappeell ooff SSaaiinntt NNiicchhoollaass,, nnaammeedd aafftteerr rreennoowwnneedd aarrttiissttSStteepphheenn AAnnttoonnaakkooss’’ hhoommeettoowwnn iinn LLaaccoonniiaa,, GGrreeeeccee,, wwiitthh ppaaiinntteedd wwoooodd,,pplleexxiiggllaassss aanndd eelleeccttrriicc lliigghhttiinngg.. TTwweellvvee cchhrroommaattiicc ccoonnsstteellllaattiioonnss ppiieerrcceetthhee ssuurrffaaccee rreepprreesseennttiinngg tthhee 1122 AAppoossttlleess,, aass bblluuee ssqquuaarree wwiinnddoowwss gglloowwoonn tthhee eexxtteerriioorr ffaaccaaddee..

Continued from page 1

By Heather RobinsonNew York Daily News

NEW YORK – Niki Sideris,who for more than 20 years hasraised money and volunteered forthe Ronald McDonald House ofNew York City, can't forget the im-age of a Greek woman sitting withher sick child, alone in a tiny room.

"She said to me, 'I'm sitting…with my child sick in bed. I'm afraidto walk down the street,' " recallsSideris. "So I said, 'Come duringthe day to speak with the Greekfamilies.' "

The woman did come with herchild to the Ronald McDonaldHouse, a home for children receiv-ing cancer treatment and theirfamilies. As with many of the thou-sands of children whose lives shehas touched, Sideris was not ableto keep track of how the child faredafter he and his mother returned toGreece. But she will never forgetthe woman's words, and they in-spire her to continue her work:

"To stay in a room alone withyour sick child, and not (be able to)speak to anyone, and to be afraidto walk on the street…"

Sideris shakes her head andsighs, then looks up and squaresher shoulders. An attractive wom-an with a lilting, Greek-accentedvoice, she has raised $2.6 millionover the course of two decades forthe House which, since 1978, hasprovided a home away from homeon Manhattan's upper East Sidefor thousands of cancer-strickenchildren and their families.

The house has hosted over50,000 children from more than 40countries around the world. In re-cent years, many have come fromGreece, as cancer rates there arehigh, especially among children.Researchers speculate environ-mental factors may play a role inthis, but at this point, no definitecause has been established.

In 1986, Sideris, who also liveson the Upper East Side, estab-lished the House's Greek Division.As the Division's chairwoman, sheraises funds from New York'sGreek community, and also fromdonors in Greece. Annualfundraising activities include awalkathon in October, an Easterdinner and a Christmas party.

The money raised within theGreek American community de-frays costs for all the families whostay at the house, not just thosefrom Greece.

"Pain is pain. For me, everychild is the same," Sideris says.

Sideris also welcomes families,and is on-hand to translate for

those who speak Greek andFrench.

The house provides familieswith a supportive environment inwhich to overcome the isolationmany feel. Sideris has sought tocombat such isolation throughouther 35-year career as a volunteer.

Born and raised in Sparta, she

came to the United States in 1970from Brussels, where she had beena university student. Shortly afterarriving to America, she marriedMichael Sideris, a cardiologist andpsychologist.

Thanks to her husband's in-come, she says, "I didn't need towork – but I wanted to be useful."

She recalls a painful experienceduring her years as a student, inwhich she had broken bones inboth her hands. She was away fromher family, and felt frightened andalone, until a Greek family livingnearby came to her aid.

"I said to my husband, 'I knowwhat it's like to be in a foreigncountry – to be sick, with no family,to be afraid," she said. Thankfully,she adds, "I had a nice husbandwho agreed with my volunteering."

She began her career translat-ing and providing companionshipto Greek families who had broughttheir children to New York forheart operations.

Her beloved husband died just ayear and a half ago. "My husbandwas a unique man," Sideris says."There aren't many like him any-more. I was happy in my marriage,and I would like to give what Godgave me to everyone."

Families appreciate Sideris'kindness and dedication.

"Niki is here… for everyone. Sheis a great woman," said TheomanisChrysanthou, whose 7-year-oldson, Stavros, is receiving medicaltreatment for leukemia in NewYork. Chrysanthou and Stavroshave been staying at the RonaldMcDonald House for a year. Onemonth ago, they were joined byChrysanthou's wife and Stavros'mother, Konstantina, and the fam-ily's 13-month-old daughter,Athanasia.

The House has enabled thefamily to get the best medical care

available for Stavros, says Chrysan-thou, who works as a televisionproducer in the family's hometownof Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus.

The House has also enabled thefamily to stay together during thisdifficult time.

"Day by day, you don't knowwhat's going to happen," Chrysan-thou says. "A 7-year-old boy goingthrough this – he needs his motherto be here with him. Psychological-ly, all the family has to be here."

Sideris has provided a big partof the help his family required,Chrysanthou says. "New York…you know… it's an expensive city.Niki always helps, with any aspect.She's always there, and whatevershe does is for free."

Typically, families pay $20 anight for rooms and food at thehouse, but no family is turned awayfor lack of resources.

Eighty families stay at thehouse. Regularly scheduled activi-ties and trips for the children aredesigned to take their minds offtheir treatments.

"I like it," Stavros exclaimedwhen asked about the House. "Ilike to go downstairs and play withmy friends."

Sideris has no children of herown, but that's the way it's meantto be, she says. "Instead of becom-ing a mother," she says, "I dedicat-ed myself to the sick children in theworld."

TThhee NNeeww YYoorrkk DDaaiillyy NNeewwss ppuubb--lliisshheedd tthhee aabboovvee oonn JJuullyy 55..

Niki Sideris: “I dedicated myself to the world’s sick children”

NNiikkii SSiiddeerriiss,, lleefftt,, pprreessiiddeenntt ooff tthhee RRoonnaalldd MMccDDoonnaalldd HHoouussee GGrreeeekk DDiivviissiioonn iinn MMaannhhaattttaann,, wwiitthh GGrreeeekkHHeeaalltthh MMiinniisstteerr DDeemmeettrriiss AAvvrraammooppoouullooss dduurriinngg MMrr.. AAvvrraammooppoouullooss rreecceenntt vviissiitt ssttaatteessiiddee.. MMrrss.. SSiiddeerriiss iisswwiiddeellyy rreeccooggnniizzeedd ffoorr hheerr pphhiillaanntthhrrooppyy aanndd ddeeddiiccaattiioonn ttoo hheellppiinngg cchhiillddrreenn ssttrriicckkeenn wwiitthh ccaanncceerr..

equipped and meets the highesttechnological and medical stan-dards to provide care for childrenwho suffer from serious illnesses,or who are victims of severe acci-dents.

The “BREATH-Friends ofChildren’s ICU” organization,headed by Ioannis Nikolaides, isthe other contributor to this effort.

Greek Health MinisterDemetris Avramopoulos called the

project “a leap of quality thatmarks the future of Greek health-care.”

In his remarks, Mr. Dracopou-los expressed appreciation towardsthe individuals who helped makethis project possible.

Among others, Academy ofAthens President and formerHealth Minister Kostis Stefanisand United States Ambassador toGreece Charles Ries, as well asseveral other guests from the medi-cal and political communities, at-

tended the event.The National Gallery for Sculp-

ture is the other recent undertak-ing of the Niarchos Foundation,which generally supports health-care, education, art, culture andsocial programs for underprivi-leged groups all over the world,emphasizing the promotion andpreservation of Greek heritage.

The Gallery, which will occupytwo 19th Century landmark build-ings which have been fully renovat-ed to contemporary museum

guidelines, will exhibit contempo-rary and avant-garde sculpture inwhat used to be cavalry stables inGoudi of Athens.

The donation has also helpedthe Gallery to complete the design-ing and presentation of its perma-nent exhibitions, as well as therestoration, registration and thecataloguing of all its articles.

One building will house the19th and 20th Century permanentcollection of Greek sculpture,while the other will showcase

loaned and temporary exhibitions.The park in front of the two build-ings will feature outdoor public art,thus triggering ongoing public in-terest.

The Niarchos Foundation wascreated in 1996 upon the death ofits founder, the late shipping mag-nate Stavros Niarchos, and sincethen has allocated more than $250million in grants to non-profit andphilanthropic institutions and or-ganizations in Greece andthroughout the world.

Niarchos Foundation Issues Two Substantial GrantsContinued from page 1

TNH/COSTAS BEJ

THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 8, 2006 FEATURE 5

TTNNHH:: How are the preparationsare going?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: The prepara-tions have been very progressive inevery aspect. I have a very detailedprogram of the general and the par-ticular activities in front of me.

TTNNHH:: Which are the topics ofthe Congress?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: The main themeis, “Sharing the Truth of the Gospeland the Love of Christ.” The topicstouch upon two related aspects inthe life of the Church: One is theside of knowledge (gnosis), and theother the side of practice (praxis),with love at the center. As youknow, a little while ago, we sent outa questionnaire, the SWOT Survey,and we have received a tremendousresponse, which will be published inthe future. The first thing that isemphasized in that survey is thetruth, which we have as Orthodoxin America, and is not fully knownto our own people. The faithfulhave faith and they have the desireto learn, but they do not know spe-cific items of our faith and truth,and they emphasize that fact intheir replies. We will also be deal-ing with a topic called “Offer ofLove, Philanthropy and Care,” inlight of all the tremendous prob-lems that exist not only because offinancial problems, but also interms of illness, family problemsand the like.

TTNNHH:: Did the Archdiocese noti-fy the parishes of the Congressagenda, so that they may be pre-pared through their General As-semblies?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: We have spokenrepeatedly on these issues. I do notthink it was conveyed in the way Iam offering this analysis here.What was sent to the parishes,along with the customary invita-tion, is an announcement of thegeneral theme and topics of discus-sion. An announcement was alsomade in the Orthodox Observer.

TTNNHH:: How important is theClergy-Laity Congress for the lifeof the Greek Orthodox Church inAmerica, above and beyond thegetting together? Do you aspire forthe Congress to contribute to thefurther development of theChurch? Has the office of the Cler-gy Laity Congress genuinely con-tributed in the past to the formula-tion and development of theChurch and her ministries?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: First, the issueof togetherness – our seeing oneanother – is paramount. Secondly,there is an advanced information/communication on general topicsbecause our people are usuallysomewhat limited in the cycle ofparish life. They often do not havea general picture of things thatconcern the Church, and thus wehave this aspect to contend with, aswell. This will be the 38th Clergy-Laity Congress. If you ask mewhether we have had results from(previous) Clergy-Laity Congress-es that have been commensuratewith our expectations, I would tellyou there were Congresses in thepast that played a very essentialrole in the life of the Church. Theoffice of the Congress has a re-silience that allows it to producesubstantial results. It all dependson the preparation, the topics andthe participation of delegates.

TTNNHH:: What do you anticipate tobe achieved by the upcoming Cler-gy-Laity Congress?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: My first antici-pation is the strengthening of thebonds between the parishes, theMetropolises and the entire bodyof the Archdiocese of America, andthis needs continued cultivation.Second, there is need for muchwork to be done to help cultivateknowledge and faith, as well as theelements of our Hellenic tradition.Third, there is the aspect of the of-fering of our Church, which loveshumankind.

TTNNHH:: Why you have chosen thesubject of the family to be the edu-cational part of the Congress?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: There is a phe-nomenon in our Church often re-ferred to as “mixed marriages.” Intheir replies to the SWOT Survey,parishioners have indicated that itis a great opportunity for Ortho-doxy to win non-Orthodox mem-bers.

TTNNHH:: What is the percentage ofthe interfaith marriages today?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: The percentagefluctuates between 65-80 percent.This is a very serious issue. Whathappens to those families, and totheir children? Automatically, thenext generation and the generationafter that will come from thesemarriages, and in this respect,much work and a great deal of careis needed. We are going to have ten

different seminars which will dealwith family issues. Unfortunatelythe institution of marriage has suf-fered a great deal of erosion. Up tonow, thank God, members of ourChurch are in a better position sta-tistically, in terms of the divorcerate, but divorce is a rather increas-ing tendency that requires theChurch’s attention.

TTNNHH:: We understand that di-vorce affects our priests at rate of12 percent.

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: I can not tell youthe percentage, but even if it is 2percent, it should concern us.

TTNNHH:: Do you plan to demon-strate concern and care toward thissegment of the clergy?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: We have al-

ready expressed our concern. Wehave discussed it in the HolyEparchial Synod with much loveand compassion. We are deeplyconcerned about it.

TTNNHH:: Would you have difficultyin taking a position on the subjectof a second marriage for priests, es-pecially those whose presvytereshave died or abandoned them withteenage children?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: This is a topicthat we have discussed in ourEparchial Synod, but I have to tellyou that it is a subject which con-cerns the Church in general. TheEcumenical Patriarchate in Con-stantinople is keenly concernedabout it, as are all the OrthodoxChurches in general.

TTNNHH:: Is it enough to just saythat the topic “concerns?” What isthe Church doing from a practicalperspective?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: No, it is notenough. It should be dealt with, butas you know, the process passesthrough a difficult channel calledCanon Law. The Church has neverhad any difficulty to decide theproper measures in order to avoidcertain situations that would createmore problems. At this moment,we are seeking ways of resolvingthe issue. Studies are on their wayin order to determine how to re-solve this issue without any canoni-cal consequences.

TTNNHH:: Do you think there shouldbe a change in the date when theClergy-Laity Congress is con-vened?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: There was in-creased difficulty to continue toschedule the Congress around theIndependence Day holiday. It wasproposed, and it was accepted bythe plenary session of the Congress,to have it in the middle of July in-stead. Again, it seems that this isnot the best time, and thus it is anissue that should be re-examined.

TTNNHH:: How is participation inthe Congress going to be this time?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: Thank God par-ticipation is expected to be at itsusual numbers. We did not haveany reduction.

TTNNHH:: What are your vision andpriorities after almost seven yearsas Archbishop of the Church inAmerica?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: It is the one thatalways was; that is, I consider theChurch in America to be a Churchthat has been specially blessed byGod. It is a Church that is not tryingto survive, but a Church in mission.If it is not in mission, it is not worth

being what it is. This was the pic-ture that I had envisioned in mymind from the beginning. It is evenmore so now, due to my contactswith other Orthodox in America, aswell as because of my experience ofOrthodoxy throughout the world.We are in a position in which every-body is looking at us. We are on amission. Unfortunately, if we loseour sense of mission and go to aphase of survival, or to a phase of aneutral life, our position will notmean anything.

TTNNHH:: Are you satisfied with theway things are going today? Do youwant anything to change? Are yougoing to announce anything at theClergy-Laity Congress?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: The term “satis-

fied” is not compatible with my ca-pacity either as an Archbishop or asan academic. We simply confrontthe reality as it is presented everyday. I believe in the spirit of theGospel, which is the spirit of con-tinuous transformation, constantchange and continued advance-ment, and this means that we donot stop anywhere. We are con-stantly on the move, and this re-quires more Gospel, more God andmore essence of faith in the lives ofthe people.

TTNNHH:: How are the Archdiocesefinances doing?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: The financesshow a clear improvement. Therewill be some proposals at the Cler-gy-Laity Congress on finances. I donot want to say that there will beany earth-shaking announcements,but substantial steps will be taken.

TTNNHH:: Has the debt been re-duced?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: Yes, from $9.8million to $7 million, but this prob-lem should go away.

TTNNHH:: How come ArchbishopDemetrios of America is surround-ed by multi-millionaires on the Ex-ecutive Committee of the Arch-diocesan Council, and in otherbodies of the Archdiocese, and yetthe Archdiocese has a $7 milliondebt?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: This question isnot for me to answer. What can Itell you? I am connected with cer-tain people who work very hard –who contribute continuously – andtherefore I can not start telling youthat they should have given more toretire the debt. I can not put the is-sue on that level. On the otherhand, there is Leadership 100 withall those millions in its possession;there is the Faith Endowment,which also has quite a few million;therefore, there are things that takeplace which are not widely known.

TTNNHH:: Why you do not tell usthese things?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: What can I tellyou?

TTNNHH:: How much does the FaithEndowment have in its coffers?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: It has a veryhigh amount pledged to it. At thismoment, it has a little less than $10million, which is a substantialamount. It is progressing.

TTNNHH:: How the debt was creat-ed?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: That has a longhistory. First of all, there was ahuge amount created due to highlegal expenses.

TTNNHH:: Are these legal expenses

connected to issues of sexual mis-conduct among the clergy?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: There were oth-er legal issues, which have becomea burden.

TTNNHH:: Are you referring to theTransfiguration parish in Corona,New York?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: I do not wish tosay more. Please respect the pointon which I stand. In the past, theArchdiocese had debt almost everyyear, but there was the Endowmentfrom which they were drawingfunds to pay it. When I came, I didnot only find an Endowment, but Ialso found a debt. Thus, whensomeone starts with a minus, hefaces a problem along the way be-cause expenses have to be covered,and if legal expenses are created ontop of that, you understand the dif-ficulty. The Archdiocese is makinga tremendous effort in the area ofthe finances. I am of the opinionthat gratitude should have been ex-pressed to the Archdiocese, whichmanages to operate and offer itsservices under these circumstances.Just to put it more simply: Part ofthe debt was inherited, and anotherpart is because of huge legal ex-penses. Other than that, the contri-butions of the parishes since theyear 2000 are growing continuous-ly.

TTNNHH:: Why has the Archdiocesenot given the designated and ap-proved sum ($100 thousand permonth), voted on by the Clergy-Laity Congress, the TheologicalSchool?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: The allocationfor the Theological School is in-cluded in the $7 million debt. Itshould not have existed, but it doesexist as part of this financial diffi-culty. The funds should have beengiven to the School.

TTNNHH:: Does this dereliction ofduty say something about our pri-orities?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: No, I do notthink so. It will be corrected verysoon.

TTNNHH:: What’s the status goingon with Hellenic education?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: There is alwaysan immediate concern and objec-tive. A great effort is been made,and we do everything we can. First,a systematic work was done alreadyabout textbooks – which are theproper ones. It is an area in whichwe are going to work with the ap-propriate individuals. Second, theissue of upgrading the teachers isanother issue we are trying to ad-dress.

TTNNHH:: How? What is going to bedone on a practical level?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: By organizingseminars in all the Metropolises,for example. Another way is to in-crease of the use of electronicmeans.

TTNNHH:: Is there any concernabout the need to train new teach-ers?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: It is a problemnot to have teacher training.

TTNNHH:: Where will this trainingcome from?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: Hellenic Col-lege. When Saint Basil’s Academymoved to Brookline, Hellenic Col-lege assumed that responsibility.

TTNNHH:: In reality, does HellenicCollege educate the future GreekSchool teachers?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: We are makingan effort, but there is a need to ex-pand the program. These are com-plex topics. When someone studiesfor many years, he or she expects toreceive a decent salary. Our schoolssometimes can not do that becausetheir finances are limited.

TTNNHH:: What did you discuss withthe Greek Education Minister ofEducation, Marietta Yiannakou,this past April in Washington?Does the Greek Government un-derstand they dynamics here?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: Education hereis a subject that, unfortunately, isnot always known to people whoare supposedly in charge of it.There is goodwill, however, al-though more detailed briefing isneeded.

TTNNHH:: Are you planning to re-tire, or will you stay until God callsyou?

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: Retirement is aterm that I have never accepted,not even for a minute in my life. Iam not the type of person whospeaks about retirement. The sa-cred office of a bishop has nothingto do with retirement, and more sofor an Archbishop. These thingsare nonexistent for me. As long asGod gives me health and strength, Iwill continue. It is a matter of re-sponsibility of this position. Anarchbishop dies on his throne in ac-tive duty.

TTNNHH:: Thank you, Your Emi-nence.

DDEEMMEETTRRIIOOSS:: Thank you.

IInntteerrvviieeww wwiitthh AArrcchhbbiisshhoopp DDeemmeettrriiooss

C A L L T O L L F R E E

Account# .................................................................................................................................................Expiration Date........................................................................................................................................Signature .................................................................................................................................................

Name .......................................................................................................................................................Address ....................................................................................................................................................City ..........................................................................................................................................................State.........................................................................................................................................................Zipcode....................................................................................................................................................Telephone ................................................................................................................................................Fax ...........................................................................................................................................................Cell ..........................................................................................................................................................E-mail ......................................................................................................................................................

I enclose a check/money order for $...........made payable to:

TTHHEE NNAATTIIOONNAALL HHEERRAALLDD,, IInncc..3377--1100 3300tthh SSttrreeeett,,

LL..II..CC..,, NNYY 1111110011 -- 22661144

or charge my:

_ American Express _ Master Card _ Visa _ Discover

12 weeks for $17.96

52 weeks for $53.87

YES,I would like

to subscribe toThe National Herald

The Premier WeeklyGreek American Newspaper

✓

1-888-KHRYKAS(547-9527) ext. 110Tel.: (718) 784-5255 fax: (718) 472-0510

s u b s c r i p t i o n s @ e k i r i k a s . c o m

*The rate is valid for new subscribersand for limited time only via the post-office

Subscribe

NOW!

Save10% Off10% OffS u b s c r i p t i o n p r i c e

Continued from page 1

HHiiss EEmmiinneennccee AArrcchhbbiisshhoopp DDeemmeettrriiooss ooff AAmmeerriiccaa..

AANNDDEERRSSOONN,, PPAATT MM.. –– The Balti-more Sun reported on July 2 thatPat Morphia Anderson (neeMavergeorge) passed away lastFriday, June 30. She was thebeloved wife of Emanuel P. Ander-son Jr.; devoted mother of PatriciaMoprhia Goff, Constance MarianDickerson, Emanuel PolykarposAnderson II, and Teresa AnnBlackwell; loving grandmother ofJessica Marie Walton, NicholasSteven Dickerson and Molly AnnBlackwell; dear sister of MarionBrenna, Christopher Mavergeorgeand the late Ann Mavergeorge;and is also survived by many niecesand nephews. Funeral arrange-ments were by the Bruzdzinski Fu-neral Home P.A. in Essex, Mary-land, with visitation last Sundayand Monday, July 2-3. Funeral ser-vices were held at St. NicholasGreek Orthodox Church in Balti-more this past Wednesday morn-ing, July 5. Burial was at Holly HillMemorial Gardens.

BBIILLLLIISS,, SSTTEEVVEENN EE.. –– The Star-Ledger reported on June 27 thatSteven Evan Billis of Elizabeth,New Jersey died on Tuesday, June27. He was the beloved husband ofthree years of Maria (Spanos) Billis;devoted son of Alan Billis ofOakridge, Tennessee and Sophia(Kotas) Cousoulis of Bedminster,New Jersey; dear stepson of SheilaBillis of Oakridge; loving brother ofStacie Billis of Brooklyn and EllenBillis of Louisiana; cherishednephew of Nicholas Kostas, Mar-garet Kostas, Stacy Kostas and Syd-ney Harvey. Relatives attended thefuneral last Saturday morning, July

1, as St. Demetrios Greek OrthodoxChurch. Burial was at the Fairviewcemetery in Westfield, New Jersey.Funeral arrangements were by TheKrowicki McCracken FuneralHome in Linden, New Jersey, withvisitation last Friday, June 30.

CCAARRRRAASSSSAAVVAASS,, HHEELLEENN CC.. ––The Hartford Courant reported onJune 30 that Helen C. (Stam-boulides) Carrassavas, 98, of WestHartford, Connecticut died atHartford Hospital on Thursday,June 29. She was born in Alexan-dria, Egypt. She was the daughterof the late Constantine and EfseviaStamboulides and had lived inWest Hartford since 1988. She wasthe beloved widow of Elias Carras-savas. Helen was a member of St.George Greek Orthodox Cathe-dral and a member of the SeniorCitizens of the church. She is sur-vived by her daughter and son-in-law, Maria and Leonidas Char-alambides of West Hartford; herson and daughter-in-law,Demetrios and Athena Carras-savas of Athens, Greece; fivegrandchildren, Charalambos (Har-ry) Charalambides, Elias L. andAna M. Charalambides, Elias D.and Anthee Carassavas; a greatgrandchild, Corolia Athena; andseveral nieces and nephews. Thefuneral was held last Saturdaymorning, July 1, at St. GeorgeCathedral, with the Very Rev.Archimandrite John A. Heropou-los officiating. Burial was at CedarHill Cemetery in Hartford. Visit-ing hours held at the church priorto the funeral. Contributions in hermemory may be made to St.George Greek Orthodox Cathe-dral, 433 Fairfield Ave., Hartford,CT 06114. The Dillon-Baxter Fu-neral Home in Wethersfield, Con-necticut handled the arrange-ments. To share a memory with thefamily, please visit the web atwww.dillonbaxter.com

KKAARRAABBIISS,, GGEEOORRGGEE SS.. –– TheChicago Tribune reported on July2 that George S. Karabis, 55,passed away. He was the devotedson of Helen and the late SteveKarabis; loving brother of Anne

(Rial) Flesher; dear uncle of Emily(Steve) Szary and Matthew Flesh-er; and fond nephew of James(Bessie) Karabis. Visitation and fu-neral services were held this pastMonday afternoon at St. NicholasGreek Orthodox Church in OakLawn, Illinois. Burial was at theEvergreen Cemetery. He was a1967 graduate of Morgan ParkAcademy and a 1971 graduate ofNorthwestern University. He was aformer employee of Intercraft In-dustries in Chicago and California.For more information, call theBlake-Lamb Funeral Home at 708-636-1193.

PPAATTRRIINNOOSS,, TTEEDD –– Ted Patrinos,U.S. Army Veteran, longtime resi-dent of Naperville, Illinois passedaway on June 18. Born January 18,1936 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Former employee of Alloyd Pack-aging and later worked as a campussupervisor for Naperville CentralHigh School. Beloved husband of42 years to Sophia (nee Lewis);loving father of John (Andrea), Al-yse (James) Franklin and Jason(Maria); devoted son-in-law ofJohn and Kay Lewis; dear grandfa-ther of Zoe, A.J., Sophia and Ted;fond brother of Christine (George)Seitanakis, Marya (Bill) Hart andStacy (the late Andy) Arsenis; un-cle of many nieces and nephews.Calling hours were at Chapel HillGardens West Funeral Home inOakbrook Terrace, Illinois onJune 22. Funeral services wereheld last Friday morning, June 23,at Holy Apostles Greek OrthodoxChurch in Westchester, Illinois.Burial was at Chapel Hill GardensWest Cemetery. In lieu of flowers,please send memorials to Pul-monary Fibrosis Foundation.

SSAARRAANNTTAAKKIISS,, GGEEOORRGGIIAA GG.. ––The Chicago Tribune reported onJune 23 that Georgia G. Sarantakis(nee Geroulis) had passed away.Funeral services were held on Sat-urday morning, June 24, at St.Sophia Greek Orthodox Church inElgin, Illinois. Entombment was atElmwood Mausoleum. In lieu offlowers, donations made to St.Sophia Greek Orthodox Churchwould be appreciated (TEL: 630-847-289-8054).

SSPPHHEEEERRIISS,, DDOORROOTTHHYY LL.. –– TheMilwaukee Journal-Sentinel re-ported on July 2 that Dorothy L.Spheeris (nee Spallas), 85, formany years of Wauwatosa andOconmowoc, Wisconsin andPhoenix, Arizona) passed ontoeternal life last Saturday, July 1.She was the beloved wife for 64years of the late George Spheeris;loving mother of Ellen (JeromeReinke) Spheeris, Jon (Lucine),Leon (Louise) and Pat (Cindy)Spheeris; proud grandmother ofnine grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren; sister of Cele Sido,Georgia Tolibia, Jim Spallas, TomGregory and George Gregory; anddear sister-in-law of Paul J. (Bon-nie) Spheeris and Andrew J. (Nan-cy). She is also survived by nieces,nephews and other relatives andfriends. Visitation with a Trisagionservice was held this past Wednes-day evening, July 5, at the BeckerRitter Funeral Home in Brook-field, Wisconsin. Funeral serviceswere held this past Thursdaymorning, July 6, at Saints Constan-tine & Helen Greek OrthodoxChurch in Wauwatosa, with Rev.Ted Trifon presiding. The funeralwas followed by graveside servicesand burial at Wisconsin MemorialPark in Milwaukee. Memorial con-tributions to the church appreciat-ed (2160 Wauwatosa Ave.,Wauwatosa, WI 53213). “Her de-vout faith, quite mannerisms, love-ly smile, and dedication to familywill always be remembered. Mom,you will always be loved andmissed.” For sympathy expressionsand more information, call 262-782-5330 or visit the web atwww.beckerritter.com.

6 OBITUARIES/CLASSIFIEDS THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 8, 2006

This is a service

to the community.

Announcements of deaths

may be telephoned to the

Classified Department of

The National Herald at

(718) 784-5255,

Monday through Friday,

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST

or e-mailed to: classifieds

@thenationalherald.com

DDeeaatthhssANDERSON, PAT M. BILLIS, STEVEN E. CARRASSAVAS, HELEN C.KARABIS, GEORGE S.PATRINOS, TEDSARANTAKIS, GEORGIA G.SPHEERIS, DOROTHY L.

vviiaa tthhee ppoosstt--ooffffiiccee

❑ 1 Month for $$99..9955 ❑ 3 Months for $$1199..9955❑ 6 Months for $$2299..9955 ❑ One Year for $$5599..8855

vviiaa hhoommee ddeelliivveerryy ((NNYY,, NNJJ && CCTT))

❑ 1 Month for $$1122..9955 ❑ 3 Months for $$2299..9955❑ 6 Months for $$4433..9999 ❑ One Year for $$8800..0000

vviiaa hhoommee ddeelliivveerryy ((NNeeww EEnnggllaanndd,, PPeennnnssyyllvvaanniiaa && WWaasshhiinnggttoonn DD..CC..))

❑ 1 Month for $$1155..9955 ❑ 3 Months for $$3377..4455❑ 6 Months for $$5511..7755 ❑ One Year for $$9999..0000

OOnn lliinnee SSuubbssccrriippttiioonn www.thenationalherald.com❑ Non subscribers: ..........................❑ One Year for $$2299..9955 ❑ One Month for $$33..9955❑ Subscribers: ..................................❑ One Year for $$1199..9955 ❑ One Month for $$11..9955

Name: ...........................................................................................................................................................................Address:........................................................................................................................................................................City:.........................................................State:..........................................................Zip: .............................................Tel.: .................................................E-mail: ..................................................................Cell .........................................

Please send a GGiifftt SSuubbssccrriippttiioonn to:

Name: ...........................................................................................................................................................................Address:........................................................................................................................................................................City:.........................................................State:..........................................................Zip: .............................................Tel.: .................................................E-mail: ..................................................................Cell .........................................

PPlleeaassee ssppeecciiffyy mmeetthhoodd ooff ppaayymmeennttI enclose a check/money order for $ ............. made payable to:

NNaattiioonnaall HHeerraalldd,, IInncc..,, 3377--1100 3300tthh SSttrreeeett,, LLoonngg IIssllaanndd CCiittyy,, NNYY 1111110011 -- 22661144

or please debit my ❑ Mastercard ❑ Visa ❑ American Express ❑ Discover

Card number: ....................................................................

Expiration date: ..................................................................

Signature: ........................................................................

subscribeTThhee NNaattiioonnaall HHeerraalldd

For additional information please call

771188--778844--55225555 or fax 771188--447722--00551100

Please enroll me as a subscriber to the printed edition

of the National Herald

todaytoday

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Col.Theodore S. Mathews Sr. (UnitedStates Navy, retired) of Williams-burg, Virginia died on Thursday,June 28, after a long battle withcancer.

Col. Mathews was born onFebruary 27, 1930 in Lockport, NewYork. He was the son of Stephenand Katherine Mathews, who pre-ceded him in death. He graduatedfrom Lockport High School in 1948and was attending the University ofBuffalo when the Korean Warbroke out.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in1950 and completed the Navy's Avi-ation Electronics TechnicianSchool.

He was then assigned to PatrolBomber Squadron VP-25 (basedout of NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii),which flew the Navy's version of theB-24 Liberator called the "Priva-teer."

He quickly advanced from radartechnician to radar operator andcrewman of one of the B-24 aircraft.

In February 1952, ten days be-fore the squadron deployed to Ko-rea, he received orders to NAS Pen-sacola and entered the Naval Avia-tion Cadet Training program.

During primary flight training,he learned that his old squadronlost three aircraft in Korea, one ofwhich was his, and that all handswere lost.

He completed primary flighttraining and became carrier quali-fied in March 1953. In Septemberof 1953, he completed advancedtraining at NAS Corpus Christi,Texas and was qualified in the Dou-glas AD Skyraider aircraft (a.k.a.,"A1's/A1E's," "Spads" or "Sandys").

He was then commissioned as anensign and received his "NavyWings of Gold."

Col. Mathews was then assigned

to Composite Squadron-35 (VC-35) at NAS North Island in Corona-do, California Flying the Skyraider,VC-35 was an all-weather, night at-tack, special weapons squadronwhich deployed in teams of five pi-lots and four aircraft to each carriergroup in the Pacific. VC-35 pilotswere specially trained to deliver theAtomic bomb from the carriergroup if need be.

As an Ensign in VC-35, Col.Mathews flew 122.2 hours in onemonth, all single engine and singlepilot, which was an unbrokensquadron record. He also broke1000 hours of flying time beforemaking the rank of lieutenant, ju-nior grade.

In February 1956, Col. Mathewsreturned home to complete his un-dergraduate studies at the Universi-ty of Buffalo, where he received hisbachelor's degree. While at theUniversity, he joined the U.S. Navy

Reserves at NAS in Niagara Falls,New York where he transitioned in-to jet fighters, in addition to re-maining current in propeller air-craft.

When NAS Niagara Falls wasclosed in 1958, he walked across therunway and joined the 136th Tacti-cal Fighter Squadron, New YorkAir National Guard, where he flewthe F-86H Sabre, becoming a ratedpilot in two military services.

As a pilot, he flew such aircraftas the SNJ, SNB, T-34, all sevenmodels of the AD Skyraider, T-33(T-Bird), F2H Banshees, FJ Furys,and the F-86H Sabre. He was tran-sitioning into the F-100 Super Sabrewhen he entered medical school.

Following graduation from NewYork Medical College in 1965, Col.Mathews returned to active duty inthe U.S. Air Force and completedhis internship and residency train-ing in General Surgery at the Wil-

ford Hall USAF Medical Center inSan Antonio, Texas.

As a physician, he has served asDirector of Base Medical Servicesat Brooks AFB in San Antonio,Texas; Chief of General Surgery atRAF in Lakenheath, England;Chief of Hospital Services and Sur-gical Services at Incirlik AB inTurkey; and two tours at the AirForce Academy Hospital in Col-orado Springs. He became Chief ofHospital Services for the U.S. AirForce Academy Hospital in July1991.

During the Vietnam War, heserved a term at the Burn Unit,Brook Army Medical Center atFort Sam Houston in San Antonio.

During the Gulf War, Col.Mathews served at Riyadh AB inSaudi Arabia, where he was ap-pointed Commander of the 56thAir Transportation Hospital.

During Operation Desert Storm,he celebrated his 61st birthday mak-ing him one of the oldest active dutypersonnel in a forward area and aveteran of three wars.

Col. Mathews was a member ofVFW Post 14000; MOAA Organi-zation; the Daedalions, S.P. Lang-ley Flight 34; a founding member ofthe American Air Museum in GreatBritain; a member of the Associa-tion of Graduates of the Air ForceAcademy; USS Wasp CVA-18 As-sociation.; and the VC-35/VAAW-35 Association.

His decorations among othersinclude: The Legion of Merit Meri-torious Service Medal, the AirForce Commendation Medal withtwo oak leaf clusters, the Air ForceOrganizational Excellence Awardwith one oak leaf cluster, the AirForce Outstanding Unit Awardwith two oak leaf clusters, the Na-tional Defense Medal with two

bronze stars, the Kuwait LiberationMedal, the Southwest Asia ServiceMedal with one bronze star, and theChina Service Medal.

His military career spannedmore that 33 years of active dutyservice, with credited service of 41years and 10 months.

Col. Mathews is survived by hiswife of 41 years, the former JuneJoan Slawuta; his son, Lt. Col.Theodore S. Mathews Jr.; hisdaughter, Catherine A. Girard andhusband, David; his daughter,LCDR Carol A. Burroughs andhusband, LCDR (Ret.) CharlesBurroughs; and his son, Stephen P.Mathews and wife Jennifer; and sixgrandchildren.

He is also survived by his broth-er, Dr. Ernest Mathews and wifeJoan, and their three children.

Visitation with a prayer servicewas held last Sunday evening, at theNelsen Funeral Home in Williams-burg. The funeral was held this pastMonday morning, July 3, at SaintsConstantine & Helen Greek Ortho-dox Cathedral in Richmond. Col.Mathews will be buried at a laterdate with full military honors at Ar-lington National Cemetery inWashington, DC.

The family is extremely gratefuland wishes to thank all those whowere committed to his care. In lieuof flowers, the family requests thatmemorial donations be made in thename of Col. Theodore S. MathewsSr. to the Saints Constantine & He-len Greek Orthodox CathedralBuilding Fund (30 Malvern Ave.,Richmond, VA 23221-2658).

For more information and on-line condolences, please visit theweb at www.nelsenfh.com.

TThhee DDaaiillyy PPrreessss ppuubblliisshheedd tthheeaabboovvee oonn JJuunnee 3300..

CCooll.. TThheeooddoorree SS.. MMaatthheewwss,, VVeetteerraann ooff TThhrreeee WWaarrss,, DDiieess aatt 7766

REAL ESTATE

Notice of formation of Co-Counsel, LLC adomestic Limited Liability Company (LLC).Articles of Organization filed with the Sec-retary of State on 6/21/2006. NY OfficeLocation: Bronx County. Secretary of Stateis designated as agent upon whom processagainst the LLC may be served. Secretary ofState shall mail a copy of any processagainst the LLC served upon him/her to:Co-Counsel LLC C/O David Colgan, 2550Independence Ave. #6L, Bronx, NY 10463.Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or ac-tivity.

277757/15089

LITRAS FUNERAL HOMEARLINGTON BENSON DOWD,INC FUNERAL HOME83-15 Parsons Blvd., Jamaica, NY 11432(718) 858-4434 ñ (800) 245-4872

APOSTOLOPOULOSApostle Family - Gregory, Nicholas, Andrew - Funeral Directors of RIVERDALE

FUNERAL HOME Inc.5044 BroadwayNew York, NY 10034(212) 942-4000Toll Free 1-888-GAPOSTLE

CONSTANTINIDESFUNERAL PARLOR Co.405 91st StreetBay Ridge - Brooklyn, NY 11209(718) 745-1010Services in all localities - Low cost shipping to Greece

ANTONOPOULOS FUNERAL HOME, INC.Konstantinos Antonopoulos - Funeral Director38-08 Ditmars Blvd.,Astoria, New York 11105(718) 728-8500Not affiliated with any other funeral home.

FUNERAL HOMES

LEGAL NOTICE

To place your classified ad, call(718) 784-5255, ext. 106, or e-mail:classifieds@ thenationalherald.com

CLASSIFIEDS

By Stavros MarmarinosSpecial to the National Herald

NEW YORK – Around mid-night last Wednesday, June 28,Irene Frangos was telling herdaughter, Peggy Kokolakis, shecould see the end of her life ap-proaching very quickly.

“I can see my mother coming toget me,” Mrs. Frangos told herdaughter, who was visiting her atthe hospital.

Mrs. Frangos passed away at 101years of age early last Thursdaymorning, June 29, at MeaseDunedin Hospital near Clearwater,Florida. She would have been 102years old this October.

“She asked me for some water,and then she prayed for me,” Mrs.Kokolakis said. “She couldn’t saymore. She was in very bad condi-tion. She only recognized me andmy husband.”

According to Mrs. Kokolakis,many friends and relatives had visit-ed the elderly woman at the hospi-tal; she wasn’t to recall names andrecognize faces, however.

“She could only recognize myhusband, who she loved verymuch,” Mrs. Kokolakis said.“When my husband came to thehospital to see her, she said ‘let’swelcome Yianni the fisherman,’

since my husband used to go fish-ing.”

Mrs. Frangos used to live in PortJefferson, Long Island and shemoved to Florida in the early1990’s. The Greek American com-munity in Port Jefferson commonlyreferred to her as “mother of theyear” because she was always tryingto take care of everyone.

According to her daughter, untilthe very last minute of her life, Mrs.Frangos was mentally sound.

“She used to read a lot. Sheloved the National Herald, and shewould get a copy every day in orderto learn more about the GreekAmerican community and theGreek news,” Mrs. Kokolakis said.“Unfortunately, she stopped read-ing during the last six months of herlife. She could barely hold the pa-per.”

Mrs. Frangos was a member ofthe local Philoptochos Society atthe Assumption Church in Port Jef-ferson.

“My mother was a dynamicwoman and very close to her family.She loved her home, her childrenand grandchildren,” Mrs. Kokolakissaid. “In the past, she used to go tochurch every day, but every sincemy father passed away in 1992, herlife became really difficult, and shestopped going out of the house so

often. She only visited us on birth-days and holidays.”

During these past few years,Mrs. Frangos lived with her daugh-ter and son-in-law in their beautifulhouse in Clearwater.

“She was very happy when Fa-ther James Rousakis from HolyTrinity Church went to her house togive her Holy Communion,” Mrs.Kokolakis said. “She took Commu-nion on Easter Sunday, as well as onthe feast day of Saint Charalambos(February 10).”

According to Mrs. Kokolakis hermother was in good health up untilrecently: “She had to go on antibi-otics because of a urinary tract in-fection she suffered from recently,which eventually wore out her en-tire body.”

Mrs. Frangos was taken toMease Dunedin a few days ago. Afew minutes before she died, shetold her daughter, “I love you verymuch.”

Throughout her life, Mrs. Fran-gos consistently tried to teach herchildren and grandchildren Greek.“She always talked about the toughtimes in Greece during the war,”Mrs. Kokolakis said. “My motherhad to raise us all by herself sincemy dad was away in America andcouldn’t come back to Greece be-cause of the war. We lived in Chiosat the time.”

Mrs. Kokolakis came to theUnited States with her children in1951. Her funeral was held this pastMonday, July 3, at the Holy TrinityChurch in Clearwater.

Irene Frangos, a Caring Soul, Passes Away at 101

TThhee llaattee IIrreennee FFrraannggooss,, wwhhoo ddiieedd aatt110011 yyeeaarrss ooff aaggee oonn JJuunnee 2299,, wwoouullddhhaavvee ttuurrnneedd 110022 tthhiiss OOccttoobbeerr..

By George PsyllidesAssociated Press

NICOSIA (AP) - It's a rare ges-ture of unity in an island dividedby war and ethnic enmity. Scien-tists from Cyprus' rival Greek andTurkish communities have joinedforces to tackle a lingering ques-tion which still haunts thousandsof families here: What became ofsome 2,000 Cypriots officially list-ed as missing in fighting since the1960's?

The missing persons issue hassignificantly contributed to mis-trust between the two communi-ties, which now appear deter-mined to resolve the issue. Most ofthe missing are thought to bedead, but many relatives are reluc-tant to accept that before they seeproof that their loved ones had in-deed perished.

Using archaeological tech-niques and DNA technology, ex-perts from both sides of the divide– working under a committee onmissing persons – are collaborat-ing with foreign colleagues to lo-cate and identify remains buried infields, olive groves and disusedwells across the island.

MMOORREE TTHHAANN 110000BBOODDIIEESS SSOO FFAARR

So far, more than 100 bodieshave been found in unmarkedgraves, but have not yet been iden-tified.

In a sign of support for the ef-fort, Cypriot President Tassos Pa-padopoulos and Turkish Cypriotleader Mehmet Ali Talat heldtalks on Monday to discuss themissing – 1,468 Greek Cypriotsand 502 Turkish Cypriots – in theirfirst meeting in over two years.

Cyprus has been divided since1974, after Turkey invaded follow-ing an Athens-backed coup by sup-porters of union with Greece. It is

difficult to establish how manypeople died in the fighting, whichended a month after the coup,with Turkey occupying the north-ern third of the island republic.

Reunification efforts havestalled since a United Nationspeace plan was overwhelminglyapproved by Turkish Cypriots, butdecisively rejected by GreekCypriots, in separate referenda atthe end of April 2004.

The three-member Committeefor Missing Persons, or CMP –made up of a Greek Cypriot, aTurkish Cypriot and a U.N. offi-cial – relies mainly on testimoniesgathered over the years.

"It all depends on how accuratethe testimonies are," saidXenophon Kallis, the assistant tothe Greek Cypriot CMP member.

But memories fade, and eventhe landscape changes. What wasonce open countryside could be anew tourist resort today.

Even when a grave is located,reaching the remains is not alwayseasy. During an exhumation nearthe island's east coast in June, in-vestigators had to break througheight meters (26 feet) of rock toreach remains lodged at the bot-tom of an old well. "The groundstructure made that one of themost difficult exhumations," Kallissaid.

Once remains are found, teamsof anthropologists and archeolo-gists map their exact position andtake photographs. The finds arethen removed and classified, whileDNA samples are taken for identi-fication.

CCOOMMMMIINNGGLLEEDD RREEMMAAIINNSS

"It is a huge problem when theremains (of several people) arecommingled," Kallis said. "Themost tragic aspect is that the rela-tives will not get all the remains."

While a single DNA test is re-quired to identify an intact skele-ton, in commingled cases, expertshave to conduct 7-10 tests to re-construct the remains of one per-son – a very costly process.

The worse cases of commingledbodies are found in secondaryburial sites: In some cases, remainswere dug up from their originalmass grave and reburied, usuallyto conceal the original grave's exis-tence – and the circumstances ofits occupants' fate with it.

But the CMP has no mandateto investigate the cause of death orto attribute responsibility.

Out of the bodies found so far,nearly half were exhumed duringthe past year under the CMP'semergency program for sitesjudged at risk, mainly from immi-nent construction work. The restwere located by the Turkish Cypri-ots previously.

All the remains will be pro-cessed in the CMP's forensics labat the defunct Nicosia airport –unused since fighting in 1974. Aprogram of further exhumationsand intensive investigations is ex-pected to start soon.

It remains to be seen whetherthe two sides will agree to investi-gate the circumstances of death ofthe victims, in a final move of rec-onciliation with the island's bloodypast.

THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 8, 2006 GREECE/CYPRUS 7

to any domestic interference by na-tional governments, and has im-posed sanctions on numerous coun-tries in the past for this reason.

Greece, Portugal and Poland as-sociations were warned lastSeptember that they risked interna-tional isolation if they were notcompliant with FIFA rules.

Portugal and Poland were pro-gressing, Blatter said, "but inGreece, nothing has been done. Iteven became worse."

FIFA announced the sanctionon Monday, saying the Greek feder-ation and all its members were "sus-pended with immediate effect, anduntil further notice, from all inter-national contact."

Under the sanctions, all Greeknational and club teams, as well asofficials, are prohibited from havingany involvement in internationalcompetition, and all FIFA fundingwill be stopped.

FIFA's Emergency Committee,comprising the presidents of allcontinental confederations, decidedthat the administration of the Hel-

lenic Football Federation did notcomply with FIFA's statutes regard-ing independence of the decision-making process from government.

In September 2005, HFF wasgiven a July 15 deadline to obtain anamendment to the national law onsports from the Greek Governmentso that the national association con-formed with international and Eu-ropean soccer regulations.

The July 15 deadline had beenset last year because FIFA wantedguarantees before the draws forChampions League qualifying werescheduled. But FIFA acted earlyagainst Greece because it did notsee any changes forthcoming, Blat-ter said.

"In spite of repeated warningsfrom both FIFA and UEFA (Unionof European Football Associa-tions), the commitment expressedby Greek Government representa-tives to amend the law on sport toirrevocably recognize that footballmatters can only be decided by theHFF and its subordinated footballstructures has not been respected,"FIFA said in a statement. "In fact,the recently presented draft of a

new law on professional leaguesconstitutes another example of in-terference from the Government infootball affairs. Therefore, the FI-FA Emergency Committee has de-termined that the deadline would

not be met by the HFF, and that thesuspension of this federation wasnecessary."

HFF threw the blame at GreekSports Minister George Orfanos,accusing him of "playing with fire…He is leading Greek football to in-ternational isolation and placing itoutside the international soccercommunity," HFF said in a state-ment. "Instead of fully freeingGreek soccer from state interven-tion, (Orfanos) has legalized stateintervention and sidelined the Fed-eration, with no concern for theconsequences, which have been ex-plained to him in detail."

Orfanos reacted by threateningto cut off Government funding toHFF. He said that the Greek soccerassociation had undemocratic vot-ing rules and lacked transparency.

"It does not observe the laws ofthe country," he said. "We wantmore democratic voting rules –rules that apply to all other sportingfederations in Greece. If they insist,state protection will be withdrawn."

Orfanos also expressed surpriseat the ban: "We explained our posi-tions to Mr. Blatter at a meeting in

Zurich on May 29, and he assuredus he understood our view," he toldstate-run NET television, addingthat he would seek contact withBlatter this week.

Blatter confirmed that he metwith Orfanos in Zurich, and said hewas under the impression that na-tional laws would be amended sothat the national soccer body com-plied with FIFA statutes.

Greece was an upset winner ofthe 2004 European Championshipin Portugal, but failed to qualify forthe 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Greece's opening qualifyingmatch for the 2008 EuropeanChampionship had been scheduledfor September 2 at Moldova. TheGreeks were also supposed to playan international friendly at Englandon August 16.

The Champions League final isset for Athens next May. UEFAsaid it was awaiting more detailsfrom FIFA about the ruling beforemaking any comments.

Other countries that have servedsuspensions in the past includeKenya, Bangladesh, Guinea,Yemen and Barbados.

FFIIFFAA SSuussppeennddss GGrreeeeccee ffrroomm IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall PPllaayyContinued from page 1

By George Psyllides Associated Press

NICOSIA (AP) – Greek andTurkish Cypriot leaders indicatedthis past Monday they were willingto meet again, after holding theirfirst talks since a United Nations-sponsored plan to reunify the islandfloundered two years ago.

It was the first time PresidentTassos Papadopoulos and TurkishCypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talathad met since 2004, when GreekCypriots rejected – and TurkishCypriots accepted – the reunifica-tion proposal submitted by U.N.Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

The European Union welcomedthe talks, and said a settlement ofthe Cyprus issue could help easetensions and problems in Turkey'snegotiations to join the E.U.

Monday's discussions focused onthe fate of about 2,000 (mainlyGreek) Cypriots officially listed asmissing since conflict raged be-tween the two communities in the1960's and 1970's. Papadopoulosand Talat came together to launch anew phase of a U.N. mission tosearch for the bodies. Most werekilled at the time of the Turkish in-vasion of the island in July 1974, orin the sporadic outbreaks of ethnicviolence that preceded it.

The highly sensitive missing per-sons issue has remained unresolvedfor decades. Now there appears tobe a new determination and incen-tive on the part of both sides to set-tle the matter. But the hope ofdiplomats here was that, when theCypriot president and TurkishCypriot leader were once again inthe same room together, they mightagree to resume negotiations on theisland's future.

The two men emerged from thetalks saying they also exchangedviews on reunification.

"There is no dogmatic or otherreason for not seeing Mr. Talat, as

long as there is a program of whatthe meeting will come to," Pa-padopoulos said.

Talat said they had a "very goodand sincere discussion," and alsosaid he hoped to meet Papadopou-los again.

Reunification efforts havestalled since the Annan Plan was re-jected, and Papadopoulos had re-fused to meet Talat. Talat has re-peatedly called on the Greek Cypri-ots to resume reunification talks,and has blamed much of the failureto make any headway on Pa-padopoulos.

Cyprus has been divided into a

Greek Cypriot south – the interna-tionally recognized government –and a Turkish Cypriot (occupied)north since 1974, after Turkey in-vaded to exploit an Athens-backedcoup which aimed to unify the is-land with Greece.

The 90-minute meeting was heldat a compound in the U.N.-pa-trolled buffer zone known as theGreen Line, which divides the twosides.

The two men did not say whenthey would meet again. Talat saidhe hoped they could get togetherduring a visit to Cyprus this week byU.N. Undersecretary-General for

Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari,who held separate meetings withPapadopoulos and Talat on Thurs-day.

European Commission Presi-dent Jose Manuel Barroso, on a vis-it to Finland, which assumed theE.U.’s rotating six-month presiden-cy last Saturday, said the E.U. en-couraged all sides "to be flexible be-cause, of course, the settlement ofthe issue could make things mucheasier for the progress of our nego-tiations" with Turkey.

Finnish Prime Minister MattiVanhanen reiterated calls for theTurkish Government to live up tocommitments to implement a dealextending a customs union pactwith Cyprus, which Turkey refusesto recognize, or face a possiblefreeze in entry talks. E.U. officialshave warned that could come asearly as October.

The government of TurkishPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Er-dogan insists that it will not lift itsexisting ban on Cypriot traffic un-less the E.U. allows direct tradewith the Turkish-occupied break-away state.

Papadopoulos, who was involvedwith the U.N. peace plan negotia-tion process, later lobbied GreekCypriots to reject it, arguing itwould give up too much to theTurkish Cypriots.

Cyprus joined the EuropeanUnion later that year, but the break-away Turkish-occupied state in theisland's northern territory has notreceived any benefits from the E.U.

An agreement to start talks ontechnical issues last February, in-cluding what to do with illegal im-migrants and the environment, hasbeen frozen because of disagree-ments over what would be dis-cussed.

TThhee aabboovvee iinnccoorrppoorraatteess iinnffoorrmmaa--ttiioonn ffrroomm aa rreeppoorrtt ppoosstteedd bbyy BBBBCCNNeewwss OOnnlliinnee oonn JJuullyy 33..

importance of the Patriarch, theexplanation of many OrthodoxChristians is often this: “He’s likethe Pope.” Not really.Bartholomew is “first amongequals” in the more than 250 mil-lion-strong Orthodox Church. Hecontrols several Greek Orthodoxchurches directly, but has troublereining others in, like the RussianOrthodox and Armenian Ortho-dox, who seem to enjoy their inde-pendence.

Today, he heads a Christiancommunity which, for more than17 centuries, has been centered inConstantinople (present-day Istan-bul). Only back then, Asia Minor(present-day Turkey) wasn’t 99percent Muslim like it is today.

At the head of the Orthodox hi-erarchy, Bartholomew denies apope-like role, but says his power isin coordinating the works of theOrthodox worldwide. Turkey re-fuses to officially recognize thatpower, saying Bartholomew is notthe “Ecumenical” Patriarch, butthe leader only of Turkey’s tinyGreek Orthodox community,which numbers just a couple thou-sand.

His book of 89 childhood mem-oirs, translated recently fromGreek to Turkish, aims to assuageTurkish fears that he wants to in-crease his power and carve out anautonomous, Vatican-like state inTurkey.

Some here see that as a seriousthreat, and protests follow the Pa-triarch whenever he leaves hiswooden dwelling on Constantino-ple’s Golden Horn. Kemal Kerinc-siz, the ultra-nationalist head ofthe Turkish Lawyers’ Union, toldthe Associated Press that he sub-mitted a petition with 2.5 millionsignatures to the Turkish Govern-ment, asking for the Patriarchateto be transplanted to Greece.

Kerincsiz said Bartholomew’sbook was a ruse. “PatriarchBartholomew, from beginning toend, has been hiding his realgoals,” he said. “This is nothingmore than a road to the establish-ment of a mini religious state.”

Kerincsiz’s 2.5 million are espe-cially fearful that the EuropeanUnion, to which Turkey aspires toaccede, will support the Patriarch.The E.U. has demanded thatTurkey improve its treatment ofreligious minorities and reopen thePatriarchal Seminary on the island

of Halki (Heybeliada in Turkish)where Bartholomew trained. Thesigners of Kerincsiz’s petition thinkthe Europeans, especially theGreeks, have always been hopingto carve Muslim Turkey intopieces.

When a Patriarchal delegationwent to the Vatican for the feastday of Saints Peter and Paul lastThursday, June 29, it probably did-n’t help allay those concerns. AsPope Benedict XVI celebrated amass at St. Peter’s Basilica, he saidhe was grateful to Bartholomew“for this sign of fraternity thatclearly shows the desire and com-mitment” to work for Christian uni-ty, a central objective of his Papacy.

The Orthodox delegation wasled by Metropolitan Evangelos(John) Zizioulas of Pergamon, aleading Orthodox theologian and amember of the Patriarchate.

During a meeting with the Or-thodox delegation after the Mass,Benedict described his role as “thefirst in the choir who has the task ofmaintaining the harmony of thevoices.” He said their visit showeda common commitment “to elimi-nate all dissonance from the choirof the one church of Christ.”

Benedict told them that the co-

operation will be strengthenedwhen he makes a scheduled trip toTurkey in November for the featsof Saint Andrew the First-CalledApostle and visits Bartholomew atthe Patriarchate.

An ethnically Greek Turkishcitizen born on February 29th of aleap year, Bartholomew seemeddestined to inhabit a strange world.“When a Patriarch Was a Child”gives Turks a glimpse into thatworld.

The self portrait which emergesis often one of startling innocence,given the accusations of politicalplotting swirling around him. Weread about a child – then calledDemetrios Archondonis – whogrew up on a predominantly Greekisland called Imvros (Gokceada inTurkish); who loved books, hisfamily, his country and nature; andwho then found God and decidedto become a priest.

In his earliest writings, the 10-year-old Bartholomew talks mostlyabout nature, farm work and ani-mals. Charmingly childish sen-tences abound: e.g., “We have tolove and protect birds, who are ourbest friends.”

Bartholomew shows an early at-traction to fables with clearly stat-

ed morals. Over the course of thebook, we see these fables fade outand get replaced by religious feel-ing, which seems to combine hismoral sense with his awe of nature.

“I believe in God because themountains, seas, rivers and every-thing I see around me can not havebeen created by man,” he writes.He says he also believes because hethinks most injustices go unpun-ished in this world and must bepunished in the next – and becausehe has seen his prayers answered.

Significantly, much of the bookfocuses on Bartholomew’s highschool years at the TheologicalSchool on Halki, which he refers toas “a part of Heaven” in the book.

The school was forcibly shutdown by the Turkish Governmentin 1971, when Turkey decided thatindependent religious institutionswere incompatible with a secularstate.

Bartholomew says he sees theclosure of the school as an attemptto starve the Patriarchate of newleaders. “This means that the gov-ernment of the Republic of Turkeywants to shut down the Patriar-chate because, if it has no person-nel, how can it function,” he asks inthe introduction?Under Turkish

law, all religious leaders – includ-ing the Greek Orthodox Patriarch– must be Turkish citizens, whichmeans the pool of potential Ortho-dox leaders to choose from hasshrunk dramatically over the yearsalong with Turkey'’ shrinkingGreek minority. This is anotherreason why Greeks are so desper-ate to reopen the Halki seminary.

Bartholomew says he remainsan optimist and that, with Turkeystriving for E.U. membership, thesituation can change.

For many people, it’s surprisingjust how loyal Bartholomew is toTurkey, despite all the protests andhis claims that Christians are treat-ed as second-class citizens. Speak-ing Turkish slowly, deliberatelyand with a heavy accent, the Patri-arch spoke to the group gatheredaround him at the launch.

“Inshallah, this small book willadd a small piece to the society’speace and togetherness.” Then hewent back under a small canopyand signed autographs.

TThhee AAssssoocciiaatteedd PPrreessss ppoosstteedd tthheeaabboovvee oonn JJuullyy 11.. TThhee ssttoorryy aallssoo iinn--ccoorrppoorraatteess iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn ffrroomm aannAAPP rreeppoorrtt bbyy VViiccttoorr SSiimmppssoonn oonnJJuunnee 2299..

Ecumenical Patriarch Publishes his Childhood Memoirs in TurkishContinued from page 1

PPaappaaddooppoouullooss FFiinnaallllyy MMeeeettss wwiitthh TTaallaatt

UU..NN.. UUnnddeerrsseeccrreettaarryy GGeenneerraall IIbbrraahhiimm GGaammbbaarrii,, rriigghhtt,, iiss aaccccoommppaanniieeddbbyy GGrreeeekk FFoorreeiiggnn MMiinniisstteerr DDoorraa BBaakkooyyaannnnii bbeeffoorree tthheeiirr ttaallkkss iinnAAtthheennss tthhiiss ppaasstt WWeeddnneessddaayy,, JJuullyy 55.. GGaammbbaarrii wwaass vviissiittiinngg GGrreeeeccee,,TTuurrkkeeyy aanndd CCyypprruuss iinn aann aatttteemmpptt ttoo rreessttaarrtt ttaallkkss aaiimmeedd aatt tthhee ffiinnddiinnggaa ssoolluuttiioonn ffoorr tthhee wwaarr--ddiivviiddeedd MMeeddiitteerrrraanneeaann iissllaanndd..

SSeeaarrcchhiinngg ffoorr tthhee MMiissssiinnggIInn CCyypprruuss iiss nnoo EEaassyy TTaasskk

HHeelllleenniicc FFoooottbbaallll FFeeddeerraattiioonnPPrreessiiddeenntt VVaassiilliiss GGaaggaattssiiss..

AP/YANNIS PANAGOPOULOS

AP/PETROS GIANNAKOURIS

8 EDITORIALS/LETTERS THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 8, 2006

In his interview with the National Herald (see this week’s lead story),Archbishop Demetrios had an opportunity to provide his flock with his vi-sion and ideas for the future of the Church in America, which will presum-ably be discussed during the upcoming Clergy-Laity Congress in Nashville,Tennessee.

Unfortunately, he missed the opportunity.Frankly, it’s unclear what the upcoming Clergy-Laity is being chal-

lenged with, and whether the Church leadership still views the biennialgathering as the supreme assembly, during which the laity has its say on ad-ministrative matters and other issues affecting the Archdiocese and itsparishes.

Demetrios does not lack for eloquence or knowledge. After all, as hehimself put it, he has been a scholar most of his life.

But the question slowly being raised since he assumed his duties inSeptember 1999 – which is becoming more urgent as time goes by, andwhich begs answering – is whether his academic experience suffices forhim to carry out his duties as Primate of the Church in America.

The Archbishop does make some useful points. He rightly speaks of theneed to improve teacher-training programs for Hellenic schools, andshould be credited for acknowledging the need to pay our teachers bettersalaries.

He also rightly speaks of the need to discuss the issue of “mixed mar-riages,” and to address their growing numbers in a healthy, practical man-ner, correctly pointing out that succeeding generations of Greek OrthodoxChristian children will be products of interfaith households.

But when he was asked what he anticipates will be achieved by the up-coming Clergy-Laity Congress, he offered no substantive response, no wellthought-out plan for action.

Yet the Clergy-Laity Congress is part of a vibrant tradition of two-yeargatherings, during which important decisions used to be made, as well asaffording opportunities for togetherness and stimulating discussion.

The Clergy-Laity is the supreme decision-making body of the Archdio-cese. Every two years, budgets are passed for the succeeding two years.These budgets supposedly rely on projections of how much the faithful willgive to support the Archdiocese and its increasing number of programs.

But the Archdiocese debt soared to a record $10 million (before “drop-ping” back down to a still very uncomfortable $7 million – due largely to agenerous $2 million gift from a single individual), so it is reasonable to as-sume that the faithful have not been forthcoming with their contributions;neither should they be expected to change this pattern any time soon.

The Archbishop has acknowledged the debt, and stated that unspecifiedmeasures will be taken to eventually resolve it (presumably, the new Arch-diocesan Endowment fund will “eventually” become part of the solution).

But he continues to blame others for the debt. “Just to put it more sim-ply, part of the debt was inherited, and another part is because of huge le-gal expenses. Other than that, the contributions of the parishes since theyear 2000 are growing continuously.”

We have heard this feel-good gospel about Archdiocese finances fromHis Eminence a little too often. Seven years later, should not the Arch-bishop and his administration be able to balance the books?

And as if that was not troublesome enough, he asserts, “The Archdio-cese is making a tremendous effort in the area of finances. I am of theopinion that gratitude should have been expressed to the Archdiocese,which manages to operate and offer its services under these circum-stances.”

Gratitude? Under the circumstances, that’s quite an astonishing state-ment.

Finally when he was asked about his retirement plans, the Archbishopsaid, “An archbishop dies on his throne in active duty.”

That may be what the Church Canons prescribe, but we see the effectsof such strict adherence to the Canons in the Church of Cyprus, where HisBeatitude Chrysostomos has been incapacitated for more than two yearsnow.

Moreover, the Church’s experience in America is quite different. Arch-bishop Iakovos, for example, did not die on his throne.

The 4th of JulyAccording to the New York Times, half of the population of Queens

is foreign-born. So almost every week, some ethnic group is celebratingsome kind of liberation of their homeland from some neighboring coun-try. For instance, the NYT writes, the Greeks celebrate their day of inde-pendence on the 25th of March.

Yet on the 4th of July, the Times noted, all these groups celebrate oneIndependence Day, that of the United States of America.

You have to be a foreign born naturalized citizen to appreciate cer-tain aspects of it. No one asks you to celebrate this day; to take time offfrom work; to raise a flag; or to dress like you do on Sundays when you goto Church.

Still, you gladly do all of the above, and more. You do so for the mar-vel that this country is – because America has given you a chance to blos-som as an individual.

You do it because of the wide array of opportunities for your Ameri-can-born children. You do it because you know how different this coun-try is, how special and how much more advanced than any other countryon Earth – advanced not only in terms of material resources, but also interms of its free and uncompromising spirit.

America has made a giant leap forward in allowing a new breed ofperson in the history of humanity to develop; in celebrating the value,spirit and uniqueness of the individual.

It is a society that was organized around, and in response to, thoseprinciples – a compassionate society which cares, gives and has takenwhat the word philanthropy stands for to another level – a society whichasks no questions from the individual, demands no answers and imposesno conformity.

That is why the foreign-born celebrate the 4th of July, not for wordswhose meaning they might not understand, but for all that they experi-enced and perceive though the eyes of their minds and souls.

The vision thing

Frangos ArticleJogs Memory forMichigan's Greeks

To the Editor:I read Steve Frangos’ two-part

story on the Greeks in northeast-ern, Michigan with interest. I wasborn in Saginaw, Michigan in 1935and practiced law here since 1961.I’m familiar with the Rapanosfamily and some of the othersmentioned in the articles (see May13 and May 20 editions), one beingSteve Stevenson, who was a verygood friend of my father.

We visited Midland in the olddays on a regular basis. He spentnumerous Christmases at ourhome. Steve and his wife had twodaughters, Katherine and Jean.Katherine became a registerednurse, and Jean obtained a collegedegree and is married to a pedi-atric neurosurgeon in Minneapo-lis, Minnesota.

Steve had a partner, William,who left a large portion of his es-tate to the St. Demetrios GreekOrthodox Church in Saginaw,which serves the tri-city area(Michigan, In Diana, Ohio).

We presently have 124 mem-bers. William and Steve operatedthe LaSalle restaurant. I ate manymeals there as a young boy.

There are other Greek familieswhich have been in the Midlandarea, including the Moutsatsonfamily, which was there prior to1950.

George, Nick and John Mout-satson were dynamic en-trepreneurs and partners for a sig-nificant period of time, and haveexerted substantial developmentpressure in and around Michigan,especially in Midland, where theywere active in hotels, commercialrentals, banquet facilities, manu-facturing and most of all residen-tial development.

In relation to Dow Chemical,there have been many newcomerswho have been an extremely posi-tive force in our community offaith. I hope this adds some infor-mation to the story. Thank you.

Respectfully submitted,Christ A. AnagnostSaginaw, Michigan

Prayers in GreekSound Like Babble,English is Needed

To the Editor:Father Poulos’ article in your

June 17 edition (“A Church or aTower of Babel”) affirming that

using English in our Liturgy “chipsaway at our Orthodox faith” is re-plete with specious rhetoric andpoetic nonsense.

Does he really believe that the95 percent of the Orthodox faith-ful who attend Liturgies in Slavon-ic, Romanian, Arabic and evenEnglish are less Orthodox and fur-ther from God than the Greeks?

Did Christ’s Apostles and disci-ples have to learn a foreign lan-guage or follow along in a transla-tion book in order to hear Hismessage or receive the Eucharist?Why is the Divine Liturgy cele-brated in dozens of languagesthroughout the world?

For an average, mainstreamEnglish-speaking Orthodox to beuplifted and to truly internalize hisworship experience, a substantialamount of English in the Liturgy isabsolutely imperative.

Admittedly, Greek hymns sungby a Byzantine choir are estheti-cally pleasing and inspiring.

However, listening to theGospel, Epistle, Creed, LordsPrayer, petitions and Communionprayers in Greek is essentially likelistening to “Babel” – i.e., intelligi-ble babble.

Hearing and reciting the abovein English, and listening to thepriest recite English prayers, to in-clude the Consecration, simulta-neous to the choir singing in

Greek, genuinely stirs the soul.Father Poulos’ merely being

entertained by familiar sounds andmelodies is shallow and meaning-less.

The Divine Liturgy is a vehicleof worship, a channel of commu-nion with God. The Church is nota liturgical museum, and the Litur-gy is not a theatrical performance.

Any priest who denies or trivi-alizes the need for English in theDivine Liturgy is ignorant of, oroblivious to, the spiritual needs ofEnglish-speaking Orthodox.

Respectfully submitted,Bob Donus

Rockville Center, New York

TO OUR READERS

The National Herald welcomes let-

ters from its readers intended for

publication. They should include the

writer’s name, address, and tele-

phone number and be addressed

to: The Editor, The National Herald,

37-10 30th Street, Long Island City,

NY 11101. Letters can also be faxed

to (718) 472-0510 or e-mailed to

english.edition@thenationalherald.co

m. We reserve the right to edit let-

ters for publication and regret that

we are unable to acknowledge or

return those left unpublished.

TThhee NNaattiioonnaall HHeerraallddA weekend publication of the NATIONAL HERALD, INC. (∂£¡π∫√™ ∫∏ƒÀ•),

reporting the news and addressing the issues of paramount interest to the Greek American community of the United States of America.

Publisher-Editor AAnnttoonniiss HH.. DDiiaammaattaarriiss

Assistant to Publisher, Advertising VVeettaa HH.. DDiiaammaattaarriiss PPaappaaddooppoouulloossManaging Editor EEvvaann CC.. LLaammbbrroouu

Production Manager CChhrryyssoouullaa KKaarraammeettrroossWebmaster AAlleexxaannddrrooss TTssoouukkiiaass

The National Herald (USPS 016864) is published weekly byThe National Herald Inc. at 37-10 30th Street, LIC, NY 11101-2614

Tel: (718)784-5255, Fax: (718)472-0510, e-mail: english.edition@thenationalherald.com

Democritou 1 and Academias Sts, Athens, 10671, GreeceTel: 011.30.210.3614.598, Fax: 011.30.210.3643.776, e-mail: athens@ekirikas.com

Subscriptions by mail: 1 year $59.85, 6 months $29.95, 3 months $19.95, 1 month $9.95

Home delivery NY, NJ, CT: 1 year $80.00, 6 months $43.99, 3 months $29.99, 1 month $12.95

Home delivery New England States, Pennsylvania & Washington DC:

1 year $99.00, 6 months $51.75, 3 months $37.45, 1 month $15.95

On line subscription: Non subscribers: 1 year $29.95, 1 month $3.95;

Subscribers: 1 year $19.95, 1 month $1.95

Periodical postage paid at L.I.C. NY and additional mailing offices.

Postmaster send change of address to: THE NATIONAL HERALD, 37-10 30th Street, LIC, NY 11101-2614

By Andrew BorowiecThe Washington Times

Greek officials and analysts areincreasingly worried about troublesigns in the Balkans, an area re-membered for triggering WorldWar I.

"History lives on in the Balkans,ready to break out in more blood-shed," one Athens analysis haswarned.

The conservative Athens dailyKathimerini newspaper ran a re-cent article, "Greece Caught in theBalkan Maelstrom," which assert-ed that "hopes for a universal, Eu-ropean equilibrium in the Balkansare fading into the distant future."

The concern centers on therestive province of Kosovo, for-merly one of Yugoslavia's two au-tonomous regions, now an enclavewithin Serbia administered by theUnited Nations.

With Kosovo's Albanian major-ity clamoring for independenceand Serbs vowing to prevent it,Soren Jessen-Petersen, head ofthe United Nations mission inKosovo, cautioned last week thatthe area could become "a tickingsocial time bomb, which in timewill be impossible to manage."

Serbia's official position, assummed up by President BorisTadic, is that "Serbia is dedicatedto the preservation of Kosovo aspart of Serbia." The Brussels-based International Crisis Groupthink tank warned of violence ifSerbia insisted on this policy.

Kosovo and its Orthodoxshrines have been considered bySerbs as their heartland since theepic 1389 battle of Kosovo Polje,when an Ottoman Turkish armydefeated the Serbian troops ofPrince Lazar.

The emotional aspect of this

claim has affected Belgrade's poli-cy in the area for years.

Montenegro's independence inMay completed the breakup of thesix republics which had made upthe Yugoslav federation. Serbia,once the dominant power in theformer Yugoslavia, has yet tocome to terms with its diminishingstatus and the spectacular collapseof the nation-building effort bydictator Josip Broz Tito.

Events in the former Yu-goslavia have left Greece as the"richest and most stable country inthe Balkans, but threatened by thefallout of the area's instability," aWestern diplomatic assessmentsaid.

Diplomatic sources say Greecehas alerted the European Unionto the danger of admitting moreBalkan candidates, some of themin the throes of contagious ethnicconflicts.

Bulgaria and Romania arepreparing their European Unionentry for January, but officials inBrussels are not certain of theirqualifications. The E.U. appearslukewarm to the membership am-bitions of such Balkan countries asMontenegro, Macedonia, Albaniaand Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Diplomats generally attributethe rising Balkan tensions to Yu-goslavia's disintegration afteryears of forced stability under Mr.Tito's iron fist.

Albania's chaotic emergencefrom its longtime communist isola-tion and its ambition to annex partof Kosovo have added to the ten-sion, with repercussions also ex-pected to affect Macedonia's Slav-ic and ethnic Albanian popula-tions.

TThhee WWaasshhiinnggttoonn TTiimmeess ppuubblliisshheeddtthhee aabboovvee oonn JJuullyy 33..

KKoossoovvoo:: AAtthheennss SSeeeess aa TTiicckkiinngg TTiimmee BBoommbb

PRESS CLIPPINGS

By Richard A. LovettNational Geographic News

"Superman Returns" hasopened in U.S. movie theaters,and the world's oldest comic booksuperhero turns 68 – stronger,more resilient and presumablymore super than ever.

Most of us would view the Manof Steel as a purely fantastic cre-ation. After all, he has x-ray vision,leaps tall buildings in a singlebound, blows icy winds, is impervi-ous to bullets – the list goes on.

But while a lot of the action in'Superman Returns' will undoubt-edly be impossible, much aboutthe last son of Krypton is anchoredin real science.

"Comic books get their scienceright more often than one wouldexpect," said James Kakalios, aUniversity of Minnesota physicsprofessor.

"Of course, the hero's super-powers violate the laws of natureas we understand them, but onceyou grant a one-time 'miracle ex-ception,' what follows is often sur-prisingly consistent with knownphysics," said Kakalios, who au-thored "The Physics of Super-heroes."

Consider Superman's strength.As any fan knows, the original

explanation for Big Blue's powerand skyscraping leaps was gravity.He comes, the story goes, from thedestroyed planet Krypton, wheregravity was stronger than it is onEarth.

Under this theory, Supermanon our planet is like a human as-tronaut bounding around on themoon, only more so. The same ap-plies to any of his other feats ofstrength, Kakalios says.

The biggest problem with thisidea, according to Michael Den-nin, a physics professor at the Uni-versity of California, Irvine, is thathe can also walk normally – rather

than bounding around like an as-tronaut on the moon.

Another problem is that he re-mains powerful no matter howlong he stays on Earth. Becauseweightlessness forces people touse their muscles less, "astronautsget weaker with time," Denninsays.

Superman's ability to fly is evenmore problematic: "You need asource of thrust and lift. There'sno way around that," Dennin said.

"In the early comic books, hecould jump and be an unguidedmissile," Kakalios said. "But he'snow able to change direction atwill, so he's gained some abilityover gravity that would baffle sci-entists."

Not that this stops the Man ofTomorrow's fans from speculat-ing.

Hal Sparks, an actor and comicbook fan, holds forth in "The Sci-ence of Superman," a NationalGeographic Channel televisionspecial which premiered in theUnited States on June 29.

"This is my theory: His flying isbased on the magnetic content ofhis body and the Earth's polarity,so he can push himself away andpull himself toward it," Sparkssaid.

Science writer Mark Wolver-ton, another guest on the show,suggests that Superman might beable to generate hypothetical sub-atomic particles called gravitons:"If Superman has a way of generat-ing gravitons, I would say he wouldbe flying by essentially riding thewaves of gravity that are in his im-mediate environment."

Similarly, magnetic fields havebeen used to levitate trains. And inthe laboratory, frogs have been el-evated when a very strong magnet-ic field is applied to the water intheir bodies.

But it's hard to see how Super-man could draw enough powerfrom the Earth's magnetic field.

As for gravitons, Kakaliospoints out that they're particleswhich haven't yet been observed,and that repulsion would presum-ably require the even more theo-retical antigravitons. "If you're go-ing to make up particles, youmight as well just make up that heflies," he said.

Could Superman's other super-powers be easier to explain? Invin-cibility, for example? "Maybe he'superheals,' " James Kakalios sug-gests.

"Perhaps it looks like he's invul-nerable because, no matter whatharmed him, his cells instantly re-generate," a sort of superchargedversion of the signature power ofthe X-men comic book and moviecharacter Wolverine.

X-Ray Vision? Strictly speak-ing, this power would require Su-perman's eyes to somehow emit x-rays, which would penetrate whathe's looking at and then bounceback at him. However, Denninpoints out, x-rays don't bounce…

For this reason, Frank Frisch, abiology professor from ChapmanUniversity, will present an entirelynew theory in "The Science of Su-perman: Maybe Superman doesn'treally have x-ray vision."

Instead, he may use soundwaves for a sonar-like mappingpower which doesn't need x-rays –much like doctors use sound tocreate sonograms of unborn ba-bies.

Heat Vision? To melt thingswith laser-like beams from his

eyes, Superman would need "avery large power source," Denninsays, which brings us to Super en-ergy.

Heat vision isn't the only superskill which requires a lot of power.One explanation is that Supermanconverts light from our yellow sun,which is presumably more intensethan the red sun of Krypton, intoenergy he then stores like a hu-manoid battery. Unfortunately,our sunlight isn't really all that dif-ferent from the light of otherstars…

Superhearing? The Man ofSteel's super acute hearing wouldseem to be one of his more mun-dane talents.

But it's actually rather inexpli-cable, says Kakalios. Not becauseit's so acute, but because therehave been instances where he'sheard the crack of a gun and flownall the way across his home city ofMetropolis in time to stop thespeeding bullet.

The problem is that, with thespeed of sound being what it is, bythe time the noise got to him, thebullet would have long since foundits mark…

Bottom line: For his powers towork, Superman would requiremore than one "miracle exemp-tion." But after 68 years, perhapshe's earned them.

NNaattiioonnaall GGeeooggrraapphhiicc NNeewwss ppuubb--lliisshheedd tthhee aabboovvee oonn JJuunnee 2233.. FFoorrtthhee ffuullll tteexxtt,, vviissiitt tthhee wweebb aattwwwwww..tthheennaattiioonnaallhheerraalldd..ccoomm..

GGrreeeekk PPhhyyssiicciisstt DDeeccooddeess tthhee SScciieennccee ooff SSuuppeerrmmaann

Comments?

The National Herald welcomes your response to any article or editorial

Please send e-mail toenglish.edition@thenationalherald.com

THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 8, 2006 VIEWPOINTS 9

William Shakespeare askedrhetorically, “What’s in a name?”Plenty, evidently. The rockets ofNASA’s projected manned lunarspacecraft have been named Ares Iand Ares V. The numbers I and Vsymbolically go back to Saturn Iand Saturn V, the Apollo-eraheavy-duty rockets which propelledthe lunar spacecraft to the moonthree decades ago (how time flies).

Ares was one of the 12Olympian gods chosen by NASA tojoin his half-brother Apollo, thegod of the Sun, as the symbol ofNASA’s second major explorationventure, this time to the planetMars. As descendants of the an-cient Hellenes, we should certainlybe proud of this selection, but somecommentators have already raisedquestions about the wisdom of se-lecting the name, Ares. After all,Ares was the god of war and vio-lence. The projected missions toMars will be presumably peaceful.And considering that Greekmythology has many gods, demi-gods and heroes to chose from, theselection of Ares may not havebeen totally appropriate (except, ofcourse, for the fact that the destina-tion of the spacecraft will be toplanet Mars, the Roman acronymfor Ares).

In fact, in a recent interview witha NASA spokesman, one personspeculated that the name chosen

was probably not Ares but Aries,the Roman name for the constella-tion of the astrological ram – inGreek, the constellation of Krios.Aries, of course, is related to themyth of the Golden Fleece, and ofPhrixos and Helle, who fled on theback of the ram with the GoldenFleece. As they were flying over thenarrow body of water which sepa-rates Europe from Asia, Helle losther balance and fell from the ram.She drowned, and the narrow straitwas named after her: Hellespont.

This is a nice story, but there isno evidence that Aries was thename NASA officials had in mind.So this brings us back to Ares, theancient Greek god of war.

As we know, the planet Marshas a reddish tint, and for this rea-son, the ancients gave it the nameAres. It reminded them of blood,violence and war. Ares, theythought, was the right god to givehis name to the planet. Now thatunmanned spacecraft have visitedMars and have sent pictures back,we know that the reddish tint hasnothing to do with violence, butsimply that the soil is mostly of areddish color.

The ancient Greek pantheonhad a special god for almost everymajor field of human endeavor.War could not be an exception. Ithad its own god, Ares, the son ofZeus and his wife Hera. Ares’ sister

Athena, the goddess ofwisdom, also carried aspear and a shield, buther preference was theconduct of thoughtfulmilitary operations, andshe was believed to haveoffered her aid to thosewho were fighting honor-ably.

In contrast, Ares per-sonified brute force andwild rage in conflict. Oneof his sons was calledPhobos (fear), his sisterswere Eris (conflict) andKeres, the goddess ofdeath who roamed the battlefieldand carried the dead to Hades.Ares did not bother to side withthose who fought for justice. Hesided with those he thought werefighting with enough ferocity to sat-isfy him. We find Ares in some fe-rocious stories in Greek mythology.He twice fought with Heracles. Thefirst time, Zeus had to separatethem with the flash of his thunder-bolt. But the second time, Heracles– with the aid of Athena, who neverliked Ares – was able to strike Aresand wound him seriously. Enraged,the god of war turned himself into aboar – the boar which killed Ado-nis, a favorite lover of Aphrodite,the goddess of love and desire, andstirred up a war between the Lapi-thae and the Centaurs. Indeed, the

ancient Greeks clearlyhad unbounded imagi-nation.

Ares was not wor-shipped in ancientGreece as much as theother gods, who weregods of peace. For thisreason, there weremuch fewer statuesdedicated to him. Con-sequently, we have few-er statues of Ares in ourmuseums today. Statuesof Ares/Mars weremore common inRome, however.

The Romans, never had the tal-ent of myth-making the Greeksbrought to such high levels of imag-ination and perfection, so they bor-rowed from them with abandon.Not being fanatically attached towhatever gods they had themselvescreated, the Romans easily accept-ed deities from every land they con-quered.

Above all, they borrowed thegods of the Greeks. All they had todo was change the name, and in-stantly, they had a god or a goddessthey could call their own. Ares wasone of them. They added the M atthe beginning of the name, andthey removed the e between the rand s and Ares became “Mars.”Eventually, Mars became the mostimportant Roman deity after

Jupiter (who, of course, was noneother than Zeus).

In the heart of Rome, there wasa temple in honor of Mars. Inside itwere the sacred spears and shieldsof Mars. At the outbreak of war,the consuls of the particular yearhad to shake the spears and ask thegod to wake up. If the spearsmoved by themselves, the omenwas bad. They almost never did.The sacred shields were also part ofthe Roman Empire’s symbolic ar-mor, and they were carried by thepriests of Mars in procession dur-ing the month dedicated to thisgod: March.

Finally, Mars was believed to bethe father of Romulus, the warlikeking and founder of Rome. By theyear 250 AD, only 62 years beforeConstantine accepted Christianityas a legitimate religion in 312, Marshad become the most prominentgod officially worshipped by theRoman legions.

In the Greek-speaking world,the planet was – and is still – calledAres. Outside Greece, the planet isknown as Mars. It is one of the twoplanets closest to Earth (the otherbeing Venus, the Roman acronymfor Aphrodite), and because of thisproximity, it has attracted a greatdeal of interest.

At one time, it was commonlythought that lines resemblingcanals were visible on the surface of

Mars, and this gave rise to specula-tion that the planet was inhabitedby rational beings. The word “Mar-tians” was coined to identify thosemythic inhabitants. Even novelswere written and movies weremade about those Martians. Morerecently, one photograph showed agigantic “face” on the groundwhich looked quite human. Thewild speculation died down only af-ter more precise studies discountedthe idea of the famous “face” beingsculptured by the Martians.

The NASA officials who select-ed the word Ares probably hopedthat they could have a name associ-ated with the planet they are plan-ning for astronauts to visit someday, but without the warlike conno-tation of the better-known RomanMars. After all, to quote RogerLaunius, of the Space History Divi-sion of the Smithsonian Institution,Ares is “such a nice name, a bit lyri-cal, a bit playful.” True. Moreover,many people may never associateAres with Mars and his warlike andviolent persona. Like Shakespearesaid…

DDrr.. KKoouussoouullaass iiss pprrooffeessssoorr eemmeerrii--ttuuss ooff PPoolliittiiccaall SScciieennccee aatt HHoowwaarrddUUnniivveerrssiittyy iinn WWaasshhiinnggttoonn,, DDCC..HHee iiss tthhee aauutthhoorr ooff sseevveerraall bbooookkss,,nnoottaabbllyy ““TThhee LLiiffee aanndd TTiimmeess ooffCCoonnssttaannttiinnee tthhee GGrreeaatt ((11999999)),,””aanndd nnuummeerroouuss sscchhoollaarrllyy aarrttiicclleess..

Oh Ares, Ares, What’s in a Name? Art Thou in Mars?

By Prof. Dan GeorgakasSpecial to The National Herald

The Modern Greek Studies As-sociation (MGSA) has sent awarning to all interested partiesthat Modern Greek Studies pro-grams in the United States are inperil. The bad news comes in aspecial section of the Journal ofModern Greek Studies edited byStratos Constantinidis. Fivethoughtful essays discuss howfalling enrollments and fiscalcrunches at universities have putspecial area studies programs injeopardy.

While no American program isslated for immediate termination,universities are demanding higherenrollments or earmarked financ-ing for such programs. Most fore-boding is that the University ofBirmingham in England has al-ready closed its Modern GreekStudies program, and that atten-dance at academic meetings fea-turing Modern Greek Studies isdeclining.

Constantinidis concludes hispreface to the essays by expressinghis hope that they will generatepublic discussion. My immediatereaction to such a request is to as-sert that Greek America needs vi-brant Modern Greek Studies pro-grams, and Modern Greek Studiesprograms need Greek America.But I am painfully aware that toomany Greek Americans do not un-derstand what Modern GreekStudies entail, and too many of ourprofessoriate are distant from the

Greek American community.Greek Americans generally do

not understand that ModernGreek Studies are not just thechronological continuations ofClassical or Byzantine Studies.These different areas of studysometimes share office space, butModern Greek Studies programsare distinct. They deal with theformation of the modern Greekstate to the present time, theGreece from which our forbearersemigrated. These programs, notClassical Studies, are now underduress.

A dynamic relationship withmodern Greece is obviously essen-tial if Greek ethnic identity of anykind is to be maintained in Ameri-ca. Keeping that connection vi-brant should be one of the man-dates of Modern Greek Studiesprograms. Healthy communitysupport and realistic funding doexist in some places, in fact. Toooften, however, support is limitedto a relatively small circle of per-sons, and the programs have mini-mal connection to the generalcommunity. Many faculty mem-bers who are diligent in their aca-demic work do not feel obliged toreach out to the community, muchless ask what the community needsintellectually. Too often, some ofthem share a view, which is com-monplace in Greece, that GreekAmericans are not authenticGreeks. Consequently, their aca-demic focus is directed towardwhat they perceive as institutionalpriorities, and toward the linguis-

tic homeland. Activities are fre-quently dependent on fundingfrom Greece and Cyprus.

Gregory Jusdanis, one of theMGSA essayists, believes Greektopics might blend into universitypolicies which favor discoursesabout trans-nationalism, andwhich use specific national experi-ences to that end. He readily con-cedes that such a strategy risks los-ing some of our present programs.I agree.

SSEEVVEERREEDD FFRROOMM TTHHEEVVIITTAALL CCOONNNNEECCTTIIOONN

University administrations willsee the economic advantage in liq-uidating independent programsand placing Greek literature, his-tory and language courses intomore general departments. Theteaching positions would remain,but there would be no academicinterplay of Greek-related cours-es. Greek-language courses, theclasses with the highest enrollmentin most programs, would be leftstanding alone, severed from thevital connection to Modern Greekculture which is the essence of adistinct program.

Mary Pittas-Herschbach offersconsiderable detail about ModernGreek language courses. A surveymade by the prestigious ModernLanguage Association situatedGreek among the “Less CommonlyTaught Languages.” With only 804students nationwide, enrollment ishalf of those taking Swahili (1,593),Aramaic (1,683), Hawaiian (1,687)and Vietnamese (2,236). Pittas-Herschbach offers a good discus-

sion on how many people takingthe course are heritage students (ofGreek ancestry); how many arenot; and what that means in termsof university policy. I would furtherspeculate that, absent the heritagestudents, the total enrollmentwould not likely warrant manyclasses, particularly after the one-or two-year language requirementof most universities are satisfied.

Jusdanis and Pittas-Her-schbach show genuine concern forthe fate of Modern Greek Studiesin America. Nevertheless, neithertakes on the issue of how programsmight be doing more outreach tostimulate enrollment, rather thansimply waiting for students toshow up.

There is no consideration ofhow to link up to a Greek commu-nity which considers languagepreservation a priority. CharlesMoskos, for example, has arguedthat college Greek language cours-es ought to be centerpiece of abroad cultural program which in-cludes study in Greece. Such astrategic prospect would requireconsiderable work on the part ofboth academics and the communi-ty, with serious outreach to Greeceand Cyprus.

Martha Klironomos is the onlyessayist who discusses GreekAmerica. She describes oral histo-ry projects in California, and howthe resulting academic/communityinteraction benefits the broaderprogram. Greek America is thelargest numerical component ofthe modern diaspora. If we are ne-

glected in Modern Greek Studiesprograms, as we so often are, thenthe programs are academicallyanemic. Faculty need to rememberthat the rise of ethnic studies in the1960’s was due to demands by eth-nic communities that their neglect-ed histories and cultures be givenserious intellectual attention. Themost successful ethnic studies pro-grams have retained that sensibili-ty. Without that dimension, mostuniversities would judge Greecean insufficiently important cultur-al and political player to warrant aspecial program, much less a de-partment.

Perhaps the most grievous fea-ture of the Modern Greek Studiesprograms is that they are not pro-ducing the kind of intellectualscholarship demanded by ourtroubled times. This is a complextopic which I will return to in de-tail next week, when I survey theresearch published by the MGSAin its journal over the past sixyears.

I will demonstrate that the pub-lished articles are so overly weight-ed toward literary topics and dubi-ous theories that politics, eco-nomics, history and other vital ar-eas are virtually ignored ThoseAmericans interested in ModernGreece, the largest component ofwhich are Greek Americans, areill-served by this kind of publishingimbalance. Indeed, if the extreme-ly limited intellectual fare found injournal articles reflects coursecontent, the declining enrollmentnumbers are understandable.

Constantinidis writes that hisoriginal call for essays went to 117MGSA members and 50 indepen-dent scholars. He received just 11responses, and ultimately, only fivepapers were written, of which onlythree dealt with the United States.The point here is not that one oranother person decided not to re-spond, but what seems to be a pat-tern of academic indifference orpassivity – or perhaps just laziness.

Jusdanis, Klironomos, Pettas-Herschbach and Constantinidis de-serve our thanks for stepping up tothe intellectual plate. Thanks alsoare due Thomas Gallant and Dim-itris Tziovas, who wrote about simi-lar problems in Canada and theUnited Kingdom. Jusdanis candid-ly notes that it is time to turn fromthe happy talk heard at banquetpodiums to the grim views heardwhen academics talk privately overcoffee. The black power movementused to ask African Americans, “Ifwe are not for ourselves, who willbe for us?” We must all understandthat Greek America needs ModernGreek Studies programs, and thatModern Greek Studies programsneed Greek America: If we are notfor each other, then who will bewith us?

PPrrooff.. GGeeoorrggaakkaass iiss DDiirreeccttoorr ooff tthheeGGrreeeekk AAmmeerriiccaann SSttuuddiieess PPrroojjeeccttaatt QQuueeeennss CCoolllleeggee –– CCUUNNYY aannddCCoonnssuullttiinngg EEddiittoorr ooff CCIINNEEAASSTTEEmmaaggaazziinnee.. TToo oobbttaaiinn ccooppiieess ooff tthheeJJoouurrnnaall ffoorr MMooddeerrnn GGrreeeekk SSttuudd--iieess ((VVooll.. 2244,, NNoo.. 11,, MMaayy 22000066)),, ccoonn--ttaacctt wwwwww..pprreessss.. jjhhuu..eedduu//jjoouurrnnaallss..

A Crisis is Brewing for Modern Greek Studies

by DR. D.G.

KOUSOULAS

Special to The National

Herald

How far should the EuropeanUnion expand beyond its naturalfrontiers, and what logically, his-torically and culturally are thosefrontiers?

Should the E.U. reach to theNear and Middle East, and afterthat why not Central Asia? In-deed, if the E.U. adopts the notionof economic rather than tradition-al geographic borders, why not in-clude Russia – or Canada, for thatmatter?

The Canadians have alwayslooked for partners to counterbal-ance the overwhelming influenceof their giant neighbor to thesouth, and the E.U. is big enoughto (potentially) checkmate theUnited States.

As far as Russia is concerned,both culturally and in terms of reli-gion, Russians have more in com-mon with Europeans than withanyone else.

Furthermore, the inclusion ofRussia and Canada will bring theE.U. tremendous advantages.Russia's membership will solve theEuropean military conundrum ofhow much to spend on defense,and whether to maintain a large orsmall military establishment. Rus-sian armed forces, with a littletechnical support from the E.U.,could provide Europe with a big-

ger military umbrella and couldeven challenge America’s firepow-er. Canada could provide Europewith valuable natural resourceslike water, petroleum, wheat andother critical supplies, plus vastempty spaces to offer homes tomillions of people.

Yet the frontrunner to join theE.U. is neither Russia nor Canada,but Turkey – a country whose so-cial, cultural and religious differ-ences with Europe and the Westare profound, and perhaps evenunbridgeable with the traditions ofWestern civilization. The vast ma-jority of Turks are Muslim, while asignificant number are traditional-ists who believe in a theologically-driven lifestyle. Occasionally, sec-ularists in Turkey are assassinated,something which happens in Eu-rope when Muslim fanatics killsomeone whose cultural views aredeemed to be contrary to the be-lief systems of Islam, or at least asthese are perceived by Muslimsliving in Europe.

Yet violence is not exclusive toany particular country or people.Moreover, the situation is improv-ing in Turkey, as European secularvalues are steadily adopted byTurkish society at home andabroad. Turkish immigrants inGermany have integrated, for ex-

ample, and there aresecond and third gener-ations of Turkish Ger-man citizens whoselifestyles are no differ-ent than the indigenousnon-Muslim popula-tion. But Turkey itself isfar behind Russia andCanada in meeting eventhe basic criteria for Eu-ropean integration.

Making mattersmore complicated, mostEuropeans are not com-fortable with Turkey asa partner, and are afraidthat increasing the number ofMuslims in Europe is dangerous.France, Holland and even Ger-many host millions of Muslims(approximately 15 million residewithin the E.U. member states),thus the prospect of Turkey’s 70million – and growing – spilling in-to Europe is a terrifying prospectfor many ordinary Europeans. De-spite the arguments of politicians,especially the British, that Turkeyand the Ottoman Empire are partof European history, to many, thefear of Islamic extremism or sim-ply the fear of competition frommillions of Turkish workers is amajor concern, and in the long runmay prove to be an insurmount-

able obstacle.Despite the opinion

polls clearly indicatingthat most Europeans donot want Turkish ad-mission to the E.U.,however, the Brusselsbureaucrats and theBritish Governmenthave bent over back-wards for Turkey to be-gin accession negotia-tions.

Consequently, theaverage European hasto wonder why Turkeyhas so many friends in

high places. In addition to theBritish, Turkey’s major ally andsupporter is the U.S.

Since the end of the SecondWorld War, the Americans haveseen Turkey as a critical strategicpartner in containing the SovietUnion and, after the collapse ofthe communist system, in main-taining the security of the MiddleEast. Although Turkey’s refusal topermit U.S. forces access to out-flank the Iraqis from the north-west exposed a serious flaw in therelationship, the Bush Administra-tion continues to back Turkey’smembership in the E.U.

The theory in Washington isthat the Turks, like the Bosnians

and Albanians, are “good Mus-lims.” Regardless of the fact thatBosnia is the European base of al-Qaeda, or that the Albanian KLA(Kosovo Liberation Army) operat-ed not much differently from anyother terrorist organization, theAmerican fixation with findingand serving examples of secularMuslim states to the Islamic worldis practically compulsive.

Perhaps it is guilt over the Iraqwar and the daily killing of Mus-lims by U.S. soldiers, or guilt be-cause the Americans have beendogged-like in their support of Is-rael to the neglect of most Arabstates, with the exception of SaudiArabia (for obvious reasons).

Certainly, Israel is a democra-cy, and has a solid economy; a lib-eral country with western tradi-tions and culture; and a reliable al-ly in a region surrounded by de-crepit dictatorships teetering onthe brink of bankruptcy. True, thesad condition of the Middle Eaststates is a byproduct of Western(British and American) coloniza-tion, intervention and negative in-terference, but at present, whatchoices are available?

Secular Egypt may not surviveHosni Mubarak’s dictatorship andwill inevitably slip into an extremetheocratic Islamic-based environ-

ment. Saudi Arabia is home to theWahhabis, the most radical andvirulent form of Islam, who applyto foreign policy the intoleranceand ultra-conservative attitudeswhich currently rule the kingdom.Pakistan, another bulwark of theAmerican strategy of containment– both Soviet (in the past) and rad-ical Islam – is so riddled with sup-porters of al-Qaeda that it is only amatter of time before Osama binLaden will be able to operateunimpeded throughout the entirecountry, instead of being confinedto the wild Northwest frontier.

Effectively, this leaves onlyTurkey as the best, and only, ex-ample of a democratic, secular andreasonably tolerant Muslim state.Whether Turkey’s example willlead other Muslim countries to fol-low suit is unlikely because, duringthe seven decades of the modernTurkish Republic, no other Mus-lim state has embraced secularism;instead, most have gone the otherway.

DDrr.. GGeerroollyymmaattooss iiss CChhaaiirr ooff HHeell--lleenniicc SSttuuddiieess aatt SSiimmoonn FFrraasseerrUUnniivveerrssiittyy iinn VVaannccoouuvveerr,, BBrriittiisshhCCoolluummbbiiaa aanndd tthhee aauutthhoorr ooff ““RReeddAAccrrooppoolliiss,, BBllaacckk TTeerrrroorr:: TThheeGGrreeeekk CCiivviill WWaarr aanndd tthhee OOrriiggiinnssooff SSoovviieett--AAmmeerriiccaann RRiivvaallrryy..””

The E.U.’s Expansion Headache and America’s Muslim Policy

by DR. ANDRE

GEROLYMATOS

Special to The National

Herald

10 THE NATIONAL HERALD, JULY 8, 2006