NEW YORK – Archdiocesan Finance Committee Chairman George Vourvoulias, although his position is a volunteer one, received $900,000 from the Archdiocese over the past ten years for travel expenses.

The National Herald has learned that this discovery was made by the newly appointed CFO, Fr. Soterios Baroody, who reported the finding to Archbishop Demetrios. In turn, Demetrios asked Vourvoulias for an explanation and directed the Finance Department to cut off money transfers to Vourvoulias.

The archbishop, Vourvoulias, Baroody, and recently ousted Executive Director of Administration Jerry Dimitriou, all did not respond to TNH’s request for comment.

Executive Committee Secretary Catherine Bouffides-Walsh, an attorney, directly asked Vourvoulias at the Committee’s September 19 emergency meeting if in fact he had received the $900,000. At first, Vourvoulias denied it, but Walsh then stated there was evidence, at which point Vourvoulias said the money was for travel expenses from Chicago to New York and other U.S. cities for Finance Committee meetings.

Vourvoulias also said that the money was authorized by then-Vice Chairman of the Archdiocesan Council Michael Jaharis, and by then-General Legal Counsel Manny Demos. But both men are now deceased.

There is no apparent evidence to support Vourvoulias’ claims, and the archbishop claims not to know anything about it as well.

Walsh, Archdiocesan Chancellor Bishop Andonios of Phasiane, Council Vice Chair George Tsandikos, and George Papadakos, who is in charge of finances, also did not respond to TNH’s request for comment.

A Finance Committee member proposed to Vourvoulias that he and the entire Committee ought to resign, while reading TNH’s articles about the Archdiocese’s dire state of impending bankruptcy due to an $8.5 million deficit, and about Dimitriou’s removal, staff layoffs, and reductions in departmental budgets.

TNH has obtained correspondence on September 14 between Committee members and Fr. Theodore Barbas, Chancellor of the Boston Metropolis, who discarded the notion of mass resignations and praised Vourvoulias and Dimitriou.

Among other things, he wrote: “Thank you all for your beautiful comments and suggestions.I add my voice of thanksgiving and appreciation to our National Finance Committee Chairman, Mr. George Vourvoulias, and also to our past co-chair, Mr. George Matthews, as well as to Mr. Jerry Dimitriou, who served our Holy Archdiocese with distinction for decades.Under their loving and patient guidance, along with that of my former co-chair of the National Stewardship Committee, Mr. Ron Harb, I have learned a great deal especially during my formative years as a new, young chancellor.“They mentored me, supported me and assisted me as I exercised the responsibilities of my diakonia to the Church.For that, and for their love and friendship, I express my heartfelt love, support, appreciation and gratitude.I pray that the Lord will guide these difficult days towards a stronger unity within our Archdiocese.”Ii is reminded here that Fr. Barbas is chancellor and the closest confidant of Metropolitan Methodios of Boston.”Also Fr. George Livanos from Pennsylvania also refused the idea of resignation and aligned with Fr. Barbas.

At the last Archdiocesan Council meeting in Chicago shortly before summer, George Matthews from Atlanta suddenly resigned as Vice Chairman of the Finance Committee without any explanation. It was at that meeting that the issue of the uniformed salary of the metropolitans was discussed and decided, not taking into consideration the years of service or ordination seniority.

At every Council meeting and Clergy-Laity Congress, Vourvoulias and Dimitriou painted rosy pictures of the Archdiocese’s finances, and about the progress of “national ministries,” while in reality the opposite was true.

Vourvoulias who is also an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, was appointed to the chairmanship of the Finance Committee in 2006 by Demetrios, on Dimitriou’s recommendation.

The appointment was at the Clergy-Laity Congress that year, in Nashville, TN, where it was decided that the system of the annual “taxation” of the parishes would change. Until then, the parishes gave 15% of their annual income. Because many parishes were hiding their actual income, it was decided without any warning to the parishes or any preparation that they would be “taxed” on their expenses so that the Archdiocese gets the maximum.

Vourvoulias, from Chicago, is in the catering business.

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On Monday, September 25th, The World Arab Institute in Paris inaugurated the temporary exhibition Oriental Christians: 2,000 years of History, in the presence of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron and the President of Lebanon, Michel Aoun.

The event was attended, among others, by Members of the French Government, Patriarchs, donors and supporters of the exhibition who had a private visit of the exhibition, along with representatives of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Michel Aoun delivered speeches, specifically focusing on the significant role played by the Arab World Institute in developing and sharing knowledge on the Arab world and its rich culture, as well as in encouraging cooperation and exchange between France and the Arab World.

The exhibition sheds light on the history of a diverse community, the Oriental Christians who have had a long, rich and diverse presence in the Arab world. Oriental Christians have played a critical social, political, cultural, economic and religious role in the Arab lands.

This exhibition aims to provide a coherent narrative of this rich and continuous presence that begins with the establishment of the first Christian communities in the Arab world and concludes with their current state in a region increasingly volatile and defined by conflict. Visitors will be able to discover masterpieces of Christian heritage, some of which have never been presented in Europe before.

The exhibition Oriental Christians: 2,000 years of History, is supported, among others, by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). The exhibition opened for the wider public on Tuesday September 26th and will remain open until January 2018.

More information is available on the Arab World Institute official website, here.

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On the Monday following Hurricane Irma’s path through Florida, AHEPA George Washington Chapter 16, Tarpon Springs, Fla., opened its chapter home to serve 100 meals to persons without electricity.

During that week, the chapter fed more than 350 persons, some who were homeless, in partnership with a local food bank. Also, the Sons of Pericles from Tallahassee, Fla., arrived to deliver water and canned goods.

AHEPA has opened its Emergency Relief Fund to provide assistance to hurricane victims. An initial $15,000 donation to the Houston community and pledged to raise $100,000 by month’s end.

donate online

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A top House Republican is demanding details on the use of private emails by some of President Donald Trump’s closest advisers.

Rep. Trey Gowdy, a South Carolina conservative who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and the top Democrat on that panel, Rep. Elijah Cummings, cited a recent Politico report that Jared Kushner set up a private email account after the election to conduct work-related business.

The New York Times is reporting that at least six of Trump’s closest advisers, including Kushner, Steve Bannon and Reince Priebus, used private email to discuss White House matters.

Gowdy and Cummings say in letters to the White House and State Department Monday their committee wants to use its “investigative resources to prevent and deter misuse of private forms of written communication.”

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NEW YORK – The tragic story of Greek-American Dimitri Grammatikopoulos is growing all too familiar today with the rising opioid epidemic. The Brooklyn resident struggled for years with mental illness, drug abuse, and addiction that eventually cost him his life. The Daily News reported the story as part of its series on the opioid crisis noting that Grammatikopoulos even as a child “saw himself as a savior of lost souls and the protector of his family.”

He grew up in Bay Ridge, raised along with his two sisters, by a single mother who recounted how her son tried to be the man of the house, as reported in the Daily News article.

His mother, Melissa Lee, 58, an elementary school teacher said, “He always felt he had to watch out for me and his two sisters. He was very protective. He was a very manly child, and it was a big burden for him.”

She noted how her young son would carry a hammer to fix things in their apartment including a broken door and would proudly show his work to her.

A call from his third grade teacher that young Dimitri threatened to kill himself, led to therapy for the boy. According to the Daily News report, his doctors “suspected that he was bipolar, but he never experienced manic phases, only periodic bouts of depression that worsened in his teens.”

At age 16, he “smashed a bathroom mirror and told his mom he had punched his reflection,” the Daily News reported, saying, “Mommy, you can say goodbye to your son. I want to die today.”

He spent two weeks at Lutheran Medical Center’s psychiatric ward after which he was prescribed Xanax. “Ma, I found a pill and it makes me feel really nice,” Dimitri told his mother as the Daily News reported.

“Lee, who was studying to become a nurse, warned Dimitri that Xanax it was a serious drug that was easily abused. But Dimitri gradually fell deeper into drug abuse,” the Daily News noted.

Dreams of becoming a K-9 cop, out of his love for animals and helping people were sidelined by his drug addiction. After dropping out of Fort Hamilton High School even before his junior year, he worked as a handyman, spending all his pay on pills, and overdosing for the first time at 16.

“He knew he was a drug addict, and I knew he knew it,” Lee said, as reported in the Daily News.

Repeated overdoses and his mother’s calls to the ambulance every time led her son to say just as he regained consciousness, “Why are you putting me in the hospital? I can’t get drugs. Why are you doing this to me?”

Dimitri overdosed repeatedly. His mother called for an ambulance each time, provoking her son to lash out after regaining consciousness.

“Why are you putting me in the hospital?” he once asked her, only seconds after coming to. “I can’t get drugs. Why are you doing this to me?”

On his 18^th birthday, Dimitri checked himself out of rehab since he was an adult and his mother could no longer keep him in a treatment facility.

There were stretches of sobriety over a period of two years, but then Dimitri was arrested for a 2005 stabbing, maintaining his innocence, though he plead guilty and received a four-year sentence.

While incarcerated at Staten Island’s Arthur Kill Correctional Facility Dimitri was able to get his GED, perform in plays, and even managed to rescue animals. Finding two baby turtles in the yard, he persuaded a corrections officer to keep them until his mother could take them.

“Don’t let them go yet because they’re too slow,” Dimitri told his mom, as the Daily News reported. “They can’t take care of themselves.”

While in prison, he seemed to have regained the youthful optimism of his boyhood, seeing beauty in nature.

“Today I woke up to a beautiful sheet of snow on the ground right outside my window,” he wrote in a prison letter to his mother, as the Daily News reported.

After his release, three years after the letter to his mother, Dimitri’s girlfriend gave birth to his son, Nicholas.

Unfortunately, the cycle of relapses, rehabs, and brief stays in jail for probation violations followed, leading to Dimitri’s heroin addiction.

His mother told the Daily News that he tried heroin for the first time at an inpatient drug treatment facility in the Bronx, returning home “a shadow of himself.”

“I met a son that I didn’t know,” she said.

About a year later, Dimitri’s mother went to his locked bedroom door, calling his cell phone, hearing it ring, repeatedly, with only silence as a response.

“I knew he was dead,” she told the Daily News.

Dimitri’s sister’s boyfriend climbed into the room through a window and found Dimitri dead, a needle in his hand, and a small bag of white powder next to him. His mother discovered the final message on his cell phone had never been sent to the “friend” who had helped him score the deadly fentanyl that cost him his life. The message read, as the Daily News reported, “Dawg, thank you so much. You’re my best friend.”

Dimitri Grammatikopoulos was about two months away from his 30^th birthday.

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KANSASVILLE, WI – The St. Iakovos Retreat Center recently completed the construction of their pier that beautifully sits on Friendship Lake accommodating those entering the waterfront on the retreat center’s property. The pier, nearly 50 yards away from the Tomaras Lodge (the main building) is multifunctional; whether you would like to sit and soak up the sun or relax in the middle of the water on a kayak.

Ernie Karras (Kapt’n Karras), one of the board members of the retreat center, the generous donor, and engineer of the entire project oversaw the construction and completion of the magnificent pier or as it is more commonly called, the marina. The 85-foot-long pier currently houses 2 canoes, 2 kayaks, 2 row boats, 2 paddle boats, as well as a fishing pier.

The addition of the pier enhances the relaxing and serene experience one receives during their stay at the St. Iakovos Retreat Center. With both the pier opening in 2018 as well as the start of the programs ministry kicking off, the retreat center serves as a central and multipurpose facility. The retreat center is home to the Metropolis of Chicago as well as the entire Orthodox community; successfully fulfilling the vision of Metropolitan Iakovos and carrying out his legacy for ages to come.

The St Iakovos Retreat Center has now hosted 3 summers of Fanari, Midwest OCF College Conference, Ancient Faith Ministry retreats, and many other national and local programs and events. With the rapid growth came growth of the staff. The retreat center now has 5 full time employees including a Programs and Marketing Coordinator.

The Programs and Marketing Coordinator has the unique role of leading the initiative of the new programs ministry in which the retreat center will host various events throughout 2018 for the metropolis to attend. The calendar includes a couples retreat, parish council retreat, mother/daughter retreat, young-at-heart retreat, and father/son retreat, bringing unity and spiritual growth to the faithful of the metropolis.

The St. Iakovos Retreat Center in Kansasville, Wisconsin, is governed by the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago and was a vision of Metropolitan Iakovos of blessed memory. Metropolitan Iakovos led the grand opening of the center in June 2015, and since then it has quickly become home for those of the metropolis. More information on the St Iakovos Retreat Center can be found at www.gosirc.org.

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NEW YORK – Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents an evening of Mediterranean-inspired music by much-admired Greek composer Dinos Constantinides. The program will include a selection of Constantinides’ most acclaimed compositions performed by members of the Louisiana State University (LSU) School of Music. The concert takes place on Sunday, October 1 at 7:30 PM at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Tickets are $50. For tickets and information, visit DCINY online.

“We are thrilled to present Dinos Constantinides who has been with us almost every year since 2011 and this is DCINY’s 9^th presentation of his music,” said DCINY co-founder and General Director Iris Derke.

“Dinos is a remarkable composer with a significant repertoire under his belt and we are honored to showcase his work,” noted Jonathan Griffith, DCINY co-founder, Artistic Director, and Principal Conductor.

Performed by violinist Kurt Nikkanen- Concertmaster of the New York City Ballet Orchestra, pianists Maria Asteriadou and Michael Gurt, double bass Yung-Chiao Wei, and the LSU Percussion Group, the dynamic evening program includes Constantinides’ Patterns for Violin and Piano, LRC 119b, Sonata for Solo Violin, No. 3, LRC 63 (Kaleidoscope), Theme and Variations for Solo Piano, LRC 1, Sonata for Violin and Piano, LRC 21c, Reverie II for Double Bass and Piano, LRC 81b, Two Preludes for Piano, LRC 101b, Concerto for Double Bass and Piano, LRC 269b, and Percussion Quartet No. 2, LRC 270.

Constantinides has written over 300 compositions, including his opera Intimations, winner of the Brooklyn College International Chamber Opera Competition and First Midwest Chamber Opera Conference, his opera Antigone, and six symphonies, of which Symphony No. 2 earned him the Artist of the Year Award of Louisiana. Other awards include first prizes in the Delius Composition Contest, the American New Music Consortium Distinguished Service Award, and the Glen Award of l’Ensemble of New York. He also has been honored with a Distinguished Teacher award from the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars.

His music has been performed by orchestras throughout the world including the English Chamber Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, Shenzhen Symphony (China), and the Athens and Thessaloniki State Orchestras in Greece. Other performances and recordings (over 65 CDs) have been done by the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava) and the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic.

Constantinides has been the Director of the prestigious LSU Festival of Contemporary Music for 22 years. He has received an honorary doctorate from the University of Macedonia in Greece and is presently Boyd Professor, the highest academic rank at LSU, of Composition, and Music Director of the Louisiana Sinfonietta.

Founded in 2007 by Iris Derke and Jonathan Griffith, with its first public concert presented in January of 2008, DCINY is a leading producer of dynamically-charged musical entertainment in renowned venues. Over 40,000 performers representing 43 countries and all 50 US states have participated in a DCINY production. DCINY has catered to over 200,000 audience members since the inception of the company and has produced 17 world premieres and over 200 concerts.

With its unforgettable, world-class concert experiences, empowering educational programs, and global community of artists and audiences, DCINY changes lives through the power of performance. DCINY will commemorate its 10th Anniversary season in 2018.
In addition to being selected three times for the Inc. 5000 listing, DCINY has received national recognition with the two American Prizes: Jonathan Griffith, founder and music director of Distinguished Concerts Orchestra, won the 2014 American Prize in Conducting in the professional orchestra division, and the 2015 American Prize in Arts Marketing was awarded to DCINY General Director and Co-Founder Iris Derke and the DCINY Team.

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SAN FRANCSICO, CA – Konstantinos “Gus” Vardakastanis passed away in San Francisco on Friday, September 22, 2017 at the age of 57. Gus was a well-loved and well-known local San Francisco businessman and the owner of Gus’s Community Markets. His strong presence and deep sense of caring for his family, and his customers, who he treated like family, was sincere and long lasting.

Gus was born September 15, 1960, on the island of Zakynthos, Greece (Vasilikos). Gus immigrated to San Francisco in 1976 at the age of 16, with his family where he found work at various produce markets. In 1981, Gus decided to go back to the island where he met and wed Georgia on February 1, 1981. Together, they returned to San Francisco and in the summer of 1981, Gus and his father fulfilled their dream of opening their own produce market in the Haight. Four years later, they opened a second market in the Outer Sunset (Noriega Produce).

In the early 1990s, Gus and his sons, Dimitri and Bobby, who were actively a part of the business by then, moved locations to expand Haight Street Market and in 2011, added a full-service market to better serve the community Gus loved so dearly. His hard work was rewarded with extreme loyalty from the neighborhood and his work ethic was seen not only through his sons, but through the many employees that have been through the “School of Gus.”

In 2013, Gus and his sons started working on the development of Gus’s Community Market in the Mission, allowing them to serve yet another neighborhood in the city. This endeavor expanded on the vision of what Gus created over the past 30 years, with the same heart and passion for customer service, community and pride in quality products that he had applied to his other two markets.

Gus was the hardest working man everyone knew, but he was still able to find a balance between work and family. Recently he was able to let go of the reigns to his sons and long term employees, while still maintaining a presence at the store, in order to spend more time with his wife and young grandchildren. In Sonoma, Gus fulfilled one of his lifelong dreams of producing his own family wine and discovered his love and passion for growing his own food. He built a sanctuary for himself and his family, to enjoy the fruits of his labor and after 36 years of marriage, was able to spend more time with Georgia. Their love was an unconditional love that matured over the years into an enduring bond that was visible to all who knew them. A love like theirs is timeless.

Gus also took pride in his sons and the lives they have created for themselves and their own families. The relationship that Gus had with his two sons, Dimitri and Bobby, was more than simply father and child. They were colleagues, business partners, and best friends. They had a mutual respect and truly depended upon each other. This trio was rarely seen apart and these memories will never fade.

In the last years, we all saw Gus’s new found love of the land through growing his own produce and gardening, and rewarded himself for his lifelong hard work. Over his 30 years in San Francisco, he was still very connected to his family and community in Zakynthos. This year, for the first time, Gus was able to take his sons and their families on a once in a lifetime vacation to the island where he was born.

Everyone who met Gus loved him immediately, he had a strong presence and his connections were deep and long lasting. Family was always first, he always made sure everyone was taken care of, and he never held resentments towards anyone. He leaves a void in all our hearts that will never be filled. We can and will keep his spirit alive through the memories we all hold so dear to our hearts. Fly high Gus.

Gus was predeceased by his father – Dimitrios Vardakastanis. He is survived by his mother – Eleni Vardakastanis, his wife – Georgia Vardakastanis and his two sons – Dimitri Vardakastanis (Penny) and Bobby Vardakastanis (Katerina), brother – Yianni Vardakastanis (Nitsa), sister – Angelica Skiadopoulos (George), nephews – Yianni Skiadopoulos (Lina), Dimitri Skiadopoulos, and niece – Eleni Vardakastanis (Achilleas), and four beloved grandchildren- Giorgia, Kostaki, Kosta, and Eva Vardakastanis.

The Vardakastanis family would like to thank our extended family and friends for their endless love and support. Please join us for a luncheon after the burial, location to be announced.

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NEW YORK – “I leave more Greek, more Orthodox than when I came,” said the Consul of Greece in New York, Manos Koubarakis, during his speech at the farewell reception on September 25. The reception on Monday evening at the Consulate General of Greece in New York was hosted by the Consul General Konstantinos Koutras and attended by representatives of associations, federations, and other institutions of the Greek-American community. His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Bishop of Efkarpia Ierotheos, priests and parish council presidents, school and school board directors, as well as professionals were also present.

Koubarakis, as he said during his speech, took up his duties on September 1, 2013, and departs for Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.

The position vacated by Koubarakis is now occupied by Mirella Roufanis, a native of Naxos, belonging to the younger generation of diplomats. She comes from the Central Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and also from the diplomatic office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Kotzias.

Consul General Koutras welcomed all those in attendance and then highlighted the “terrific” term of Manos Koubarakis.

At the same time, he noted that moral values ​​and principles he served with passion from the start will remain unchanged and that “love, respect, appreciation, and faith in friendship are the best passport of farewell.”

He then quoted Kazantzakis, “The ideal teacher is the one that becomes a bridge for his student to cross. And when he makes his passage easier, he is happily torn down, encouraging his student to build his own bridges” and noted that Koubarakis is called to build his own bridges.

“We thank you for your contributions to the Consulate General, to the Hellenes abroad, and to Greece,” concluded Koutras.

Koubarakis expressed his gratitude to the host, his wife- Popita Pavli and their son Dionysios, for the love they surrounded him and his family with, as well as for the staff of the Consulate, and even named all the employees.

“The service at the Consulate General of New York was a great school and even the greatest of my life,” Koubarakis pointed out, reminding himself that at every step he felt the love of the Greek-American community.

“With the same love that you welcomed me, welcome my new colleague and do not forget the course of the Greek-American community, which should be a guide for all to transmigrate language, history, and culture. This is the only way to protect the future of Hellenism,” he added.

Archbishop Demetrios thanked Koutras and Koubarakis for the cooperation and noted that the outgoing consul “not only seems true, he is true” and that “the real leader is the one who serves.”

At the same time, he noted that Koubarakis leaves the traces of his impact.

Immediately following the speeches, the Hellenic Medical Society of New York (HMSNY), the Hellenic Lawyers Association, the Hellenic American Bankers Association (HABA), the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce (HACC), and the Panatha USA Association presented commemorative gifts to Koubarakis. Among those present at the event were Fr. Alexander Karloutsos, Dr. George Liakeas- HMSNY President, Atlantic Bank President and HACC Chairman Nancy Papaioannou, and Costas Kellas- Cyprus-U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Board and HABA Board of Directors.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Former New York state Senate leader Dean Skelos and his son were granted new trials Tuesday in their corruption case, with a federal appeals court citing a Supreme Court ruling that has already unraveled convictions of other powerful politicians.

The court found the jury in Dean and Adam Skelos’ case was wrongly instructed, in light of a recent Supreme Court ruling narrowing the definition of what it takes to convict a public official.

“Because we cannot conclude that the (instruction) error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, we are obliged to vacate the convictions,” the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals wrote.

The ruling came less than three months after the same court reversed former state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s separate corruption conviction on the same grounds. Together, the cases brought about the downfall of the state’s two most powerful lawmakers. Skelos is a Republican, Silver a Democrat.

Prosecutors said they would assess their appeal options but looked forward to retrying the Skelos case. They also have pledged to retry Silver.

“We will have another opportunity to present the overwhelming evidence of Dean Skelos and Adam Skelos’ guilt and again give the public the justice it deserves,” Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon Kim said in a statement. He noted that the appeals court had found there was enough evidence to convict the two.

Dean Skelos’ lawyer, Alexandra Shapiro, said the former senator is grateful “for the court’s careful consideration of the issues” and looked forward to the next steps in the case.

“We believe that as events unfold, it is going to become clear that this is a case that never should have been brought,” she said in a statement. Adam Skelos’ attorney didn’t immediately respond to a telephone message.

Prosecutors said Dean Skelos strong-armed three companies into giving his son $300,000. Father and son were convicted in 2015 of extortion, conspiracy and bribery in one of a series of corruption cases that roiled the state.

Dean Skelos was sentenced to five years in prison. His son got 6½ years. Both remain free on appeal.

Tuesday’s ruling hinged on a 2016 Supreme Court decision tightening rules on what constitutes an “official act” by a public official, saying that merely setting up meetings, calling other public officials or hosting an event do not necessarily qualify as an “official act” taken in return for money or services received. The ruling reversed a jury verdict against former Virginia Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell.

A growing list of politicians — including Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey and others — have used the ruling to try to win a new trial or force an end to their prosecutions.

Dean Skelos, an attorney, was first elected to the Legislature in 1980 and served in the state Senate for more than three decades. He and Silver once epitomized Albany’s backroom political culture by hammering out deals on the state budget and legislation in closed-door negotiating sessions with Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Over 30 New York state lawmakers have left office under a cloud of criminal or ethical allegations since 2000. More than a dozen have been convicted of charges including authorizing bribes to get on a ballot, diverting money meant for community programs into a campaign and skimming funds from contributions to a Little League baseball program.

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NEW YORK – Basil Gogos, who created some of the most famous paintings of cinematic monsters, such as Dracula, the Wolf Man, the Phantom of the Opera, and Frankestein, passed away at the age of 88 on September 13. His wife, Linda Touby, reported that the cause of death was a heart attack.

Gogos, as the New York Times reported, was born on March 12, 1929 in Alexandria, Egypt, to Greek parents who were also born in Egypt. His father, Steve, worked on the railroads and his mother, Maria as a fashion designer before they opened their own clothing store in Manhattan. They had previously lived in Boston and Washington before settling in New York. The artistic family included an uncle who encouraged the young Basil to paint and a grandmother who painted on dishes and fabrics to support her family, as the New York Times reported.

Gogos attended art schools in Washington and then studied at the Art Students League in Manhattan with Frank Reilly, an artist and illustrator. Gogos’ first sale, the cover of the western novel Pursuit by Lewis B. Patten was made during his time at the Art Students League. His first movie monster portrait in 1960 was of actor Vincent Price from the Roger Corman film House of Usher based on the famous short story by Edgar Allan Poe. The painting was for the cover of Famous Monsters of Filmland, a magazine published by Jim Warren. As reported in the Times, Warren told Gogos to paint “something new and unusual.” When Gogos was too embarrassed to deliver his work, his agent delivered the piece to Warren who was so pleased with the result that he called the artist and said “Where are you? Why aren’t you here so I can hug you and kiss you?” as quoted in the Times from the book Famous Monster Movie Art of Basil Gogos (2006), compiled and edited by Kerry Gammill and J. David Spurlock.

In the 1980s, Gogos gave up painting movie monsters and pursued fine-art painting including abstracts, landscapes, and wildlife scenes. He also worked as a photo retoucher for United Artists and as a storyboard artist for Ogilvy & Mather, an advertising agency. Gogos taught art classes as well.

Eventually, Gogos returned to the monsters that are most associated with his work today. He did covers for Monsterscene magazine, appeared at horror and science-fiction conventions, painted the classic monsters for Topps’s Universal Monsters Illustrated cards in 1994, and also commissions, like the cover of Rob Zombie’s Hellbilly Deluxe album in 1998, as noted in the Times.

Gogos’ monster art allowed him to “be his own art director,” as the Times reported.

“Whenever I do a monster for a magazine or a client or even for myself, I’m completely free,” he said, as quoted in the Times. “If people tell me what colors to use, I’m stumped. It gets in the way and it hurts the job. That’s why I tell people, ‘I will do it my way.’ ”

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ST. LOUIS, Missouri – A consummate artist plucked from the Greek National Opera, he comes stateside to perform an operatic tour de force. Join Yannis Filias alongside Greek-American soprano Stella Markou, pianist Alla Voskoboynikova, and UMSL Opera Theatre for an unforgettable evening celebrating star-crossed lovers throughout the centuries.

“The UMSL Department of Music is proud to present visiting scholar and lyric tenor Yannis Filias. Filias has enchanted audiences and illuminated stages with a raw charisma and a striking vocal prowess,” UMSL’s press release says.

Love and her many patrons will be honored through eclectic selections of arias, duets, and ensembles that feature the works of Puccini, Offenbach, Verdi, Bernstein, Monteverdi and many others!

This residency and performance has been made possible through the support of the College of Arts and Sciences Visiting Scholars Program.  Due to this generous support, the public is being invited to participate in this concert with this world-class artist at no cost.

For more information read here.

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BOSTON,MA – The annual amounts New England parishes are obligated to give to the Archdiocese are really revealing and interesting. They are required to give 15% of their annual expenses to the Archdiocese, as it was decided abruptly without any information or advance notice to the Parishes in 2006 at the Clergy-Laity Congress in Nashville, TN. That formula was changed from 15% of income because the Church officials believed that many parishes were not reporting all their annual income or keeping double sets of records in order to avoid disclosing how much money they were bringing in.

The Metropolis of Boston receives 25% of the total amount that its parishes contribute to the Archdiocese. That is the formula for the other metropolises as well. Beyond that, most of the metropolises, including Boston, have established special funds with various names and collect extra funds from parishes and individual faithful in order to support their ministries and operations.

TNH has learned that many parishes in New England and in other areas of the United States are having trouble meeting their financial obligations to the Archdiocese and are constantly forced to ask their members for additional donations. They also organize Greek festivals, lotteries, Greek pastry bake sales, golf tournaments, cooking shows, fashion shows, and other fundraisers in order to satisfy the metropolises’ demands.

Even large parishes have difficult paying annual dues to the Archdiocese and have asked for reduction. The most troubling issue is the spectacle of the empty churches on Sundays in most of New England, even in parishes comprised by 550 and more families that their average Sunday congregation is now down to 70, as some parish officials have said. Even on Great Friday Evening and also the Resurrection Service there are empty pews in many churches.

Below is the list of Parishes and their financial requirements for the 2016 in Parish City State Allocation:

St. Constantine & Helen Andover, MA $49,700

St. Athanasius The Greek Orthodox Church Arlington, MA $58,800

St. George Greek Orthodox Church Bangor, ME $5,000

Hellenic Association of Boston Brookline, MA $70,800

St. John The Baptist Boston, MA $23,850

St. Catherine G.O. Church Braintree, MA $52,900

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Brockton, MA $53,600

Dormition of The Mother of God Church Burlington, VT $8,000

Hellenic Orthodox Community Church Cambridge, MA $20,400

St. George G.O. Church of Cape Cod Centerville, MA $46,920

Saint Constantine & Helen G.O. Church . Chicopee, MA $3,600

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Clinton, MA $3,600

Panagia Greek Orthodox Church Cohasset, MA $12,500

Holy Trinity Church Concord, NH $24,840

The Annunciation Church of Cranston Cranston, RI $57,000

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Danielson, CT $7,500

St. George Greek Orthodox Church Dartmouth, MA $10,800

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Dover, NH $36,000

Assumption of the Virgin Mary G.O. Church Dracut, MA $17,000

Greek Orthodox Church of St. Luke E. Longmeadow, MA $39,000

St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church Fall River, MA $12,000

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Fitchburg, MA $16,000

Holy Apostles Saints Peter & Paul Haverhill, MA $32,200

Holy Trinity Church Holyoke, MA $10,200

The Assumption of Virgin Mary G.O. Church Ipswich, MA $39,300

St. George Greek Orthodox Church Keene, NH $12,700

Taxiarchai Greek Orthodox Church Laconia, NH $5,400

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Lewiston, ME $16,250

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Lexington, MA $33,600

Holy Trinity Hellenic Orthodox Church (Day Lowell, MA $49,800

St. George Church Lowell, MA $8,000

Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church Lowell, MA $34,800

St. George G.O. Community Lynn, MA $65,000

St.Anargyroi Marlboro, MA 21,000

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church Manchester, NH 31,200

St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral Manchester, NH 63,350

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Manchester, NH 7,400

St. Gregory The Theolgian G.O. Church Mansfield, MA 25,200

St. Phillip Greek Orthodox Church Nashua, NH 39,600

St. Sophia Hellenic Orthodox Church New London, CT 49,000

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Newburyport, MA 18,000

St. Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church Newport, NH 3,600

St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral Newport, RI 23,200

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Norwich, CT 21,720

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church Pawtucket, RI 28,800

St. Vasillos Greek Orthodox Church Peabody, MA 73,680

St. George Greek Orthodox Church Pittsfield, MA 15,600

Holy Trinity Church Portland, ME 32,400

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Portsmouth, NH 32,400

St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church Roslindale, MA 37,900

St. Nicholas Orthodox Church Rutland, VT 0

St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church Saco, ME 31,800

Dormition of The Virgin Mary Somersworth, NH 3,000

Dormition of The Virgin Mary Somerville, MA 39,600

St. George Southbridge, MA 6,000

St. George Greek Orthodox Church Springfield, MA 54,600

Taxiarchae Archangels Greek Orthodox Church Watertown, MA 74,800

Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church Webster, MA 26,400

St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church Weston, MA 100,000

Annunciation of the Virgin Mary G.O. Church Woburn, MA 28,440

St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral Worcester, MA 83,400

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CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Greek-American Katina Sossiadis, former Penn State Lehigh Valley instructor in film, presented to students from Intro to Arts Administration on Sept. 14. She discussed her current project, the feature film “Epiphany,” which she wrote and directed with her sister, Koula Sossiadis Kazista.  Sossiadis has taken the year off from teaching to work fully on the film, psu.edu reports.

The film follows the story of Luka, a young girl desperate to connect with her negligent father in a Greek sponge diving town in Florida. While also struggling in her relationship with her pill-addicted uncle, Luka befriends an older man and slowly uncovers her family’s mysterious past. “Epiphany” is a story of familial love. This story lives on the sea and in the hearts of simple, hardworking people who struggle to maintain the important traditions of the past while striving for happiness in the present moment.

“As young adults, inspired by our personal experiences, we developed a script showcasing the town of Tarpon Springs and the intricacies of this small, tight-knit community and its extraordinary commitment to preserving Greek tradition. Growing up with a Greek immigrant father, it was the only place that our father became fully alive, where he felt like he was home again,” said writer-directors Sossiadis Kazista and Sossiadis. “’Epiphany’ is the next phase of our love story. Set around the transcending Epiphany celebration, which is an experience so cinematic and beautiful that it begs to be on screen, ‘Epiphany’ is a character-driven tribute to the traditions, culture and struggles so unique to Greek-Americans.”

“Epiphany” filmed in Tarpon Springs, Florida, this summer for 22 days. This film will be produced by Meritage Pictures, Jane Kelly Kosek. The company hopes to complete the film in 2018.

Sossiadis attended the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a master’s degree in fine arts. She moved to New York City where she worked at the Guggenheim Museum for director Tom Krens. She studied film at New York University’s School of Continuing Educations. In addition, Sossiadis trained with acting/directing coach Andrienne Weiss. She also worked in the production side of the film industry, by working on “Far From Heaven” starring Julianna Moore and “Analyze That” starring Robert DeNiro.

In April 1999, Katina wrote and co-directed a short film entitled “Lynn’s Wake” with her sister. The film was accepted and well received at several film festivals, such as the New York Independent Feature Film Market, the Austin Film Festival, the National Short Film Festival in Drama, Greece, and the 22nd International Women’s Film Festival in Creteil, France.

In 2007, Sossiadis completed a documentary entitled “Virgins of New York,” which had success being part of several festivals such as the Black Maria Film Festival, Coney Island Film Festival and Reel Women International Film Festival. Last May, she directed her first play by David Mamet entitled “American Buffalo.” She also was an associate producer on Dan Roebuck’s “Getting Grace.”

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NEW YORK – Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced on Wednesday the guilty pleas of three individuals in Operation Sticky Fingers for their roles as members of a massive criminal theft and fencing ring that operated in New York and 27 other states across the country. Operation Stick Fingers was one of the largest-ever busts of a retail theft ring.

During “Operation Sticky Fingers,” a ten-month investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force with support from the New York State Police, law enforcement seized more than 5,300 stolen electronics and ink cartridges from the enterprise’s kingpin, Richard Rimbaugh; the enterprise’s theft crew manager, Greek-American George Athanasatos; and from various members of the theft crews. In addition, investigators seized more than $7.7 million dollars from the defendants’ homes, financial institutions, and Amazon and PayPal merchant accounts.

Athanasatos pleaded guilty to attempted enterprise corruption, criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree, and money laundering in the second degree.  He will be sentenced to 3 ½ to 7 years in prison and will forfeit $439,204.88 in illegal proceeds. Additionally, both Robert Scarano and Joseph Pooler pleaded guilty. Scarano will receive a sentence of 2 to 6 years in prison, while Pooler will be sentenced to 1 to 3 years.

“Retail theft is not a victimless crime. Ultimately, consumers pay higher prices while the perpetrators of these schemes cash in,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “These guilty pleas — and the forfeiture of hundreds of thousands of dollars — mark a major victory in what was one of the largest-ever busts of a retail theft ring. Even as these schemes grow more complex and elaborate, we will continue to work closely with our partners in law enforcement to prosecute those who shortchange New York businesses and consumers.”

The Attorney General’s investigation uncovered that Rimbaugh, known to members of the enterprise as the “General,” allegedly instructed several theft crews to steal specific printer ink cartridges, computer software, and other consumer retail electronics based on his ability to resell those stolen goods on Amazon and eBay.  Rimbaugh allegedly dictated the price that the theft crews would receive for the stolen merchandise, typically paying between 30-50% of the retail value, then resold the stolen merchandise on the internet through his illegitimate business, American Media Soft, which he operated out of his Manhattan apartment. At this location, Rimbaugh allegedly received, sorted, catalogued, and shipped the stolen merchandise for resale.  Rimbaugh also routinely met with theft crew members to pay them for the stolen merchandise.  The crews are charged with stealing millions of dollars in merchandise – including electronic goods and printer cartridges – from Staples, Office Depot, BestBuy, and other retailers across 28 states. During the course of the investigation, OCTF investigators used physical and electronic surveillance to track the movements of the theft crews, monitor their shipments of stolen goods to Rimbaugh, and obtain numerous surveillance videos of the theft crews while stealing merchandise from retail stores across the country.

George Athanasatos, of Brooklyn, who was referred to by members of the enterprise as “Field Marshall,” admitted today that he reported directly to Rimbaugh and was the manager of three of the four theft crews that delivered stolen merchandise to Rimbaugh at his Manhattan apartment.  Athanasatos managed the day-to-day operations of these three theft crews and received a percentage of the total amount of money that Rimbaugh would pay the crew for their stolen merchandise.  Rimbaugh and Athanasatos dispatched the three theft crews on missions to various regions across the country and remotely managed their progress during each undertaking, which took place on a weekly basis.

In addition to advising the theft crewmembers, Athanasatos admitted to providing the groups with coded maps detailing target retail locations, such as Staples, Office Depot, and BestBuy.  He also provided members of the theft crews with “booster” gear, such as custom-made vests known as “bazookas.” When worn underneath regular clothing, “bazookas” can conceal large amounts of merchandise while inside of the stores.  When departing the stores, the crews allegedly used “kryptonite” devices to deactivate security alarms at store exits, as well as short-wave radios, which made it easier for the crews to eavesdrop on store security in order to warn one another about the presence of security or law enforcement.  Multiple anti-security devices, such as “kryptonite”, Alpha Keys, and Spider Wraps, were seized from Athanasatos’ residence during the execution of a search warrant.

Robert Scarano, of Las Vegas, also pleaded guilty today to enterprise corruption.  He will be sentenced to 2 to 6 years in prison. Scarano admitted to being the leader of a two-person theft crew that executed dozens of retail thefts and delivered thousands of dollars of stolen merchandise to Rimbaugh at his Manhattan apartment. Scarano is scheduled to be sentenced on November 15, 2017.

Joseph Pooler, a/k/a “Baby Arm Johnson,” of Stroudsburg, PA also pleaded guilty today to enterprise corruption.  He will be sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison. Pooler admitted to being the Sergeant of a two-person theft crew that executed dozens of retail thefts and delivered thousands of dollars of stolen merchandise to Rimbaugh at his Manhattan apartment. Pooler is scheduled to be sentenced on November 15, 2017.

The following defendants have previously pled guilty:

Frank Albergo, of Oviedo, FL, pled guilty to attempted enterprise corruption on April 26, 2017 and was sentenced to 1 ½ to 4 ½ years in prison for his role as a theft crew Lieutenant.

Krissylee Harris, of Brooklyn, NY, pled guilty to attempted enterprise corruption on May 10, 2017 for her role as a theft crew Lieutenant.

Nusret Srdanovic, of Brooklyn, NY, pled guilty to enterprise corruption on April 26, 2017 and was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison for his role as a theft crew Sergeant.

Kevin Cerrato, of Elmont, NY, pled guilty to enterprise corruption on July 6, 2017 for his role as a theft crew Sergeant.  He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 4, 2017.

The charges against the following defendants are still pending:

Richard Rimbaugh, a/k/a “The General,” 64, Fence of the Enterprise, New York, NY

George Rapatsouleas, a/k/a “Skipper,” a/k/a “Nipplehead,” 31, Captain, Brooklyn, NY

Gregory Anastasiou, a/k/a “Captain Frank”, 38, Captain, East Stroudsburg, PA

Giovanna Bonello, 28, Lieutenant, Staten Island, NY

Roger Ringhiser, 41, Captain, Long Beach, NY,

The charges against the defendants are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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BOSTON – Although the situation in the Archdiocese regarding its finances is extremely difficult and it is getting worse every day, there are some young educated economists who have introduced a series of initiatives which, if implemented, would salvage the Archdiocese’s long term future.

Some such initiatives have been proposed by Michael Psaros, a prominent economist and businessman who a few months ago was appointed Archdiocesan Council Treasurer of the Archdiocesan Council. These ideas were included in his reply email of September 26 to Lazaros (Louis) Kircos, Archdiocesan Councilmember, Detroit Metropolis Finance Committee Chairman, Archon Regional Commander, L100 Member and L100 Audit Committee member.

Kircos had written, also on September 26, and copied many Councilmembers. Addressing Psaros and Council Vice Chair George Tsandikos, Kircos wrote among other things that “it is inconceivable to me that there is this much turmoil at the Archdiocese; that the chief administrative officer resigned or was forced to resign; that ‘bankruptcy’ is rumored; and with all that, there has been no official communication to our governing body – the Archdiocesan Council.

“The impact of these events is devastating to our Church and worsens each passing day.We Councilmembers cannot help our Church if we have no information.If fact, it is worse because we are getting questions about what is happening and we can only respond that we have been told nothing.So instead of helping to possibly calm the situation, fears deepen.We know that you are extremely busy and I am grateful for your efforts, but you must keep us informed.”

In his reply, Psaros wrote among other things, “please understand that Vice Chairman George Tsandikos, Ms. Cathy Walsh and I serve the Archdiocese with the blessing of, and under the direction of, his Eminence, Geron Archbishop Demetrios.

“In response to your first question, only his Eminence (for purposes of this communication henceforth, ‘Archbishop Demetrios’) can call for a meeting, including the meeting in question.

“Second, his Eminence is working towards a structured and formal communications strategy to answer the meritorious questions you raise below. I tried to respond immediately, and without consultation with my brother Officers (for this I ask for their forgiveness – we are a team, act as a team, and I humbled by their faith and commitment to our Church).

“We agree with you that the Archdiocesan Council and Omogenia should receive a full explanation of recent events and the actual financial position of the Holy Archdiocese. Please understand we are working in ‘real time.’”

Psaros emphasized to Kircos that “the first critical step to communicate recent events was a meeting, chaired by his Eminence, where the Executive Officers provided full disclosure on recent events to the Executive Committee.

Psaros assured Kircos that “the commitment and objective of my fellow National Officers is to create an institution with accountability and transparency. Leadership 100 is a vivid example of what is achievable and what will be achieved with respect to the GOA” and lists a series of measures that are implemented.

He wrote that “under the leadership of His Eminence, we have made important changes in a brief period of time.The GOA accepted the resignation of Jerry Dimitriou, Head of Administration in September 2017. His responsibilities were assumed by his Grace, Bishop Andonios, Chancellor of the GOA.

“On April 4th, 2017, the position of Chief Financial Officer was created and Fr. Soterios Baroody was retained to serve. His Eminence could not have made a better selection. Prior to the creation of the CFO position, his Eminence and the National Officers of the GOA had almost no visibility into the true financial position of the Holy Archdiocese.Upon embarking on his work The GOA’s CFO, Father Soterios asked for a 60-day period of discovery, which was exhaustive and exhausting.

“Shortly into Fr. Soterios’ tenure, Vice Chair George Tsandikos, Fr. Soterios and I met with Grant Thornton.This meeting was critical to our subsequent understanding of the truth.

“What we quickly determined was that the GOA lacked even the most basic internal controls with respect to expenditures, vendor and travel management, and other basic matters of basic corporate governance.A simple review of the ‘deficiency letters’ included as part of Grant Thornton’s recent audits is an example of deficiencies with respect to internal control that were not addressed, year after year. I ask why?Anyone that read the audit would have read the deficiency letters.Why were these basic deficiencies not addressed? With the blessing of his Eminence, Fr. Soterios moved quickly to implement basic internal controls.

Once Fr. Soterios reported the true financial position of the GOA at the beginning of July, we discovered the GOA had a material structural operating deficit (costs exceeded revenues). I think this is important – prior to the first week of July, 2017, neither His Eminence nor the National Officers had an honest and true picture of the GOA’s financial position. Historically, that structural deficit was funded by blessed benefactors who have fallen asleep in the Lord.We further discovered that to fund the deficit over the past two years, segregated/restricted accounts were invaded. Let me be clear – we were shocked by this.

“With the blessings of His Eminence, and under the leadership of His Grace, Bishop Andonios, immediate actions have been taken to reduce operating costs to bring revenues and expenditures into alignment with the objective of eliminating the structural deficit of the GOA.We had to act decisively. However, the internal cash flow of the GOA is acute and remains acute.

“For the first time, controls have been implemented to ensure professional controls of all expenditures and proper corporate governance.

“This is very important: Grant Thornton was engaged in May, 2017 to conduct a thorough ‘Operations Review’ throughout the summer. Grant Thornton was tasked with providing recommendations on how to create a world-class ecclesiastical not-for-profit institution from an internal controls, practices and procedures perspective.Grant Thornton was asked for its honest, unvarnished, and critical recommendations. I am an informed consumer of these reports, and believe Grant Thornton has done an excellent job. We have already received a draft preview. We believe we will be in receipt of their final report within a week. Grant Thornton has been asked to work with his Grace and Father Soterios to turn its very specific (if not granular) recommendations into standard operating procedures to be implemented.Phase I and Phase II of Grant Thornton’s work is expensive.I have funded the Operations Review and its follow-on work personally.We will report the summary of Grant Thornton’s recommendations to the Finance Committee. Once again, this is happening in ‘real time.’

“In my humble opinion, the GOA’s immediate objective must be to close the structural operating deficit.

“Please note that the assumption for closing the deficit is Stewardship equal to 2016 – approximately $22 million of unrestricted inflows.If this number is reduced, the need to reduce costs further will increase.

“In the medium term, without increasing the burden on our parishes, we must find a way to replenish the cash in the segregated/restricted accounts that were ‘invaded.’ This can only be accomplished through a budget surplus or gifts.

“We look forward to continuing this critical dialogue.”

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BOSTON, MA – Xenophon Moussas, Professor of Astrophysics, Astronomy, and Mechanics at the University of Athens, brought the famous Antikythera Mechanism to Boston, MA. Several talks and an exhibition were organized at Stonehill College, Center of Astrophysics Harvard and Tufts University.

The oldest known computer made in Greece sometime between 150 to 100 BC came to Boston to the beautiful Stonehill campus, where a very interesting exhibition was on display that included a bronze model of the mechanism made by Dionysios Kriaris. The exhibition was designed by Prof. Moussas and prepared by Stonehill. Moussasdelivered an impressive lecture, accompanied by slides at the Maliotis Cultural Center in Brookline.

Moussas told TNH that “the Antikythera Mechanism is the oldest known computer that in fact was originally called tablet – pinakidion in Greek, which means little table. It is a relatively accurate and realistic clockwork Cosmos, a Planetarium, most probably an astronomical clock. It is an instrument probably made during the second half of the 2nd century BC, somewhere in the Greek World.”

He explained that “it works with carefully designed bronze gears that perform the appropriate mathematical operations to predict astronomical phenomena, like the position of the sun and the moon in the sky, the age (phase) of the moon, with an ingenious method that is a good approximation of Kepler’s second law using an equivalent of a two-term Fourier series and it probably gives the position of the planets using the same mathematical method but with a different combination of gears, what we call planetary gears. It predicts solar and lunar eclipses. We have discovered a set of gears that I interpret as planetary gear that predicts the motion and position of planet Jupiter using an equivalent of Fourier series with two terms.”

To the question if the mechanism is actually a clock with continuous motion, he said “the answer is based on Ancient Greek texts that describe automata and locks and I will present the case that it moves with a mechanism of weight and counter weights, like to clock of Archimedes, regulated by a float the is in a prismatic container of water where the level increases with constant rate.”

Moussas added that “The Antikythera Mechanism is the epitome of Greek Philosophy, the Natural Philosophy of the Greek philosophers mainly the natural philosophers, the Ionian philosophers, the Pythagoreans. To imagine that you can predict natural phenomena, to conceive the construction of such a machine, a computer, an automaton, that reproduces the movements of celestial bodies, predicts the phases of the moon, the eclipses, it is required for a civilization to have: a) the notion of determinism, b) the laws of nature, c) the laws of nature expressed with precision only with appropriate mathematics, d) natural phenomena understood and interpreted with the laws of physics, and e) sometimes predicted by the laws of nature.”

He added that “to construct such a mechanism a civilization has to develop what is now called modeling in science, to conceive, develop and put in operation the doctrine of the Pythagorean philosophy that everything is properly described with mathematics that the laws of physics can be expressed.The mechanism is much more advanced than any other ancient device, like astrolabes, the astronomical clocks that appeared in Western Europe for the first time around the 14th century.”

Today, he said, the mechanism is exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, “where many other treasures found in an ancient shipwreck that sunk in the 1st century BC near the little Greek island of Antikythera, between Peloponnese and Crete, in a spot that was in the sea route between mainland Greece and Asia Minor, the Aegean Sea in general, and Italy, Rome most probably was the destination of the huge ship full of treasures.

The gears have been designed to perform appropriate mathematical operations to predict all the then known astronomical phenomena. It really is realistic clockwork Cosmos, with the Moon following Kepler’s second law. The mechanism probably was very luxurious in appearance, with ornaments like a Rococo clock, because the taste of that era was similar. The mechanism is the dream of any astronomer of that time. or even of today.

“The study of the mechanism permits much better understanding of the way humans use science in antiquity and one of our conclusions is that the level of mathematics, mechanics, and astronomy is much higher than estimated so far by the global scientific community, even by specialists.

The mechanism predicts solar and lunar eclipses and shows the result on two dials one spiral dial that lasts a Saros cycle of 18years, 11 days and 8 hours and an Exeligmos cycle of 54 years and a month. The phase of the moon and the month in a Greek calendar that lasts 19 years which is Meton’s cycle, calendar the we use today for Easter determination.”

The post The Antikythera Mechanism Βrought to Boston appeared first on The National Herald.

This year, the 4th Annual NYC Neighborhood Library Awards, an initiative of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and the Charles H. Revson Foundation, will take place on Monday, October 2nd, at the Hearst Tower in New York City.

Five branches will receive an award of $20,000 each, for being irreplaceable pillars of their communities, offering a welcoming and safe environment, and free programs and services.

After a record-breaking 24,000 nominations for the awards – an increase of more than 30 percent from last year – a group of esteemed judges (consisted by elected officials, acclaimed authors and community members) will choose five of the ten finalist branches to win the ultimate prize. The remaining finalists will receive $10,000 for their service to their neighborhoods.

For a second year, the Heckscher Prize for Outstanding Service to Children and Youth from the Heckscher Foundation for Children will award $20,000 to one outstanding library for their commitment to the City’s youth, while two new awards will be announced: the Perennial Excellence Award, recognizing three branches that have been consistently stellar over the years, and the Award for Distinction in Service, awarded to a library for its unique impact.

During the ceremony, a short documentary by filmmakers Julie Dressner and Craig Marsden will highlight the incredible ways in which these libraries have uplifted New York City’s immigrant communities. An additional short documentary will focus on the dedication and commitment of the Heckscher prize-winning library to serving children and youth.

The NYC Neighborhood Library Awards are funded by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the Charles H. Revson Foundation, and the Heckscher Foundation for Children.

Finalist Libraries:

• Allerton Library – Allerton (Bronx)

• Queens Library at Bayside – Bayside (Queens)

• Chatham Square Library – Chinatown (Manhattan)

• Crown Heights Library – Crown Heights (Brooklyn)

• Edenwald Library – Edenwald Bronx

• George Bruce Library – Morningside Heights (Manhattan)

• Hunts Point Library – Hunts Point (Bronx)

• Queens Library at Lefferts – Richmond Hill (Queens)

• New Utrecht Library – New Utrecht (Brooklyn)

• Queens Library at Woodside – Woodside (Queens)

For more information about the NYC Neighborhood Library Awards, click here.

Source: SNF

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FAIRFIELD, CT – A month-long festival of contemporary female scholars and artists responding to Ancient Greek tragedy will take placebeginning October at Fairfield University. 21st Century Women and Ancient Greek Tragedy is a four-part series of performance, scholarship, and discussion at the Quick Center for the Performing Arts at Fairfield University.

“Ancient Greek tragedies involve complex situations that set up a cascade of difficult choices affecting generations to come,” Dr. Katherine Schwab (Fairfield University) told TNH. “On the face of it, we might think that this is outside our realm, but a deeper exploration reveals how ancient events and actions hold an immediacy for us.”

The Festival kicks off on October 3 with Iphigenia: Book of Change, a film of a live performance piece inspired by Euripides. The film explores how Euripides’ mythical character and how contemporary women survive captivity. Schwab will lead a Q&A with the film’s writer and director following its screening. “The experimental filmmaker Elise Kermani found that the story of Iphigenia was a powerful vehicle to explore the tragedy of political imprisonment of a 16-year old girl in Iran,” Schwab told TNH. “The arts invite ways to explore the imagination, to see the world and oneself in new ways, and to communicate what may not be easily expressed.”

Then on October 25-28, Theatre Fairfield and Antigone: Sophocles’ Antigonetakes place. The performance’s director Dr. Martha S. LoMonaco (Fairfield University) told TNH:“I am using Anne Carson’s very feminist, very 21st century translation of Antigone in our production.” Of the misogyny in the play, she said, “The final words of the script, spoken by the Chorus, say it all: ‘You big men with your big words/pay a big price for that/but in the end/you learn wisdom too/even you.’”

A Feminism & Greek Tragedy Roundtable will take place November 2. Feminist scholars Dr. Yurie Hong (Gustavus Adolphus College), Dr. Danielle Layne (Gonzaga University), and Dr. Kalliopi Nikolopoulou (University of Buffalo) will engage in a conversation, moderated by Dr. Sara Brill (Fairfield University), on Ancient Greek texts. Brill told THN: “The sexism and misogyny that we encounter in certain aspects of ancient Greek culture were structural; that is, they were more than simply the attitudes of one or more groups of individuals, but were embedded in the social and political fabric of daily life.” One of the values of studying ancient Greek oppression and resistance, she said, is that “it helps scholars better understand the sexist and misogynist aspects–both personal and structural–of contemporary American and European cultures, which in turn helps one to better recognize both how those aspects are perpetuated and how they might most effectively be resisted.”

The Festival will conclude that evening with a keynote address with Ellen McLaughlin. The playwright, actor, and director will discuss and perform sections from her adaptations of six Greek tragedies. Leading American theatre companies commissioned the works in reaction to political crises throughout the world.

Ancient Greek tragedies remain strikingly relevant to today’s women’s issues. In the tragedies, King Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia while Kreon intended to bury his niece Antigone alive (by the time he had changed his mind, she had already died by suicide). Today, the economic crisis in Greece has led to increased domestic violence and young women turning to prostitution to afford meals. It seems that throughout history, the very men who are supposed to be protecting young women are the ones brutalizing them. “Attitudes toward women do not arise in a vacuum, and the most comprehensive and nuanced studies look at the relation between cultural conceptions of masculinity and femininity, at the ways in which the two undergird and support one another. It would be impossible to understand Sophocles’ Creon, for instance, without understanding not only his attitude toward women but also his conception of his own masculinity and his response to perceived threats to that masculinity,” said Brill. In regard to 21^st-century women, Schwab said: “The very painful consequences of the ongoing economic crisis in Greece continue to reverberate and affect so many people. I would like to note that my Greek friends exemplify the extraordinary care and concern for all members of their families. The strength of the Greek family is legendary and with good reason. I see young Greek women focused on very high achievement in academics and carrying an inner confidence. Equally, their families, fully support their efforts and goals.”

21st Century Women and Ancient Greek Tragedy festival speaks to female courage and determination.“When plays are as powerful as Antigone and Iphigenia (in all her versions) for conveying the critical issues of our day, we need to revive them for contemporary production,” LoMonaco told TNH. Brill said: “My colleagues and I are lucky enough to have as interlocutors generations of scholars who have been working on these issues throughout their careers, and, amongst many other things, this festival provides us with a way to honor this rich history of thought.”

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NEW YORK – On September 28, the Hellenic American Association for Professionals in Finance (HABA) hosted the panel discussion on Families and Money: How to Sustain Wealth in Uncertain Times featuring Constantinos Grigoriadis- Chief Investment Officer, OBM Inc., and Chris Thomas- Managing Director, Massey Quick Simon & Co., moderated by James Hansel- Senior Vice President, Red Apple Group. The event took place at Wells Fargo Connections in Midtown Manhattan.

CEO and Co-Founder of CCTrack Solutions and HABA Vice President Robert Savage gave the welcoming remarks and then turned over the discussion to the moderator and the panelists.

Born in Athens, Greece, Grigoriadis graduated from Deree – The American College of Greece in 1990. He earned an MBA in International Finance from the Kogod School of Business, American University, Washington, DC. Grigoriadis started his career at the International Finance Corporation (IFC, member of the World Bank Group) as Chief Market Analyst, European Emerging Markets and then as Portfolio Manager, Pension Investments at the Treasury of the World Bank.

He established and managed Alpha Finance U.S. in New York, a boutique broker/dealer before joining U.S. Trust & Co. (Bank of America) as Senior VP responsible for European Family Offices. In addition, he established and managed two separate single family offices for ultra high-net-worth families before joining Societe Generale Bank & Trust, as Executive Director, Head of Ultra High-Net-Worth Individuals & Family Offices, Greece/Cyprus and the Middle East.

Thomas, a Managing Director of Massey Quick Simon, is involved in the firm’s new business development efforts. He joined Massey Quick Simon in 2015. Prior to joining Massey Quick Simon, Thomas was Senior Managing Director at Forefront Capital, a boutique investment advisory firm focused on creating alternative investment and specialized credit products for high net worth and family office investors. Thomas began his career as an analyst in Chemical Bank’s Strategic Planning Group. He graduated from New York University in 1984 with a BA in Political Science and Departmental Honors, and then after Chemical Bank went on to Columbia University’s School of International Affairs where he earned an MIA in International Banking and Finance. Thomas is also a faculty member at the New York Institute of Finance, where he teaches courses in Hedge Funds, Alternative Investments and Portfolio Management.

The discussion focused on family offices, firms that deal with asset management for wealthy individuals and families with a net worth of $100 million or more in assets. They also often provide services like managing household staff and making travel arrangements along with the traditional financial services and planning. Grigoriadis noted that trust and loyalty are important aspects in the business and you sometimes need a degree in psychology in this career path since different family members may have different priorities. Thomas said that the Rockefellers were the first with a family office at the turn of the last century to deal with their tremendous wealth, noting that John D. Rockefeller’s fortune was, at one point, 1-2% of the GDP (gross domestic product) of the United States. Though there are many more wealthy families today, none of them account for that much of the US economy.

Thomas also spoke about the fact that some clients will not follow advice. He said that about 20-25% of families have not done estate planning or tax planning, and one 78-year-old client has not done trust planning against the advice of all his team of advisors.

The panelists also discussed the differences between family offices working with families in the US and in Greece. Grigoriadis noted that in Greece there is perhaps more concern for wealth preservation and slightly less willingness to take risks while Thomas observed that there are regional differences in the US with variation in the concern for wealth preservation and the amount of risk families are willing to take.

A Q&A session followed the panel discussion. Among those present at the event were HABA Treasurer Emmanuel Caravanos, Costas Kellas, John Giapoutzis, Anna Sembos, James P. Gerkis, Nick Lionas, Kalliopi Tsakiroglou, many finance professionals, and members of the community.

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