NEW YORK – The ordination took place on Saturday morning, March 17, at the Holy Trinity Archdiocesan Cathedral in Manhattan, presided over by his Eminence Archbishop Dimitrios, Geron of America.

Many hierarchs, including members of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Archdiocese of America, and many priests from New York and throughout the country, co-celebrated.

The enthronement of the new Metropolitan will take place in Chicago on Saturday, March 24, 2018.

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NEW YORK – Dr. Ismene Petrakis spoke with The National Herald about her work, family, Greek heritage, and the new psychiatric ER at VA Connecticut Healthcare System (VACHS) in West Haven, CT. Dr. Petrakis is a Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine and the Director of the Mental Health Service Line at VACHS since July, 2010. She completed residency training at Yale School of Medicine and then a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded addiction psychiatry clinical/research fellowship, and joined the faculty at Yale in 1992. Prior to July 2010, she was the Director of the Substance Abuse Treatment Program of the VACHS since 1996.

Petrakis celebrated the opening of the new psychiatric ER on March 5 along with her colleagues at VACHS and Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

When asked if she always wanted to go into psychiatry, she said, “I went to medical school thinking I was going to be a psychiatrist. I don’t know why, it’s not like I had a family member, or knew that much about it, I was always interested in the way people think and then when I did my psychiatry rotation, I really did like it.”

Of her family, Petrakis told TNH that her husband, Michael Sernyak, also a psychiatrist and philhellene, is mostly Irish, with the last name likely from a German or Czechoslovakian ancestor, though the family has been in the United States for many generations. The couple met during their residency, and have two children, son, Alexander Michael who just graduated from Yale, and daughter, Zoe Ekaterini, who graduated from high school and after her gap year will begin college at Yale.

She noted that her father, Leonidas Petrakis, PhD, “was born in Sparta, moved to Athens, then came to the United States when he was 16, he’s in his eighties now, so that was a long time ago, my mother (Lina Petrakis) is Greek-American, born in Boston and grew up in Dorchester, MA.”

Asked if her Greek heritage plays a role in her work, Petrakis said, “my specialty is in substance abuse disorders and so when I was a resident, I liked that patient population, even the ones who had very different lives, especially if you’re using illegal drugs, your life is different from what my life is, you’re spending time procuring drugs from illegal sources, it’s a whole culture, so I think my interest in cultural differences was something that did drive me to the substance abusing population. They live next to you, but they have a different way of interacting, and having grown up in a Greek-American household where not that many people around me were Greek it makes you aware of cultural differences or visiting Greece as a child. In psychiatry, in general, you think about things and how people act and how they think, their behavior and how their upbringing influences them, in that way, I think my Greek heritage influenced me.”

Petrakis grew up mostly in Pittsburgh, where the family moved when she was about five, noting “that was where I went to high school, then I left for college. I came back and went to the University of Pittsburgh for medical school.”

At VACHS for over 20 years, Petrakis said that the opening of the psychiatric ER was a nice event, and “our psychiatric emergency room is an important facility so we can treat people who have acute problems and the space matters because it’s comfortable and it’s recovery-oriented with big enough rooms for people to have some space if they need to go to a room and be quiet if they’re upset or physically sick.

Of her research, she said, “I’m mostly interested in substance abuse so most of my research has been in alcoholism, but, as you know, there is an opioid epidemic, a lot of people using prescription opioids or heroin, so I’ve become interested in that. My latest projects are trying to determine best treatments for people who have opiate use disorders so I’m writing a grant right now on that and I’m also interested in co-morbidity which means people who have a substance abuse disorder and a psychiatric problem like post-traumatic stress disorder or depression and drinking, so that’s been my research focus.”

Petrakis said that there is still stigma attached to mental illness though there has been “some progress in that, because you hear about it in the news, you hear about people trying to take care of people with mental illness, but of course people don’t want to admit that they have a mental disorder, they don’t want to admit that they’re in treatment.”

She added, “people go to the doctor for their high blood pressure, I don’t think they’re embarrassed about it, but if they have a substance abuse problem or a psychiatric problem they’re not always talking about it and it affects people in all walks of life.”

About the future of treating substance use disorders, Petrakis told TNH that “the stigma has gotten a little bit better, and physicians are acknowledging it more, when I first started people didn’t even want to treat substance use disorders, so that’s really changed over the past 15, 20 years and there’s a lot of research looking at medications that might help, behavioral treatments, and then standardizing the care will be important because right now there’s debate about whether it’s going to be covered by insurance, and when it is, there are not that many standards, but I think we’re moving toward making it more standard-based and the insurance companies have to cover certain disorders, I think that will all help.”

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CONSTANTINOPLE – An extensive discussion took place during the recent meeting of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on March 7 regarding the article of The National Herald about the $10 million dollar bank loan that the Greek-Archdiocese of America is trying to acquire, using the two buildings of its Manhattan headquarters as collateral.

Specifically, Synod members asked Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey about the loan. He said he didn’t know anything about it and refereed all questions to Archbishop Demetrios, who is serving also serving as a Synod member during the current period.

The archbishop didn’t answer directly but said “we are not going to lose the buildings.” He explained this is the process: when you seek a loan, you should list all your property as collateral.

This is the first time in the history of the Church in America that the Archdiocese is forced to place its headquarters as a guarantee in order to get a loan to pay its debt.

Those buildings were purchased by the late Archbishop Athenagoras of America who later became Ecumenical Patriarch, with small contributions of $1-$10.

BLAMING THE PATRIARCHATE

Rumors have circulated that the Archdiocese went bankrupt because of the many millions it gave to the Patriarchate. That forced Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to react. He said to Demetrios “please do not allow anyone to blame the Patriarchate for the Archdiocese’s economic situation.” Demetrios agreed, and said no one is saying such things, to which the patriarch replied: “we have been informed those things are being said,” including by CFO Fr. Soterios Baroody.

Patriarch Bartholomew also said that such rumors were said during an Archdiocesan Council meeting, to which there was no rebuttal. Demetrios did say “Yes, your All Holiness, you are correct. These things are not true. How is it possible that you are responsible for our problems? The one million dollars that we give to the Patriarchate is nothing.”

At that point, Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey intervened and told Bartholomew that “these things have been said, we can’t say that they are not said.”

Metropolitan Kyrillos of Rhodes asked Demetrios how much the Archdiocese’s annual budget is. The archbishop replied that it is between $19 and $20 million. Kyrillos then said: “you only give five present to the Mother Church. Do you know how much we give from our income? Forty percent. The archbishop was speechless, but after the Synodic session he approached Kyrillos, complaining: “Why did you do this to me? You put in a difficult position.”

TNH reported about the $10 million loan recently, after it was revealed during the March 1 meeting of the Boston Metropolis regarding the Archdiocese’s finances. TNH has learned that parish representatives at that meeting were concerned that the questions TNH raised in its reporting about the finances were not addressed.

Also, many raised questions privately about the Metropolis’ administrative and financial issues, such as who comprises the Metropolitan Council, when were elections for its renewal last held, why the local Clergy-Laity Congress was not held in 2017 or thus far in 2018, and no financial report – as the Archdiocesan Regulations require – was not given.

TNH has also learned that parish council members will submit a number of issues and questions at the 44^th Clergy-Laity Congress in Boston, which will take place July 1 to 5.

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NEW YORK – The Rotary Club of New York celebrated Greek Independence Day at a luncheon on March 16 at 12 pm at the Union League Club, 38 East 37th Street in Manhattan. The featured speaker was New York State Senator Michael Giannaris, who was introduced by Harry Pateroulakis- Rotary Club of New York Board Member. Both the Greek National Anthem and the Star-Spangled Banner were sung at the event. Among those in attendance were Dr. Jasmin Bey Corwin- Rotary Club of New York President 2017-2018 who gave the welcoming remarks, Consul General of Greece in New York Konstantinos Koutras who spoke about the role of American philhellenes in the War of Greek Independence, and Greta Kamaterou- Director Greek National Tourism Organization.

Senator Gianaris thanked all those in attendance, especially Mr. Pateroulakis who asked him to speak about anything Greek, which is a massive topic, adding that just the contributions of the ancient Greeks could take hours.

The first Greek-American to be elected to office from New York City, Senator Gianaris has served his community and state with unique effectiveness. He was born in Astoria, Queens and is a graduate of the New York City public school system, having attended Public School 84, Junior High School 141 and Long Island City High School. He then attended Fordham University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelors Degree in Economics and Political Science and went on to receive his law degree from Harvard Law School.

Senator Gianaris was elected to the State Senate in 2010 with over 81% of the vote after a decade of dedicated public service in the State Assembly. His career in public service began as an aid to Congressman Thomas Manton, and he later became Governor Mario Cuomo’s Queens County Regional Representative. Until his election to the Assembly in 2000, he served as a Counsel to the Speaker of the Assembly. He also practiced law as a litigator in private practice for several years. In his community, Senator Gianaris served as a member of Community Board # 1, Legal Counsel to the United Community Civic Association and as a Board member of the Eastern Orthodox Lawyers Association.

Among his many triumphs in the Legislature, Senator Gianaris authored important public safety measures, including the state’s first major anti-terror law after the September 11th attacks. His Energy Security Act, which has become a national model, strengthens security at New York’s power plants and transmission centers. He is a staunch advocate for consumers, authoring the first-in-the-nation Airline Passenger Bill of Rights law which inspired federal rules that now ensure travelers are treated with respect and dignity while on commercial airplanes. He was instrumental in establishing the state’s film tax credit, which has brought thousands of new jobs to western Queens.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A school teacher from the U.K. won a highly competitive $1 million teaching prize on Sunday for her work with inner city children in London, helping students feel welcome and safe in a borough with one of the highest murder rates in the country and where English is frequently spoken as a second language at home.

Greek-British Andria Zafirakou beat out some 30,000 applicants from around the world to win the Global Teacher Prize, which honors one exceptional teacher a year who’s made a significant contribution to the profession.

The Alperton Community School teacher was awarded for her work in the London borough of Brent, one of the most ethnically diverse places in the country. Her students come from some of the poorest families in Britain with parents who don’t necessarily speak English.

She is the first British teacher to win the award. After her name was announced, British Prime Minister Theresa May congratulated Zafirakou in a video recording, saluting and thanking her for her achievements in teaching.

“Being a great teacher requires resilience, ingenuity and a generous heart,” the prime minister said. “These are the qualities that you share with your students every day. So, thank you for all you have done and continue to do.”

Stunned and excited, the secondary school teacher began her speech saying, “Wow!”

She thanked her parents, who were in the audience, saying with laughter, “The Greek family have arrived.”

Zafirakou also praised the “beautiful” diversity of the school population and said the students are intense in their pursuit of education despite living in crowded homes where it is hard to find a quiet place to study and where many have to care for their siblings after school.

“For many of our students, English is not the main language spoken at home. It’s also a community where many of our students unfortunately live in challenging circumstances,” she said after accepting the award.

“What is amazing is that whatever issues they are having at home, whatever is missing from their lives or causes them pain, our school is theirs,” Zafirakou added.

Zafirakou, who works as an art and textiles teacher, stressed the importance of funding arts programs in schools, saying they teach students resilience and perseverance, as well as how to think creatively.

She was awarded the annual Global Teacher Prize during a star-studded ceremony in Dubai on Sunday hosted by Trevor Noah of the “Daily Show”. Other celebrities present included Hollywood star Charlize Theron and Indian actress Priyanka Chopra.

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was also on hand to present the prize.

The award is presented by the Varkey Foundation. Its founder, Sunny Varkey, established the for-profit GEMS Education company, which has more than 250 schools around the world.

Last year, Canadian teacher Maggie MacDonnell won the prize for her work with Inuit indigenous students in a remote and isolated Arctic village. Previous winners have hailed from the U.S. and Palestinian territory in the West Bank.

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ASTORIA – Anna Maria Fazio, with roots in Kerkyra, was crowned Miss Greek Independence at the Stathakion Center in Astoria on March 17 at the annual pageant organized by the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York. Her family attends Archangel Michael Church in Port Washington where they are members of the community.

As the 17-year-old Miss Greek Independence noted, her dream is to become a psychologist, while she won over the judges and the audience with her knowledge, as well as the very warm words about Greece.

“Since I was little, I visited Greece. Until I grew up, I was not aware of how important it was to me. I am proud to be a Greek woman and my friends constantly ask me to stop talking all the time about Greece and how beautiful it is.”

Anna Maria Fazio received the crown from her predecessor, Julia Kokkosis, Miss Greek Independence 2017, who urged her, like the other contestants, to enjoy the experience of their participation in the competition.

“It was an unforgettable experience for me. You will remember this forever,” said last year’s winner.

A total of eight girls participated in the pageant. First runner-up was Eleni Papastefanou (Kalymnos) and second runner-up Maria-Styliani Koutroupis. The following also participated: Georgia Gantidis (Miss Karditsa), Anastasia Avlonitis (Errikousa), Irene Kavvadias (Kavala), Sotiria Filos (Karpenissi) and Nicoletta Filos (Lamia).

“The title is not as important as my participation in the competition. I am a child who came from Greece and New York once felt like a foreign city. It is very good for me to participate actively in the Greek community,” Miss Koutroupis told The National Herald.

George Patoulis- Mayor of the Athens municipality of Marousi and president of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE) was among the eleven judges at the pageant along with Aris Kourkoumelis, Dimitris Filippidis, Nomiki Kastanas, Chrisoula Fiotodimitrakis, Eleni Psarra, George Galatoulas, Sofia Fasos, Anna Notis, Kostas Haniotakis, and Christos Kostaras.

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NEW YORK – Greeks from all across the United States filled the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza on 47th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues in Manhattan, across from the United Nations, on March 18 to rally for Macedonia with blue and white flags waving. The message was clear for all those present, Macedonia is Greece. The Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, the Pan-Macedonian Association, and the Hellenic Congress of America organized the event to bring attention to the issue that has lingered on, unresolved, since the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1991. The issue has recently been in the news as the governments of Greece and its northern neighbor, the Former Yugoslav Republic, have stepped up talks with UN Special Representative Matthew Nimetz to finally resolve the name issue.

Greeks from the New York tri-state area were joined by their fellow Greeks from Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia, Houston, San Francisco, Washington, and Montreal to show their unity on the non-negotiable use of the name Macedonia by any other nation except Greece. Braving the cold temperatures in New York City, Greeks from Florida, Ohio, Utah, and California also joined the protest against the distortion of history perpetuated by Greece’s northern neighbor. Many carried signs that read “Macedonia is Greece” along with the flags of Greece and the United States. Other signs made more pointed statements including “Stop Selling Greece.”

The rally began with the singing of the National Anthems of Greece and the United States. Many among the speakers noted the powerful role the diaspora has played in the past for Greece and will continue as long as is necessary to help the homeland. Stelios Kirimlis- President of the Pan Macedonian Association spoke about the long history of Macedonia and its inherent Greek-ness. Dimitris Filippides- Vice President of the Pan-Macedonian Association who presented the event noted that the slogan should be “Ellas, Ellas, Macedonia” which was quickly adopted by the enthusiastic crowd.

His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios Geron of America who spoke not only as the Archbishop, but as a Macedonian born and raised in Thessaloniki, the capital of Macedonia. He added that his family’s history in Macedonia goes back 300 years and noted that since he became archbishop, he has met with every U.S. president, Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump, for the annual celebration of March 25th, Greek Independence Day, at the White House and every president has said the same thing to him, “I know what you’re going to say- the Patriarchate, Macedonia, and Cyprus” and he said, “If you know what I am going to say, then why don’t you do something.”

Archbishop Demetrios then referred to today’s Bible reading about having faith in God and added that God is with us on this issue. There is only one Macedonia.

The Mayor of the Athens municipality of Marousi and president of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE) George Patoulis was one of the participants from Greece. Also in attendance, from Crete, Vangelis Grammatikakis who participated in the protest rallies in Greece for Macedonia, and noted that the Cretans are always in the forefront of the fight and fought in the past to keep Macedonia free and Greek and they will continue to do so. Grammatikakis recited a mantinada, noting that if you love freedom you cannot rely on foreigners to win it for you, you must win it yourself. Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York President Petros Galatoulas, told The National Herald that the rally was blessed by God as it was conducted on a sunny though cold day. He added that the love of the Greek-American community for Greece and the determination to fight for Macedonia lessened he cold and New York and the whole world recognize that Macedonia is Greek and that no one has the right to hijack history and steal the name.

Federation of Hellenic-American Societies of New England President Vasilios “Bill” Kafkas told TNH that the contingent from Boston and all Massachusetts set out very early in the morning with ten buses filled with supporters as well as many more who followed in their own cars to attend the rally in New York. In his speech, he said that the temperature in Boston when they left was 16 degrees Fahrenheit, -8 Celsius, but that could not keep them from the rally since everyone must understand that the Greek people are unified on this issue. He noted the rallies in Athens and Thessaloniki, and “we’ve been to Washington, do we have to go to the Greek Parliament, too?” to which many in the crowd responded, “Yes!”

Pancyprian President Philip Christopher also spoke movingly about the issue, “My fellow Hellenes, we are here as American citizens, we have an obligation… to Greece and Cyprus, we are by your side. The Greek politicians are ready to give up. We are not ready to give up. Macedonia is Greek. We are not ready to give up the Aegean islands to Turkey. We have to fight in Washington, we have to fight for the Macedonia name.”

Also among the speakers, Ret. Navy Commander Demetries Grimes who is currently running for Florida’s 26th Congressional District, New York State Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis, European Union of Women Greek Section President Aphrodite Bletas and Vice President Evi Tatoulis, Dr. George Liakeas- President of the Hellenic Medical Society, Nancy Papaioannou- Atlantic Bank President and Chair of this year’s New York Greek Independence parade, New York State Senator Michael Gianaris, Rep. Carolyn Maloney- co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, and AHEPA Supreme Treasurer George Horiates.

Dr. Sam Chekwas, born in Nigeria, studied in Thessaloniki, and said he lived the best years of his life there in the Macedonian capital where he became a son of Alexander the Great.

The event concluded with the singing of Ti Ypermacho, the final kontakion of the Akathistos Hymn to the Theotokos and the Greek National Anthem.

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NEW YORK – Greek-American composer Dinos Constantinides’ Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra had its World Premiere, courtesy of the Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Premiere Project, at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall in Manhattan on March 17. The premiere was just one part of the Reflections of Light concert which included the Distinguished Concerts Singers International (DCSI) with Martha Shaw, Director, and Carol Joy Sparkman, Accompanist, performing works inspired by the theme in a variety of musical styles to the delight of the audience.

Constantinides’ Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra followed the DCSI. As the composer noted, “My composition Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra, LRC 268b, is written for and dedicated to Iris Derke and DCINY in celebration of their ten-year anniversary in 2018. Iris suggested the work be a companion of the famous Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra by W.A. Mozart, but with Greek ideas against a backdrop of my native country, Greece. I used some materials from my past work in new combinations.

For instance, in the first movement, ‘Reflections,’ a whole tone figure stated by the flute and harp as well as some cadences are drawn from an old work of mine using the poetry of the great contemporary poet Constantine Kavafis. The second movement, ‘Hymn,’ employs the Delphic Hymn, dated from around 200 B.C. and found in Delphi. I used this music for an LSU theatre production of Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex, directed by Bill Harbin. The final movement, ‘Dance,’ is a setting of traditional Greek dances that share their modal quality and lively mixed meter rhythms. In reality, the entire piece is derived from my background as a Greek musician.”

The Greek influence in the beautiful concerto was certainly evident to those familiar with Constantinides work and also with Greek music. Many observed that the final movement, especially, brought to mind the traditional Greek music and dance in all its vibrancy. Iris Derke on flute and Kirsten Agresta Copely on harp performed skillfully along with the talented musicians of the Distinguished Concerts Orchestra (DCO) under the direction of Jonathan Griffith, DCINY Artistic Director and Principal Conductor.

Constantinides was called on stage to receive the applause of the appreciative audience. During the intermission, he spoke with The National Herald about the piece, noting the Greek influence, naturally, and that it was composed for Iris Derke and to celebrate DCINY’s tenth anniversary. Constantinides’ wife, Judy was also in attendance at the event.

The concert concluded with a dramatic performance of Luigi Cherubini’s Requiem in C by the DCSI and the DCO under the direction of Hilary Apfelstadt, Conductor Laureate.

Constantinides has written over 265 compositions. He was educated in Greece at the Ioannina, Greek, and Athens Conservatories and in the U.S.A. at the Universities of Indiana, Michigan State, and the Juilliard School. His teachers include Tony Schultze, Marios Varvoglis, Yannis Papaioannou, Leda Kouroukli, Olga Menjou, George Lykoudis, Ivan Galamian, Dorothy DeLay, and Josef Gingold. Constantinides was a member of the violin section of the State Orchestra of Athens in Greece for over 10 years, and played in the Indianapolis Symphony and Baton Rouge Symphony (Concertmaster) in the U.S.A for many years. He is presently Boyd Professor, the highest academic rank at Louisiana State University, head of the Composition area, and Music Director of the Louisiana Sinfonietta. This is Constantinides’ tenth appearance with DCINY as composer.

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Global Hellenic Youth Forum “Hellenic Youth in Action” will take place from the 31st of March until the 1st of April 2018 in Athens, with the initiative of nine global Hellenic Youth Unions in the framework of the Olympia 2016-2018 of the Olympia and Bequests Committee (Zappeion Megaron).

The Forum is organized by the nine following organizations: World Pontian Youth Coordinating Committee, World Federation of Young Overseas Cypriots, Youth Coordinating Committee of World Confederation of Thessalians, Youth of World Council of Epirotes Abroad, Youth of World Council of Cretans, Youth of Pan Macedonian Association USA, Youth of Thracian Association of Europe, Youth of World Vlach Amphictyony,  Youth of World Panarkadian Council.

350 young Greeks from all over the world will join the forum to show the strength of the Hellenic youth through unity and to further strengthen the relation of Greeks abroad with their historical homeland. The Forum will be an important and significant step in the collaboration of young Greeks from all over the world to achieve and implement their common objectives and goals, due to improve the growth of Greece.

The opening ceremony will take place on 31 March 2018 at 11:00 a.m. in Zappeion Megaron in Athens, while the first conversation topic of the day will be “Greece-Diaspora”. The nine representatives of the global Greek organizations will present the accomplishments of their organizations and will suggest ways of collaboration between the young Greeks and Greece.

In the evening of the same day, at 5:00 p.m., the forum participants will gather in Syntagma and will present a “Dance of Friendship”, which will be completed with the formation of a big spiral, symbolizing the unity and the strength of the Hellenic Nation. The choreography will be organized by the director-choreographer Fokas Evangelinos.

On 1 April 2018, at 9:00 a.m., the second day of the Forum will begin with the attendance of the Divine Liturgy by the participants which will take place in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. Workshops will then follow at 11:00 a.m. in Zappeion Megaron with the following themes: i) Relations of Greece and diaspora, ii) Greek language and culture, iii) Economy and development of Greece, iv) Orthodoxy and Christian heritage. During the workshops each participant will be able to present his/her ideas and their vision about the collaboration of Greece and the diaspora, as well as between the organizations that participate in the Forum. These ideas will be the basis of the Resolution of the Forum.

In the evening of the same day, the campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles #bringthemarbleshome will take place. 350 young Greeks will begin to march 4:00p.m. from the Zappeion to the Pnyx, with a stop near the Acropolis Museum, and read their Resolution to the UK Parliament and the British Museum at the Pnyx at 5:00 p.m. The Forum will be concluded at 6:30 p.m. with the lecture of the director of the Acropolis Museum, Professor Mr. D. Pandermalis, in the auditorium of the Museum.

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DEPTFORD, NJ – The Federation of Hellenic-American Societies of Philadelphia and the Greater Delaware Valley celebratedthe Federation Parade Dignitaries and Eleftheria Award Dinner at the Adelphia Restaurant in Deptford Township, NJ, on March 17. The event also honored George Burlotos for his lifetime contributions to Hellenism in the Delaware Valleywith the Eleftheria Medaland Dr. George Ahtaridiswith the Grand Marshal award.A tribute in memory of the late Sotirios Maniatis, Honorary Past President of the Federation was also held at the event.

The eveningwas flooded with pride for Greekheritage and determination to set a record for participationcelebrating 197 years of Greek Independence at the parade, which will take place in the heart of Philadelphia on Sunday, March 25th.

His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey congratulated the honorees and invited all the Greek community to attend the parade.

The National Anthems were sung by Panagiota Georgiou.

Previous Federation President Stathis Karadonis congratulated the honoree and focused his attention on the Pan-Macedonian rally and the events to be organized before and after the parade.

The President of the Federation, Nikolaos Spiliotis, congratulated the honoree and noted that on the following Saturday, March 24th, at 10am, they will hold an event for Macedonia at the St. Thomas Church Community Hall in Cherry Hill, with keynote speaker, Dr. Ahtaridis. The central theme of the speech is “Macedonia is far more than a name.”

He also invited everyone to attend the final meetingbefore the parade that will take place on Tuesday night at the Pontic Club in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.

Former President of the Federation, Demosthenes Vasiliou, presented the parade Grand Marshal and noted that Dr. Ahtaridis is our man, he is a fighteranda leader of the Pan-Macedonian Association and the Federation. At the same time, he is the Greek community’s doctor.

A video presentation followed on Dr. Ahtaridis’ life and struggles.

Visibly moved by the event, Dr. Ahtaridisexpressed his thanks for the honor and dedicated the award to his wife Sophia and his children who supported him and gave him the opportunity to deal with Greek causes.

Dr. Achtaridis was also honored by the National Herald in the Periodiko on November7-8, 2015.

Anna Marlys then presented her brother, George Burlotos, talking about his childhood and youth, and the struggles they went through following their mother’s death.

She spoke about Bourlotos’ experiences in the Second World War, as well as his contribution to the St. Thomas community in Cherry Hill, AHEPA, and other Greek organizations.

She also referred to the television show The Greek Spirit, which her brother has produced for decades.

Immediately following, Metropolitan Evangelos, flanked by the leaders of the Federation, presented the Eleftheria Medal to Burlotos.

Mr. Burlotos expressed his gratitude for the honor and noted that it is the greatest honor of his life that he shared with his sister, children, and grandchildren who were present.

Finally, let us note that George Burlotos is one of the oldest readers of the National Herald, and a subscriber since the beginning of 1943 until today.

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BRONX, NY – The Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and elected officials held a celebration for the 197th anniversary of Greek Independence at the community hall of Zoodohos Peghe Greek Orthodox Church on March 8.

The event also honored Dr. Demetre Daskalakis- the Deputy Commissioner for the Division of Disease Control at the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, Theodore Kaltsas- entrepreneur and former president of the Agios Athanasios Association of Perista, Kostas Malonoukos- businessman and parish council president of Saint Peter the Apostle Greek Orthodox Church in the Bronx, and Haeda Mihaltses- St. Michael’s Home Board of Trustees President and Vice President of External Affairs and Community Engagement for the New York Mets.

The presiding priest of St. Peter the Apostle Church, Fr. Maximos Politis, offered a prayer, and expressed gratitude to the Bronx Borough President and the other elected officials, because each year, he said, they honor Greece and the Greek community.

New York State Assemblymember Aravella Simotas, who also served as the MC for the event, spoke about the Greek community’s achievements. She also noted that her landslide re-election victory, as well as that of State Senator Michael Gianaris and New York City Council Member Costa Constantinides were due to the tremendous support of the Greek community.

George Spiliotopoulos gave the panegyric of the day.

Senator, Michael Gianaris, congratulated the Bronx Borough President for his decision to hold the annual celebration of Greek Independence and the honored ones.

Bronx President Ruben Diaz Jr. referred to Greece’s contributions to Western culture and the role of the Omogeneia in the progress of the city and the state. He then gave out the proclamations to the honorees in celebration of the anniversary of Greek Independence.

The 7th and 8th grade students of GAI performed traditional dances in costume, delighting the audience. Panagiotis Papastefanou sang the Greek National Anthem.

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NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Times says Facebook’s chief information security officer is leaving in August .

The newspaper, citing current and former employees it did not name, said Alex Stamos will leave after a disagreement over how the social network should deal with its role in spreading misinformation.

It said Stamos pushed to do more to investigate and disclose Russian activity and that he stayed to oversee transferring some 100 people in his group to other divisions.

A Facebook spokeswoman did not address whether Stamos is leaving, although she pointed to a tweet in which Stamos says he’s still fully engaged at Facebook but that his role has changed.

How Facebook likes could profile voters for manipulation

Facebook “likes” can tell a lot about a person. Maybe even enough to fuel a voter-manipulation effort like the one a Trump-affiliated data-mining firm stands accused of — and which Facebook may have enabled.

The social network is under fire after The New York Times and The Guardian newspaper reported that former Trump campaign consultant Cambridge Analytica used data, including user likes, inappropriately obtained from roughly 50 million Facebook users to try to influence elections.

Monday was a wild roller coaster ride for Facebook, whose shares plunged 7 percent in its worst one-day decline since 2014. Officials in the EU and the U.S. sought answers, while Britain’s information commissioner said she will seek a warrant to access Cambridge Analytica’s servers because the British firm had been “uncooperative” in her investigation. The first casualty of that investigation was an audit of Cambridge that Facebook had announced earlier in the day; the company said it “stood down” that effort at the request of British officials.

Adding to the turmoil, the New York Times reported that Facebook security chief Alex Stamos will step down by August following clashes over how aggressively Facebook should address its role in spreading disinformation. In a tweet , Stamos said he’s still fully engaged at Facebook but that his role has changed.

It would have been quieter had Facebook likes not turned out to be so revealing. Researchers in a 2013 study found that likes on hobbies, interests and other attributes can predict personal attributes such as sexual orientation and political affiliation. Computers analyze such data to look for patterns that might not be obvious, such as a link between a preference for curly fries and higher intelligence.

Chris Wylie, a Cambridge co-founder who left in 2014, said the firm used such techniques to learn about individuals and create an information cocoon to change their perceptions. In doing so, he said, the firm “took fake news to the next level.”

“This is based on an idea called ‘informational dominance,’ which is the idea that if you can capture every channel of information around a person and then inject content around them, you can change their perception of what’s actually happening,” Wylie said Monday on NBC’s “Today.” It’s not yet clear exactly how the firm might have attempted to do that.

Late Friday, Facebook said Cambridge improperly obtained information from 270,000 people who downloaded an app described as a personality test. Those people agreed to share data with the app for research — not for political targeting. And the data included who their Facebook friends were and what they liked — even though those friends hadn’t downloaded the app or given explicit consent.

Cambridge got limited information on the friends, but machines can use detailed answers from smaller groups to make good inferences on the rest, said Kenneth Sanford of the data science company Dataiku.

Cambridge was backed by the conservative billionaire Richard Mercer, and at one point employed Stephen Bannon — later President Donald Trump’s campaign chairman and White House adviser — as a vice president. The Trump campaign paid Cambridge roughly $6 million according to federal election records, although officials have more recently played down that work.

The type of data mining reportedly used by Cambridge Analytica is fairly common, but is typically used to sell diapers and other products. Netflix, for instance, provides individualized recommendations based on how a person’s viewing behaviors fit with what other customers watch.

But that common technique can take on an ominous cast if it’s connected to possible elections meddling, said Robert Ricci, a marketing director at Blue Fountain Media.

Wylie said Cambridge Analytica aimed to “explore mental vulnerabilities of people.” He said the firm “works on creating a web of disinformation online so people start going down the rabbit hole of clicking on blogs, websites etc. that make them think things are happening that may not be.”

Wylie told “Today” that while political ads are also targeted at specific voters, the Cambridge effort aimed to make sure people wouldn’t know they were getting messages aimed at influencing their views.

The Trump campaign has denied using Cambridge’s data. The firm itself denies wrongdoing, and says it didn’t retain any of the data pulled from Facebook and didn’t use it in its 2016 campaign work.

Yet Cambridge boasted of its work after another client, Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, won the Iowa caucus in 2016.

Cambridge helped differentiate Cruz from similarly minded Republican rivals by identifying automated red light cameras as an issue of importance to residents upset with government intrusion. Potential voters living near the red light cameras were sent direct messages saying Cruz was against their use.

Even on mainstay issues such as gun rights, Cambridge CEO Alexander Nix said at the time, the firm used personality types to tailor its messages. For voters who care about tradition, it could push the importance of making sure grandfathers can offer family shooting lessons. For someone identified as introverted, a pitch might have described keeping guns for protection against crime.

It’s possible that Cambridge tapped other data sources, including what Cruz’s campaign app collected. Nix said during the Cruz campaign that it had five or six sources of data on each voter.

Facebook declined to provide officials for interview and didn’t immediately respond to requests for information beyond its statements Friday and Monday. Cambridge also didn’t immediately respond to emailed questions.

Facebook makes it easy for advertisers to target users based on nuanced information about them. Facebook’s mapping of the “social graph” — essentially the web of people’s real-life connections — is also invaluable for marketers.

For example, researchers can look at people’s clusters of friends and get good insight as to who is important and influential, said Jonathan Albright, research director at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University. People who bridge different friend networks, for example, can have more influence when they post something, making them prime for targeting.

Two-thirds of Americans get at least some of their news on social media, according on Pew Research Center. While people don’t exist in a Facebook-only vacuum, it is possible that bogus information users saw on the site could later be reinforced by the “rabbit hole” of clicks and conspiracy sites on the broader internet, as Wylie described.

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By BARBARA ORTUTAY and ANICK JESDANUN , AP Technology Writers

AP technology reporter Ryan Nakashima contributed to this report from Menlo Park, California.

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BROOKLYN – Eric L. Adams, Brooklyn Borough President, commemorated the rich contributions and history of Greek-Americans in the borough at his annual Greek heritage celebration in the Courtroom at Brooklyn Borough Hall on March 19.

The event was held in partnership with the Greek-American Heritage Committee, an organization whose mission is to educate the public on Greek culture, literacy, and history across New York City. The festive occasion featured Greek cuisine and libations as well as traditional dancing from the A. Fantis Parochial School in Downtown Brooklyn, D.G. Kaloidis Parochial School in Bay Ridge, and Hellenic Classical Charter School in South Slope. Among those present were Consul General of Greece in New York Konstantinos Koutras, Consul Lana Zochiou, and Andrew Gounardes- Counsel to the Brooklyn Borough President, as well as many members of the community.

Borough President Adams thanked and honored members of Brooklyn’s Greek-American community for their service to improving the lives of people across the borough.

The Minister of Shipping and Island Policy Panagiotis Kouroumplis was among those at the event. He congratulated the honorees and noted that “they are an example for their fellow citizens.”

“Today, we celebrate together the Revolution of 1821 that shook the world, the revolution that was the child of the Enlightenment. The Revolution, which had many similarities to the American Revolution,” noted Mr. Kouroumplis.

Brooklyn Borough President Adams said, “47 percent of the people of the borough of Brooklyn speak a language other than English at home; this is the United Nations of America.” He then referred to the ideals of the Greek Revolution and the role of Greek civilization in the formation of Western civilization. At the same time, he spoke about the role of the Greek community in the progress of Brooklyn and its achievements in the economy, education, and other sectors.

The presiding priest of Three Hierarchs Church, Fr. Eugene Pappas, gave the opening prayer and led the singing of Ti Ypermacho.

He congratulated the honorees and praised their contributions to the community, their social and charitable efforts, and made special mention of the sponsors of the event and the restaurants that donated the Greek food, as well as the organizing committee of the event, Zoe Koutsoupakis, Basil Kapetanakis, John Haskopoulos, Jimmy Tampakis, and Sandy Vallas.

Consul General of Greece in New York Konstantinos Koutras, Consul Lana Zochiou, Deputy Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the UN, Ambassador Menelaos Menelaou, and Rhode Island State Senator Leonidas Raptakis also attended.

The keynote speaker of the event was the Leadership 100Executive Director Paulette Poulos, who referred to the punished, to the multidimensional offer of Omogeneia and to the diachronic messages of the Greek Revolution.

Greetings were delivered by the Consul General Konstantinos Koutras and Andrew Gounardes, Counsel Office of the Brooklyn Borough President.

President Brooklyn Eric Adams presented the citations to the honorees Ula Dikeakos, Teddy Dikeakos, James Ladis, John S. Makrinos, Valerie Markou, Helen Pavlides, Maria Tsoukaris, and Sylvia Vellios.

Immediately after the presentation, the dance groups from D.G. Kaloides School of Holy Cross in Bay Ridge, A. Fantis Parochial School of Saints Constantine and Helen Brooklyn, and the Hellenic Classical Charter School, performed in traditional costumes in the Brooklyn Borough Hall Rotunda. The dancing was presented by Sophia Stasinou- Ensemble Dance Groups Coordinator.

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NEW YORK – Greek-American Peter Karamitsos, a software salesman from Elmhurst, IL was a two-day champion after winning on the March 15 episode of the long-running game show Jeopardy! He tried to make it three in a row on the March 16th episode, but it was not to be.

In his second appearance as the returning champion, Karamitsos faced Rahul Gupta- a data engineer from Midlothian, VA, and Dan Lee- a math professor from New York, NY. Gupta proved too tough as a challenger, leading throughout the game, and winning in spite of an incorrect response on the Final Jeopardy clue. Karamitsos lagged behind during the game, starting off the second round of the game, Double Jeopardy, with no money. He managed to find one of the Daily Doubles and answer correctly, however, with only 7 correct answers and 3 incorrect, according to the statistics on jeopardyfan.com, it was not his day.

Going into the final, Gupta led with $12,400, Lee was in second place with $6,200, and Karamitsos in third with $4,000. The category was Mythological Beasts, the clue- “Hesiod said it fawns on all who enter ‘with actions of…tail & both ears,’ but when people try to exit it ‘eats them up,’ and the answer- Cerberus, the three-headed dog of Hades from Greek mythology. None of the contestants responded correctly, with both Karamitsos and Lee answering the Minotaur, so at least they were in the right geographical area. Karamitsos only wagered a dollar and ended with $3,999 for a third place finish. Lee wagered nothing and ended in second place with $6,200. Gupta answered incorrectly- the Sphinx, and like Karamitsos only wagered a dollar, winning the game with $12,399. With his third place finish on March 16 plus his two-day winnings, Karamitsos’ final total was $52,000.

In his first appearance as the returning champion, Karamitsos faced two tough challengers Tracey Hollabaugh, a teacher from Cumming, GA, and Amy Yacorzynski, an attorney from New Orleans, LA. After the first round, he was tied for the lead with $3,800. Throughout the show, he managed to answer correctly every time he buzzed in.

Going into the final, Karmitsos was in second place with $12,600, while Yacorzynski led with $17,000, and Hollabaugh was in third place with $11,400. The final clue category was European Rivers, “Of the 10 countries the Danube touches, this one is alphabetically last and is the only one that doesn’t end in ‘Y’ or ‘A’,” said host Alex Trebek. Only Karamitsos gave the correct response, Ukraine, and wagered $11,000 which brought his total up to $23,600 for the win. His two-day total was $51,000.

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The fourth nor’easter in three weeks is forcing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to close public schools.

The Democratic mayor made the call in a tweet early Tuesday evening.

The metro area is expected to get a dose of heavy wet snow starting Tuesday night and throughout Wednesday.

The National Weather Service predicts a total of more than six inches of snow, with a potential for up to between 12 and 16 inches possible.

___

5:10 p.m.

Airlines have already canceled more than 1,600 flights ahead of an approaching spring storm that threatens the Northeast with more than a foot of snow.

Cancellations for Wednesday flights mounted at airports from Washington to Boston. There were more than 500 on Tuesday alone.

On the ground, Amtrak is scaling back service along the Northeast corridor Wednesday, while Pennsylvania is banning certain kinds of commercial vehicles from major highways beginning Tuesday night. Kids in Philadelphia will get a day off from school.

The region’s fourth nor’easter in three weeks is expected to bring high winds, heavy snow and coastal flooding.

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NEW YORK – Greek-American Emma Wolfe, whose roots are in Mani, was appointed Chief of Staff by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. The long-serving aide previously served as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, charged with working with officials from the City Council to Congress to implement progressive policies that require legislative and executive support.

Wolfe also served as the Deputy Campaign Manager and Political Director for Bill de Blasio’s mayoral campaign, overseeing the building of a victorious citywide coalition that spanned all five boroughs. She previously served de Blasio as Chief of Staff for the Office of the Public Advocate, reorganizing the office into an effective agency watchdog with an emphasis on community organizing. Wolfe has worked as an organizing and field director for the New York State Senate, Working Families Party, and 1199 SEIU. She has played a key role in progressive electoral victories across New York, including the election of a Democratic majority in the State Senate in 2008 and Bill de Blasio’s 2009 victory as Public Advocate. Wolfe holds a degree in Urban Studies and Sociology from Barnard College at Columbia University.

As reported in The National Herald, Wolfe’s mother is Kate Maguire an actress and the Artistic Director and CEO of Massachusetts’ Berkshire Theatre Group. Maguire’s mother, Wolfe’s maternal grandmother, was Jennie (Yanoula Sperounis) Maguire- the youngest of eight children, was active in the Philoptochos and the Daughters of Penelope, and her husband, Jimmy, who was a Lowell, MA police officer for 51 years, was president of the AHEPA chapter.

Wolfe lived in Lowell until she was nine years old and then moved to Western Massachusetts. She would come back every weekend to stay with her grandparents or her father, and attended Sunday at Holy Trinity of Lowell. “That was my ritual. My mom did more of the 24/7 rituals but, but we did the real deal every Sunday.”

After living in small towns, Wolfe came to New York to study at Barnard. “I knew that I wanted to live in a city,” she said. Her mother suggested they look at Barnard. Wolfe noted that “It was one of the few colleges we visited and it felt right,” adding that the Greek architecture and the names of Great Greeks on the façade of the library made her feel at home – “and I fell in love with New York.”

As the chief of staff, Wolfe’s salary increased from from $220,652 to $227,000, the Daily News reported. “Emma could be very tough,” de Blasio said, the Daily News reported, “But I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like Emma. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t respect Emma.”

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AP-US–Apprentice-Contestant-Trump,1st Ld-Writethru
Mar 20, 2018 9:45PM (GMT 19:45) – 494 words
Eds: Adds background and quotes.

NEW YORK (AP) — A defamation lawsuit brought by a former contestant on “The Apprentice” who accused President Donald Trump of unwanted sexual contact can move forward while he is in office, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Judge Jennifer Schecter wrote that “no one is above the law” in siding with Summer Zervos, who sued the Republican after he dismissed as “fabricated” and “made-up” her claims of misconduct at a Beverly Hills, California, hotel in 2007. Her lawsuit seeks an apology and at least $2,914.

Trump’s lawyers had argued the U.S. Constitution immunized him from being sued in state court while he’s president and had argued the case should at least be delayed until he’s out of office. They said their position was supported by a long line of U.S. Supreme Court cases requiring courts to show deference to the president and his schedule.

The judge disagreed.

“Nothing in the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution even suggests that the President cannot be called to account before a state court for wrongful conduct that bears no relationship to any federal executive responsibility,” she wrote.

Trump’s legal team said they would appeal and ask the case be put on hold until a final decision is reached.

“We disagree with this decision, which is wrong as a matter of Constitutional law,” attorney Marc Kasowitz said in a statement.

It’s unclear whether Trump would have to appear at any of the proceedings, but Zervos’ lawyers have said they would depose him. The judge asked during arguments in December whether video conferencing and other methods could be used to accommodate the president’s busy schedule.

Zervos attorney Mariann Wang said “sound reason” prevailed.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to prove that that defendant falsely branded Ms. Zervos a phony for telling the truth about his unwanted sexual groping,” she said in a statement.

Near the end of the presidential race, Zervos and more than a dozen other women came forward to say Trump had sexually assaulted or harassed them.

Zervos said that after appearing on Trump’s show in 2006 she asked him for a job. She said they met and he kissed her on the lips and asked for her phone number. He denied it.

She came forward with the allegations shortly after publication of an “Access Hollywood” video that featured audio of Trump bragging about how he grabs women’s genitals and gets away with it. On the 2005 video, Trump talks about forcing himself on women, kissing them and groping them. Trump apologized for his sexually charged comments after the video emerged.

She sued in January last year. Trump again skewered the allegations at a Rose Garden press conference last October.

“All I can say is it’s totally fake news — just fake. It’s fake, it’s made-up stuff. And it’s disgraceful what happens,” he said. “That happens in the world of politics.”

—
By COLLEEN LONG and LARRY NEUMEISTER , Associated Press

The post Judge Won’t Dismiss Greek-American Zervos’ Suit vs. Trump appeared first on The National Herald.

PEORIA, IL – On March 18, the Jewish Federation of Peoria and the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago hosted an educational presentation at the Peoria Riverfront Museum recognizing the 75th Anniversary of Greek Orthodox Archbishop Damaskinos’ Letter of Protest against the Holocaust.

During the Nazi occupation of Greece, Archbishop Damaskinos stands out as the only worldwide leader to formally protest the Holocaust during World War II. As a result of his letter of protest, Archbishop Damaskinos was called before an SS firing squad. Also as a result of his letter and actions, over 10,000 Greek Jews found safety and survived the Holocaust.

Archbishop Damaskinos stood up to protest the Holocaust. Susan Katz, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Peoria gave the welcoming remarks noting that “we are going to learn about the power of one person and his ability to change the world.” There are many lessons we can learn even today from his heroic efforts and the historic document.

Polyxeni Petropoulou, the Consul General of Greece in Chicago, made her first ever visit to Peoria and downstate Illinois to participate in this important commemoration. Susan Katz, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Peoria gave the welcoming remarks noting that “we are going to learn about the power of one person and his ability to change the world.”

The event included testimonials from Lara Ackerman of Peoria whose Greek grandfather survived the Holocaust in Greece and Greek Orthodox parishioner Archon Frank Lagouros of Peoria whose father rescued Greek Jews following the actions of Archbishop Damaskinos. The event concluded with a moment of silence and the reading of the historic letter of protest at the Holocaust Memorial outside of the Peoria Riverfront Museum.

Video of this event can be found here: https://vimeo.com/260961598

This was the first of three presentations the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago is hosting in honor of the upcoming 75th Anniversary of Archbishop Damaskinos’ Letter of Protest against the Holocaust. Presentations are scheduled for March 20 at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Parish in Milwaukee and on March 23 in Des Moines at the Iowa State Capitol.

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NEW YORK – Greek-American Peter G. Peterson, the Wall Street billionaire co-founder of the private-equity firm Blackstone Group LP and philanthropist, passed away on March 20 at the age of 91. His family sent out an emailed statement announcing that Peterson died of natural causes at his New York City home.

Born on June 5, 1926 in Kearney, Nebraska, Peter George Peterson grew up in the tight-knit Greek community there, the son of George Peterson who was born Georgios Petropoulos in Greece and immigrated to the U.S. at 17. In 1923, the elder Peterson opened a 24-hour restaurant near the town’s railroad station. He married another Greek immigrant Venetia Papapavlou and the couple had three children, Peter-the eldest, Elaine who passed away at 1 years old, and John, the youngest.

Like many sons of Greek immigrants, Peterson began working in the restaurant early in his life, and never forgot the years of the Great Depression when his father would call out, “Economia!” if he found the lights had been left on or any other wastefulness, Bloomberg reported.

Peterson served as U.S. Commerce Secretary for President Richard Nixon, then utilized his global connections to become a leader in business, surviving the difficult situation during the struggle for control of Lehman Bros to become even more successful.

With co-founder Stephen Schwarzman, he established Blackstone as the world’s largest private-equity firm with 25 offices around the world. His estimated $2 billion dollar fortune put him at #14 on The National Herald’s 50 Wealthiest Greek-Americans List.

As TNH reported, his rankings on TNH’s list over the years had decreased at times, much to his credit – because he gave away a good amount of his money to philanthropic causes.

Peterson co-founded Blackstone with Schwarzman in 1985. The firm’s private equity funds own or have interests in 80 companies. The company went public in June 2007 at $31 a share. Peterson retired from the company in late 2008, selling most of his shares and receiving $1.85 billion in cash upon exiting, before taxes and meeting several trust and charitable obligations.

Peterson had released his most recent book, Steering Clear: How to Avoid a Debt Crisis and Secure Our Economic Future (Portfolio/Random House) in 2015, in which he contended that we must address our long-term fiscal challenges in order to secure a growing and prosperous economy.

Peterson studied at Northwestern University, where he graduated summa cum laude, and earned his MBA from the University of Chicago with honors. He was CEO of Bell and Howell from 1963 to 1971. In addition to his tenure as Secretary of Commerce, Peterson became chairman of Lehman Brothers in 1973. He also chaired the Federal Reserve Bank of New York from 2000 to 2004. He authored several books, including a 2009 memoir, The Education of an American Dreamer: How a Son of Greek Immigrants Learned His Way from a Nebraska Diner to Washington, Wall Street, and Beyond, and spoke frequently about issues of fiscal responsibility. “I do think my government service, my public crusades, and my nonprofit institutional work have been ingredients in whatever success I have had as a rainmaker,” Peterson wrote in his memoir, Bloomberg reported.

In 1981, Peterson created the Institute for International Economics to study international economic policy and “develop and communicate practical new approaches” to global problems. It was renamed the Peter G. Peterson Institute for International Economics in 2006.

Peterson devoted a great deal of his time to his foundation and other charitable activities. Established in 2008, the Peter G. Peterson Foundation is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing public awareness of the nature and urgency of key fiscal challenges threatening America’s long-term future, and to accelerating action on them. The Foundation works with leading thinkers, policy experts, elected officials and the public to build support for efforts to put America on a fiscally sustainable path. Since 2010, it has hosted an annual Fiscal Summit dedicated to addressing the nation’s long-term debt and economic future. Participants include former President Bill Clinton, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), Bill Gates, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. In 2014, Peterson took part in the 3rd annual Forbes 400 Summit on Philanthropy, which gathered philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and public officials to discuss how to improve education in the U.S. and around the world.

Peterson married three times. His first two marriages ended in divorce. He is survived by his third wife Joan Ganz Cooney, founder and former chairman of Children’s Television Workshop (“Sesame Street”), his five children by his second wife Sally Hornbogen- John, Jim, David, Holly and Michael, and several grandchildren.

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NEW YORK – Greek-American Emma Wolfe was recently appointed as chief of staff for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio at the start of his second term in office though it was not more widely known since Wolfe tends to keep a low profile.

Even on the New York City official website, her information has not yet been updated to reflect her current position. Wolfe is the first Greek-American to hold such a high office in the New York City Mayor’s Office.

On March 20, Mayor Bill de Blasio opened the gates of the House of the People as he called Gracie Mansion in Manhattan to welcome and celebrate the 197th anniversary of Greek Independence with the Greek community. And one of the surprises was the announcement of the appointment of Emma Woolf as chief of staff.

Among those in attendance were His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Geron of America, Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York President Petros Galatoulas, and other executives, businessmen, professionals, representatives and members of other Greek community organizations. Also present were the Consuls General of Greece and Cyprus, Konstantinos Koutras and Ambassador Vasilios Philippou, respectively, Mayor of Mykonos Constantine P. Koukas, Greek entrepreneur and philanthropist Pantelis Boukouras, who came from Odessa, Ukraine, which was the seat of the Filiki Eteria, which inspired the uprising of Greeks.

Archbishop Demetrios gave the opening prayer and invited those present to sing Ti Ypermacho. He thanked the Mayor for the hospitality and invited him to the stage.

The Mayor spoke about the anniversary of March 25th and the New York tradition of celebrating the anniversary of the Greek Revolution and recognizing and honoring the contributions of the Greek-American community.

He then presented the Academy Award-winning actress Olympia Dukakis and awarded her the Proclamation. The mayor also thanked the Greek people, on behalf of 8.5 million New Yorkers and personally, for all their contributions to civilization, notably democracy, philosophy, and drama, “all fundamental to our society, all of it began in Greece.”

Dukakis thanked the mayor for the opportunity to “create a moment of recognition for the Greek community as a whole and its many contributions to life here in New York City.”

“More than anything,” she said, “I want young Greek-Americans to know that this is a city of opportunity for them as it has been for me.”

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