Unlike English in Greek we don’t say “What’s the weather today?”, but “What weather does it do today?”. Τι καιρόκάνεισήμερα; We use the verb κάνει, does, third person singular of the verb κάνω, to describe the weather. A common mistake is to say τικαιρόςείναισήμερα; Which is a direct translation from English, the weather is…

WHAT’S THE WEATHER?

Greek phrase            Pronunciation          Meaning

Τι καιρόκάνει TEE keROKAni        What’s the weather like

σήμερα;          SEEmera?     today?

Έχειήλιο.        EhiEElio        It is sunny, sunshine, shining

Έχειλιακάδα. EhiliaKAda.   It is sunny.

Έχεισυννεφιά.           EhisinefiA.    It is cloudy.

Έχειομίχλη.   EhioMEEhli. There is fog.

Έχειυγρασία. EhiiyraSEEa.            There is humidity.

Kάνεικρύο.     KAniKREEo.             It is cold.

Κάνειζέστη.    KAniZEsti.     It is hot, warm

Βρέχει.            VREhi.           Ιt is raining

Έχειήλιο         EhiEElio.       It is sunny, sunshine, shining

Θα έχει ήλιο   THAEhiEElio.           It will be sunny

Δεν έχει ήλιο  DENEhiEElio.          It isn’t sunny

Έχειλιακάδα. EhiliaKAda.   It is sunny.

Θα έχει λιακάδα.       THAEhiliaKAda.       It will be sunny.

Δεν θα έχειήλιο.        DEN THA EhiEElio.            There won’t be any sun.

Δεν θα έχει λιακάδα. DENTHAEhiliaKAda.          Itwon’tbesunny.

Δεν θα έχει συννεφιά.          DENTHAEhisinefiA.           It won’t be cloudy.

Θα βρέχει.      THA VREhi.  it will be raining

Βρέχει πολύδυνατά. VREhipoLEEdinaTA.          It is raining heavily.

Ρίχνει καρεκλοπόδαρα.       PEEhnikarekloPOdara.      It is raining cats and dogs.

Ψιχαλίζει. PsihaLEEzi. It is dropping.

Τι καιρό θα κάνει       TEE keRO THA KAni          What will the weather be like

αύριο; Avrio? tomorrow?

BASIC GRAMMAR

In order to form a question about the weather, we keep the word order and we just add the question mark at the end of the sentence.

Kάνει κρύο σήμερα. Κάνει κρύο σήμερα; -Ναι, κάνει κρύο.- Όχι, δενκάνεικρύο.

In order to form the negative form of the verb, we just put the word δεν in front of it.

In order to form the Future Tense we add the word θα in front of the verb. Θα κάνεικρύο. Δεν θα κάνεικρύο.

We omit the article before the weather nouns.

EXERCISES

Choose the right answer.

1.Κάνειπολύκρύοσήμερα;   1. Αύριο θα κάνει ζέστη.

Θα κάνει κρύο αύριο; 2. Σήμερα κάνει πολύ κρύο.
Κάνει ζέστη σήμερα; 3. Ναι, έχει ήλιο.
Έχει λιακάδα σήμερα; 4. Όχι,σήμερακάνεικρύο.

Match the Greek phrases with their translation in English.

1.Τι καιρό κάνει σήμερα;      1. Is it very cold?

Κάνειπολύκρύο; 2. Is it sunny?
Έχειλιακάδα; 3. What is the weather today?
Έχεισυννεφιά; 4. Is there humidity?
Έχειυγρασία; 5. It is cold.
Κάνειπολύκρύο. 6. Is it cloudy?
Έχειομίχλη. 7. It is foggy.
Βρέχειπολύ. 8. It is raining cats and dogs.
Ρίχνεικαρεκλοπόδαρα. 9. It is raininheavily.
Δεβρέχειπολύ. 10. It is not raining a lot.

Match the Greek phrases with their translation in English.

Τι καιρό θα κάνει αύριο; What will be the weather tomorrow?

Θα έχει λιακάδα όλη μέρα. 1. It will be sunny in the morning.
Θα έχει ήλιο το πρωί. 2. It will be sunshine all day.
Θα έχειομίχλη. 3. It will be foggy.
4.Θα κάνειζέστη.       4. It will be cold.

5.Θα κάνεικρύο.        5. It will be hot.

6. Θαβρέξειλίγο. 6. Itwillrainalittle.

The post Our Everyday Greek Review: This May we Speak in Greek about Sunny and Rainy Days appeared first on The National Herald.

NEW YORK – Sopan Deb wrote in the New York Times that it was Chloe Melas, a CNN Greek American reporter, who after a 6-month research broke -with her colleague An Phung- the story that several women accuse Morgan Freeman of sexual harassment.

“After an investigation that took six months, she reported that several women were accusing the actor Morgan Freeman of sexual harassment. The improper behavior ranged from unwanted touching to suggestive comments that made women feel uncomfortable. But the initial tip did not come from a phone call, email or letter. It came from Ms. Melas herself” according to mr. Deb. adding that:

“She had been sent to cover a publicity event last year for “Going in Style” a film starring Mr. Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin. Ms. Melas, who was pregnant at the time with her son Leo, said that Mr. Freeman looked her up and down and made several remarks along the lines of “I wish I was there,” one of which was captured on video. She reported the incident to CNN, which then informed Warner Bros., the studio behind the film. Warner Bros., which like CNN is a division of Time Warner, responded later that it could not corroborate the account because only the one comment was recorded and other Warner Bros. employees said they had not seen anything”.

CNN entertainment reporter @Chloe_Melas describes her experience with Morgan Freeman at a press junket: “As soon as I walked into the room, Alisyn, he started to make sexual comments to me and one of those was caught on tape.” https://t.co/Bv3ujakGFl pic.twitter.com/GqonBChsea

— New Day (@NewDay) May 25, 2018

MORGAN FREEMAN SAYS HE DID NOT ASSAULT WOMEN

By DAVID BAUDER , AP Media Writer

Morgan Freeman says he likes to compliment people to make them feel at ease around him but that he has never sexually assaulted women.

The Academy Award-winning actor is fighting back against charges of bad behavior made by multiple women in a CNN report this week. He said in a statement late Friday that the report has devastated him and that “it is not right to equate horrific incidents of sexual assault with misplaced compliments or humor.”

Following the report, Visa announced it was suspending all of its marketing that features the actor’s voice.

CNN’s story includes one movie production assistant who said Freeman unsuccessfully tried to lift her skirt. Other women talked about unwanted touching on their backs and shoulders. Mostly, Freeman’s accusers say he would comment about their bodies or clothes or make them uncomfortable by staring. A male former employee of Freeman’s production company said the 80-year-old actor would behave like a “creepy uncle.”

One of the article’s authors, Chloe Melas, began working on it following a press junket where she said Freeman clasped her hand, looked her up and down and made comments like, “you are ripe.”

“I admit that I am someone who feels a need to try to make women, and men, feel appreciated and at ease around me,” Freeman said. “As a part of that, I would often try to joke with and compliment women, in what I thought was a light-hearted and humorous way. Clearly I was not always coming across the way I intended.”

He said that he did not assault women, create unsafe work environments or offer employment or advancement in exchange for sex.

His reference to equating his behavior with others was unclear. The accusations against Freeman came out the same day word spread that New York City authorities were filing rape charges against disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

Freeman’s statement was reminiscent of an email written by longtime television anchor Tom Brokaw sent to friends recently after a former colleague had accused him of unwanted sexual advances.

“I am devastated that 80 years of my life is at risk of being undermined, in the blink of an eye, by Thursday’s media reports,” Freeman said.

Freeman won the 2005 Oscar for best supporting actor for “Million Dollar Baby.” He was nominated four other times, including for “Driving Miss Daisy” and “The Shawshank Redemption.” His voice is familiar on commercials and as a narrator for documentaries and other productions.

___

Associated Press writer Jocelyn Noveck and Josh Boak, AP economics writer in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

The post A Greek-American Reporter Broke the Story that Several Women Accuse Morgan Freeman appeared first on The National Herald.

WASHINGTON, DC — A time-honored tradition continued this week when members of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) paid their respects on behalf of the American Hellenic community to “those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for freedom, democracy, and liberty at Arlington National Cemetery.”

“Col. Nicholas P. Vamvakias (USA, Retired), chair of the AHEPA Veterans Committee and past supreme treasurer; ROTC Cadet Donald Moran, Past Supreme President Nicholas A. Karacostas, and Executive Director Basil N. Mossaidis, placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, Arlington National Cemetery, on behalf of a grateful American Hellenic community, May 24, 2018.  An Honor Guard Specialist from 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) assisted them and a U.S. Army Band Bugler played Taps.  Since 1924 Ahepans have returned annually to Arlington to place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” according to AHEPA’s website.

“Nearly 100 AHEPA family members from the mid-Atlantic Region gathered to memorialize those identified as Greek Americans or Greek Orthodox who are buried at Arlington National Cemetery, May 26, 2018. According to organizers, there were an estimated 568 gravesites at which AHEPA and Daughters of Penelope members presented a wreath and paused in remembrance of those who perished for our nation. This solemn ceremony has been performed annually since 1949.”

Read the full story & see more photos here.

The post AHEPA Honors America’s Fallen Heroes appeared first on The National Herald.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The family of one of the students killed in a Texas high school shooting filed a lawsuit against the alleged gunman’s parents, claiming the shooter’s father didn’t properly secure the weapons and were negligent in entrusting him with firearms.

Authorities charged Greek-American Dimitrios Pagourtzis, a 17-year-old student Santa Fe High School, with capital murder in the May 18 attack that killed eight students and two substitute teachers. Investigators said Pagourtzis used a shotgun and pistol belonging to his father that had been kept in a closet.

Texas law states that guns can’t be made accessible to children under 17, with exceptions such as hunting or when under parent supervision. Parents can be charged with a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and $4,000 in fines if the child fires the weapon and causes serious injury or death.

Christopher Stone and Rosie Yanas, whose son Chris Stone, 17, was killed, filed a lawsuit in Galveston County on Thursday. Stone’s funeral was Friday.

The lawsuit also argued that Pagourtzis’ parents didn’t obtain mental health counseling for their son and didn’t warn the public about his “dangerous propensities.” Dimitrios Pagourtzis posted a photo of a T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase “Born to Kill” on social media, and Gov. Greg Abbott has said the teenager had journals with writings indicating he planned the attack.

Pagourtzis family attorney Nicholas Poehl said he only represents them in the criminal case against the son and declined comment on the civil lawsuit. He did not know when the family would have attorney in the civil matter.

The lawsuit is not the first of its kind following a mass shooting.

Most recently, the family of one of the four people killed in a shooting at a Waffle House restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee, sued the suspected gunman’s father, accusing the Illinois man of negligence. In that case, police said the gunman had displayed signs of mental illness before his Illinois gun card was revoked in 2017. His guns were transferred to his father, but police said the father returned them to his son at some point.

Texas law requires gun owners to “take steps that a reasonable person would take to prevent the access to a readily dischargeable firearm by a child, including but not limited to placing a firearm in a locked container or temporarily rendering the firearm inoperable by a trigger lock or other means.”

Abbott, a staunch supporter of gun rights, said this week he’s open to strengthening laws on gun storage and reporting lost or stolen weapons. But that suggestion is already drawing resistance from some gun rights lawmakers who said they would resist efforts for more government control of what happens inside the home.

“The idea of regulating and enforcing the storage of firearms is a nightmare. I will fight it forever,” tweeted Republican Rep. Jonathan Stickland.

Alice Tripp, legislative director of the Texas State Rifle Association, met with Abbott this week during the governor’s roundtable talks on school safety and mass shootings. Tripp said attendees were told that authorities have used the law to charge parents 62 times since it was first enacted in 1995.

On Friday, a group of Santa Fe High School students called for stronger home gun storage laws. They spoke at an event organized by March For Our Lives, which formed after the deadly February shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida.

The students also called for enhanced security at schools and mental health background checks for anyone trying to buy a firearm.

Student Bree Butler said she supports gun ownership and her family owns guns, but they are locked safely away and she doesn’t have combination to the gun locker.

“It’s so important that we understand that none of us are trying to take your guns away,” Butler said.

Three of the Santa Fe victims were buried Friday.

Mourners gathered in the Houston suburb of Crosby for 15-year-old Christian Riley Garcia. Friends and family described him as brave “far beyond his years” and said he often put the needs of others before himself. Friends said Garcia used his body as a barricade against a closet door in a classroom to keep the shooter from entering.

Stone was buried in League City. Substitute teacher Cynthia Tisdale, who was married for nearly 40 years and had three children and eight grandchildren, was buried in Dickinson.

—
By JIM VERTUNO , Associated Press

The post Texas School Shooting Victim Family Sues Pagourtzis’ Parents appeared first on The National Herald.

NEW YORK – “Together they come,” an exhibition of paintings and drawings by Eirini Linardaki, opened on May 25 at the Consulate General of Greece in New York. Inspired by the painting “The Wreck of Hope” by Kaspar David Friedrich which portrays the shipwreck of the vessel Hope in the Arctic Sea but was painted in the confines of his studio, Linardaki’s dynamic series of paintings and drawings tackles real life, historical, and political events. Linardaki, in this series of watercolors and drawings, identifies herself with this studious practice of archival research in the military and historic fields, but paints using a traditionally naturalist technique to accentuate the detail, texture, and composition of these memorable images.

Linardaki told TNH, she is interested in that moment when a human-caused or natural catastrophe induces a dazzling, tragic, and captivating sight, reminding us of the allegory of the cave by Plato. Her artwork serves as a representation of the suddenness of these tragedies.

The title of the exhibition is inspired by a quote from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, “Some of you say, ‘Joy is greater than sorrow,’ and others say, ‘Nay, sorrow is the greater.’ But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.”

When asked about the works on display, Linardaki told TNH about the theme of the series, noting the image of the boy playing with an iPad and how the other images of war and catastrophes are connected through this idea of grown up “boys” continuing to play not only video games, but war games on a much larger scale, with helicopters and human lives as their playthings. She also told TNH about the video installation which replaces the Consulate’s typical tourist video with artists talking about where to find the best pizza in New York and showing how moustokouloura are made, adding another level of interest to this thought-provoking exhibition.

The works on display draw the viewer in with some scenes so familiar and yet completely transformed through the artist’s skill, they require a second and third look to truly appreciate the connections to the theme and the realization that these often beautiful images are the result of tragedy. It reminds us of the line from W.B. Yeats’ Easter, 1916, “All changed, changed utterly: A terrible beauty is born.”

Especially for the opening of the exhibition, Shani Ha presented a new Embody performance in collaboration with Caroline Dartey. Embody plays with abstraction and metamorphosis to incarnate complex shifting identities, representations, and interactions. The soft transformative sculptures blur the boundaries between sculptures, body, and performance. Embody sculptures are constantly morphing and adapting to the contexts and silhouettes to produce successive ephemeral sculptural forms. Dartey’s performance activated, appropriated, shaped, and explored the physicality of the metamorphosing sculptures to echo the way we already inhabit our own body. Moving through the gallery space, Dartey created a dynamic counterpoint to the works on display.

Eirini Linardaki was born in Athens and studied art in France. She has worked and exhibited in several countries, including the Boijmans Museum, Rotterdam; Onassis Cultural Center, Athens; Salon de Montrouge, Paris; Fri-Art Kunsthalle, Fribourg; Natural History Museum, Geneva; Macedonian Contemporary Art Museum; Hamburg Kunsthaus, The Knockdown Center, NY, and the Bronx Art Center, NY. Linardaki partnered with Rutgers University for a public art project highlighting Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ. She is collaborating with the City of New York (Department of Transportation, NYC Mayor’s Office- Climate Policy and Programs, and Parks Department) in several public art projects that are visible throughout the city of New York. This year, Linardaki is a resident artist in Institut Francais d’Athènes, Greece, creating in situ installations and murals.

Linardaki’s exhibition “Together they come” is on view May 25 – August 31, Monday–Friday: 9 AM-2:30 PM.

Among those present at the event were Consul General of Greece in New York Konstantinos Koutras, Consul of Greece Lana Zochiou, Dr. Marinos Petratos, Olga Alexakos, Aristides Logothetis, Artemis Kohas, Nektarios Antoniou, members of the community and the press.

More information is available online at: http://linardakiparisot.wix.com/linardaki-parisot

and via email: linardaki@gmail.com.

The post Eirini Linardaki’s “Together They Come” Exhibition Opens at the Greek Consulate (Vid & Pics) appeared first on The National Herald.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The president of the University of Southern California has agreed to step down amid a raging sex scandal involving a university gynecologist who is accused of conducting inappropriate exams for decades, the chairman of the school’s board of trustees said Friday.

The university’s board has “agreed to begin an orderly transition and commence the process of selecting a new president,” Rick J. Caruso, the board’s chairman, said in a letter to students and faculty members.

The letter did not say when C.L. Max Nikias would leave his post.

“We have heard the message that something is broken and that urgent and profound actions are needed,” Caruso said.

The announcement came days after hundreds of students, professors and alumni demanded Nikias’ ouster, alleging that USC failed to respond to complaints of misconduct involving Dr. George Tyndall, a gynecologist who worked at a university clinic for 30 years.

Tyndall routinely made crude comments, took inappropriate photographs and forced plaintiffs to strip naked and groped them under the guise of medical treatment for his “sexual gratification,” according to civil lawsuits filed this week.

At least a dozen lawsuits have been filed so far and police are interviewing alleged victims to see if any crime was committed.

The Los Angeles Times reported earlier this month that complaints about Tyndall weren’t properly address by USC for years and university officials never reported him to the medical board, even after he was quietly forced into retirement.

Tyndall, 71, denied wrongdoing in interviews with the Times and hasn’t responded to phone calls and emails requesting comment from The Associated Press.

USC has said Tyndall was placed on administrative leave in 2016 and never returned to treating students after officials received a complaint from a staff member at the health clinic. The staff member alleged that Tyndall made inappropriate comments to a patient in front of medical assistants.

The university said it has previously reviewed complaints that Tyndall made racially inappropriate comments.

Nikias, 65, who became the university’s president in 2010, had recently come under fire amid a string of scandals, including a report from the Los Angeles Times in July about how a USC medical school dean used drugs and partied with prostitutes.

A spokesman for USC said the university had no further comment.

___
By MICHAEL BALSAMO , Associated Press

Associated Press writer Brian Melley contributed to this report.

The post Greek-American USC President Steps Down Amid Gynecologist Scandal appeared first on The National Herald.

LOS ANGELES – The 12th Annual Los Angeles Greek Film Festival (LAGFF) has revealed its 2018 program selection after reviewing a record 175 film submissions. The Festival runs June 4-10 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and includes 11 feature films, 15 documentaries, 27 shorts, industry-lead roundtables, panels, and masterclasses. The full schedule of films is available online at: lagff.org.

LAGFF celebrates the best new films from Greek filmmakers worldwide and promotes Greek cinema and cultural exchange while bridging the gap between the filmmakers and Hollywood. “Greek Cinema continues to impress and produce,” said Aristotle Katopodis- Artistic & Festival Director. “Greek filmmakers keep winning major awards at international film festivals and we are proud to host over 50 of the best and most innovative Greek films from around the world, for the 12th time. Greece is vigorously entering the incentives arena for international productions, and Filming in Greece is one of our themes to explore this year.”

The themes for 2018 are:

*Music and how it informs Greek films.

*Greeks in the Academy- A tribute to the Greek artists who have received an Academy Award or Oscar nomination since 1935.

*Filming in Greece- the new financing laws, incentives, and rebates.

The LAGFF’s Opening Night begins with the screening and West Coast premiere of 1968, directed by Tassos Boulmetis, at UCLA’s James Bridges Theater, on June 4 at 7 PM. The film tells the story of how the well-known Greek basketball team AEK, founded in 1924 by refugees from Constantinople, beat SLAVIA of Prague to win the European Cup at Kallimarmaro Stadium, and changed Greek history forever.

The evening launches the strategic collaboration of LAGFF and the newly established UCLA Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Boulmetis (a Bruin alumnus) and a reception in his honor.

The West Coast premiere of Marios Piperides’ comedy, Smuggling Hendrix, will open LAGFF at the Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on June 6. The award-winning film recently garnered “Best International Narrative Feature” at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. Filmmakers will be in attendance, and the red carpet evening includes the screening, a catered reception in the Egyptian’s iconic courtyard, and a special performance by popular singer Ariana Savalas.

In Smuggling Hendrix, Yiannis, a fading musician, is planning to leave crisis-ridden Cyprus for a better life abroad. His plans are put on hold when his dog Jimi runs away and crosses the UN buffer zone to the occupied side of the island. Through the simple story of a man who searches for his dog, Smuggling Hendrix gives a vivid demonstration of how the fences we build, both real and imagined, between ourselves and others, can be broken down once we recognize the familiarity in the face of the unknown.

LAGFF’s Closing Night, June 10, features the West Coast premiere of Thodoris Atheridis’ Perfect Strangers, at the Egyptian, followed by the star-studded Orpheus Awards Ceremony, a catered Greek reception, and live entertainment under the stars in the courtyard.

This delightful comedy follows seven friends who meet for dinner on a Friday night. An idea emerges. Every text and call they receive through the night must be shared with the whole group. When the game forces complete transparency, secrets are revealed and relationships are deeply threatened.

The Orpheus Awards are presented to the outstanding new films in the dramatic, documentary and short film categories. The theme of this year’ ceremony is “The Academy of Greeks,” paying tribute to Greek artists who have received an Academy Award or Oscar nomination since 1935. The Best Supporting Actor for West Side Story, George Chakiris, is one of the honorees this year with actress Rita Moreno presenting his Award.

The Closing Night Gala in the courtyard of the Egyptian Theatre follows the Orpheus Awards with live music by Greek Rebetiko Trio- Dimitris Mann (vocals, bouzouki, piano, accordion) together with Taso Comanescu (guitar, vocals) and Alexis Cohen (baglama, tzoura, guitar, vocals) will introduce the origins and history of Rebetiko music and its migration to the United States.

More information and tickets, including the 6-day All-Access Gold Pass, are available online at: lagff.org.

The post Los Angeles Greek Film Festival Reveals 2018 Program appeared first on The National Herald.

BRENTWOOD, NY – This year, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan District Olympic Games in New York celebrated its 40th anniversary with more than 1,000 Greek children from all over New York and Connecticut participating in the event at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood, Long Island on May 25-27.

Especially on Saturday, when the weather cooperated, everyone, athletes, parents, friends, enjoyed the experience. The organizer of the Games, Alex Constantinou, once again saw this fun, family event realized.

The children competed in track, football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, chess, backgammon, and the competition was epic. The children did their best and made some new friends, emphasizing the importance of unity among the growing Greek community.

Since 1979, this program has emphasized the values of our faith, Hellenism, and follows the Olympic ideals of peace, sportsmanship, and fellowship. The Olympics welcomes all parishes of the Archdiocesan District.

The Games began with the “opening ceremony” on Saturday morning in which each community marched in the indoor court at the Suffolk County Community College while bagpipes played.

Fr. Panagiotis Papazifiropoulos then announced “let the games begin,” and thanked Alex Constantinou and his team for organizing the Olympic Games over the years.

The children gave it their all and after the fierce competition everyone left with big smiles.

On Sunday, the rain forced the cancellation of outdoor competitions, including soccer and tennis.

The post Over 1,000 Greek Children in the Archdiocesan District Olympic Games (Vid & Pics) appeared first on The National Herald.

SANTA FE, Texas (AP) — Like some of her classmates, senior Brooke Williams had mixed emotions about returning Tuesday to classes at Santa Fe High School, where a student fatally shot 10 people in the nation’s deadliest school attack since the massacre in Parkland, Florida.

“I’m not excited to go back to school. I’m actually pretty scared to, but I feel like that’s the reason why I need to go back. I don’t want to be scared of this the rest of my life,” Williams said.

Less than two weeks after the shooting, students at the school near Houston were greeted by more than 20 law enforcement vehicles and supporters holding signs saying “Santa Fe Strong” and “United We Stand.”

Students who had classes in the area of the shooting were the first allowed back in, followed by the rest about two hours later. The teens lined up in front of the school’s main entrance, which was the only approved entrance. They were not allowed to carry backpacks or large purses and were required to show an ID before entering.

All students then gathered for a two-hour assembly honoring the victims, and counselors were available for anyone who needed to talk about the May 18 slayings of eight students and two substitute teachers.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott visited the campus Tuesday, speaking with students, parents, teachers and staff privately and presenting first responders with an award for their actions.

Hailey Hubbard, another senior, was returning for her final week of high school.

“Honestly, I just want to go back so I can see my friends and not spend my last three days of senior year just being secluded in a room,” Hubbard said. She said she did not want the shooting to be her last memory of high school.

Hubbard said some of her friends were more ambivalent about returning to campus and that she had to help calm down a friend who suffered a panic attack at the thought of going back to school.

She hopes returning to campus will also give her mother peace of mind because “she’s terrified of me going to school.” The teen had wanted to go to campus on the school bus that she normally takes. But her mother said no because there’s no security on the bus.

Sheila Hubbard wasn’t reassured by the extra security at the school and planned to stay on campus all day Tuesday to make sure her daughter and son Nathan, also a senior, were both safe.

“I think them going back is best. It doesn’t make it easier for the parents … We’re all scared our kids are going to come to harm,” the elder Hubbard, a 40-year-old nurse, said as she stood outside her home just before driving her kids to school.

Williams said some other seniors she spoke with won’t return to campus and plan to show up only for graduation on Friday “because they’re so terrified.”

She wanted to return to class in part so the shooting would not be her defining memory of her school.

“I hope by the end of the day today I’ll be able to look at the school and not cry, not feel hate … not think of it in grief … and also to find comfort in the people who are still here,” she said.

Authorities have charged Dimitrios Pagourtzis with capital murder in the attack. He’s accused of using a shotgun and pistol that belonged to his father. The 17-year-old remained jailed without bond in Galveston.

Also Tuesday, the hospital treating a school police officer who was badly wounded in the attack announced that his condition had been upgraded from critical to serious.

Officer John Barnes was shot in the arm when he confronted the gunman. A bullet damaged the bone and a major blood vessel around his elbow. He remains in the intensive care unit.

Abbott planned to announce a school-safety plan on Wednesday after holding three days of meetings last week following the shooting.

___
By JUAN A. LOZANO , Associated Press

Associated Press videojournalist John Mone contributed to this report.

The post Classes Resume at Texas School where Dimitrios Pagourtzis Killed 10 People appeared first on The National Herald.

CHICAGO – The PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation announced the 2018 PanHellenic Scholarship Recipients. The Greek American Community’s next generation of leaders will be honored at the 2018 Award Ceremony and Gala on Saturday, June 16.

The complete list of recipients follows.

Sophia Nicole Andricopulos, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Yanni Angelides, The Georgia Institute of Technology

Vasiliki Argeroplos, Vanderbilt University

Harris Avgousti, University of Pennsylvania

Alexander Bilzerian, Cornell University

Sofija Chroneos, Boston University

Anastasia Dalianis, Yale University

Paul DeBassio, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Ruby Duffy, Wesleyan University

Nickolas Eliadis, Hellenic College

Namie Fotion, University of California, Los Angeles

George Gemelas, Yale University

Nicholas C. Georgiou, University of Virginia

George Giakoumakis, Capitol Technology University

Christina T. Hanos, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Geoffrey Hazard, Brown University

Katerina Kerastaris, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Raphael Kirou, Cornell University

Panagiota Kitsopoulos, Case Western Reserve University

Alessandra Koinoglou, The Ohio State University

Elias Kotsis, University of Pennsylvania

Petra Kyriakopoulos, Elmhurst College

Leonidas Lavdas, University of Florida

Darden Livesay III, University of Connecticut

Georgia Margiotis, Adelphi University

Victoria Martine, Indiana University

Elias Mastakouris, Yale University

Melina Megaridis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

John Melizanis, University of California, Berkeley

Christina Panagoulia Triantafillopoulos, University of Michigan

Manousos Papadakis, Illinois Institute of Technology

Ari Papahronis, Columbia University

Athena Patitsas, The Ohio State University

Peter Prastakos, Yale University

Matthew T. Pusic, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Sophia SáPonte, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Ellen Schooley, The Ohio State University

Konstantinos Sellas, DePaul University

Athena Sferas, University of Southern California

Philippos Sourvinos, University of Maryland, College Park

Matthew Szekely, Kent State University

Nicole Tank, The University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Niki Tselepidakis, Johns Hopkins University

Felicia Varvaras, The Boston Conservatory

Maria Zarifis, University of California, Los Angeles

Founded in 2002 by Chris P. Tomaras, the PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation is dedicated to promoting education and leadership. The Foundation recognizes and honors exceptional undergraduate students of Hellenic descent, supporting their efforts with significant monetary awards based on academic merit and financial need.

More information is available online at: panhellenicsf.org or by phone: 312-357-6432.

Follows a brief CV of recipients.

The post PanHellenic Scholarship Recipients 2018 Announced appeared first on The National Herald.

SACRAMENTO, CA – AKT Investments Inc. (AKT) today announced that it has promoted Chrysanthy “Chrysa” Tsakopoulos Demos to serve as the new President & CEO of AKT Investments, the managing entity of Northern California’s largest land development company effective June 1. Mrs. Demos will guide operations and strategic direction for the family owned group of businesses that includes substantial land development, commercial property, farming, and ranching operations.

Demos previously served as Vice President of AKT for over ten years where she gained extensive experience in real estate management. She has overseen financial analysis for major investment projects, worked to acquire requisite permits and entitlements, managed contracts, and guided the company’s strategic planning process.

“Chrysa has a proven track record of extraordinary success in our company and we are fortunate that she will lead our family group of companies into the next generation,” said Angelo K. Tsakopoulos, the Founder and Chairman of AKT. “She has the vision, tenacity, integrity, and intellect to lead AKT, not only for the benefit of the family and its partners, but also for the benefit of our community and our state.”

Chrysa Demos said, “I am honored to lead AKT and I will always strive to uphold the very high standards of integrity that our founder, my father, Angelo K. Tsakopoulos, has instilled. We will continue to create projects that serve the needs of our neighbors, and partner with the public and private sectors so that our region continues to be a vibrant and dynamic community for all.”

ABOUT AKT

AKT was founded by Angelo K. Tsakopoulos who completed his first subdivision in 1964 and has since become a civic fixture in Sacramento and national leader in real estate. AKT has developed over 60,000 homes and 30 million square feet of office space in Northern and Central California. AKT maintains a large commercial building portfolio and manages approximately 20,000 acres of farmland.

ABOUT CHRYSA TSAKOPOULOS DEMOS

Demos is a graduate of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a Masters of Business Administration in Finance and Management. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.

Demos is active in numerous charitable endeavors, including the creation of the Pabna Association for General Education that created, built, and funded a primary school in a rural village in Bangladesh on the condition that girls be afforded equal enrollment opportunities. She is also active in the UC Davis MIND Institute that studies autism and in the International Orthodox Christian Charities. Demos speaks Greek, Italian, Spanish, and Bengali and resides in Sacramento, CA with her husband and two young boys.

The post Chrysanthy Tsakopoulos Demos Named President & CEO of AKT Investments Inc appeared first on The National Herald.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco issued a strong encyclical to his parishes rejecting comments made by Hellenic College-Holy Cross (HCHC) honorary doctorate recipient Efstathios Valiotis calling for the Archdiocese to become autocephalous. Gerasimos was present at HCHC’s Commencement on May 19, where Valiotis made the comments.

The metropolitan’s encyclical follows:

“Beloved in the Lord,

“‘Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation,
and every city or house divided against itself will not stand’ (Matthew 12:25).

“Upon reflection, I have decided to address the unfortunate public statements regarding the relationship between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America at the commencement exercises at Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology on Saturday, May 19, 2018. At the time, the remarks (in Greek) were missed by many in the assembly; I myself was stunned that such sentiments would be expressed so blatantly in the presence of Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne, much less in front of the graduates of our School and their families. Although I did subsequently confront the individual in private for his inappropriate comments, I do feel that the faithful of the Metropolis of San Francisco deserve a decisive, deliberate, and dutiful affirmation to serve as a correction to the unfortunate remarks given at our School.

“The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is under the spiritual and canonical aegis of our beloved Ecumenical Patriarchate. For anyone to randomly call for the Greek Orthodox Church in America to abandon her duty to the Mother Church is as foolish as it is absurd. Usually, such imprudence would not be worthy of our attention; however, the fact that these remarks were given at our Seminary – the very place where we train the future clergy for our Church in America – demands a complete, resolute and public response. Let there be no mistake. We absolutely reprove and repudiate any call for separating our Holy Archdiocese from the Body of our Ecumenical Patriarchate and assure our faithful that this will not happen.

“Let us remember that without its roots, a tree will dry up and wither. We cannot sever our spiritual and ecclesiastical roots without serious consequences. Praying that the Lord will grant His peace and healing upon our Church and all those who labor for His Glory.”

The post Metropolitan Gerasimos Strongly Rejects Autocephaly Comments appeared first on The National Herald.

BELLEVUE, Wash. (AP) — A Seattle-area company has removed a school shooting video game off of its online platform following widespread backlash.

The “Active Shooter” video game was pulled days before it was to be released on the video-game marketplace Steam.

Valve Corp. as Steam’s parent company said Tuesday that it was removing the computer video game because the developer was a “troll with a history of customer abuse.”

The game was developed by Revived Games, published by Acid and lead by a person named Ata Berdiyev, who had previously been kicked off of the platform under a different business name.

The game allows players to re-create school shootings by stalking school hallways and racking up kills.

It was condemned by the parents of students killed during a Florida school shooting in February.

The post School Shooting Video Game Removed Online after Backlash appeared first on The National Herald.

NEW YORK – The Academy of Hellenic Paideia presents its 3rd Annual Timarete Festival June 1-10, a celebration of Hellenic art and culture in New York, dedicated to the child. The Festival was created to promote Hellenic Arts and Culture

Fundraise for the development and support of educational programs to teach and preserve the Greek Language and Culture; educate children of families with economic difficulties through Academy of Hellenic Paideia’s Sponsor a Student program; and assist malnourished students in Greece through the Hellenic Relief Foundation.

Academy of Hellenic Paideia is a non-profit organization that focuses on teaching the Greek language and also preserving and promoting our culture through interactive teaching methods.

The festival hosts cultural events that take place in Greece and abroad such as art exhibitions, film screenings, theatrical plays, music, and dance performances. The festival features Greek and international artists whose work has been inspired by Hellenic culture.

Admission is a donation of $20 for most of the events. More information and reservations are available by phone: 917-603-4437.

Opening night kicks off the festival with “My Friends, Welcome!” a celebration of polyphonic and folk songs on Friday, Jun. 1, 7:30 PM at the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York’s Stathakion Center, 22-51 29th Street in Astoria.

The Folklore House of Academy of Hellenic Paideia and the Hellenic Voices of Long Island will present a program of Greek music showing the way every little and big event in life has its own musical expression. The focus this year is on the ancient form of polyphonic singing of Epirus.

Aristophanes’ Lysistrata will be presented by the adults’ theatre workshop Logos & Praksi on Saturday, Jun. 2, 8 PM, and Friday Jun. 8, 8:30 PM, at the Stathakion Center. The play is for adults.

“The Itching of Black and White” by Konstantinos Doikos, will be performed by the Kids’ theatre workshop Logos & Praksi on Sunday, Jun. 3 at 6 PM at the Chian Federation, 44-01 Broadway in Astoria.

Short film screenings at the Greek Cultural Center, 26-80 30th Street in Astoria, take place on Thursday, Jun. 7 with the Athens International Short Film Festival Psarokokalo, and on Saturday, Jun. 9 with the Drama International Short Film Festival. Both days, first screening: 7 PM and second screening: 9 PM.

Free and open to the public, Folk Dance Night with Traditional Dance Troupes closes out the festival on Sunday, Jun. 10 at 6 PM in Athens Square Park, 30th Street and 30th Avenue in Astoria. Greek community dance groups in traditional costumes will perform, including children and adults from Archangel Michael, Academy of Hellenic Paideia, Greek American Folklore Society, Erikoussa, Kalymnos Association, and others. Everyone is invited to dance at this event.

More information is available by phone: 917-603-4437 and online at: www.timarete.com.

The post Academy of Hellenic Paideia Presents the 3rd Annual Timarete Festival June 1-10 appeared first on The National Herald.

WASHINGTON, DC – The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) welcomes congressional action underway in a response to Turkey’s behavior, which has not met the principles and standards of a NATO member nation.

“As we have stated all along, Turkey does not share NATO’s core purpose or best interests,” AHI President Nick Larigakis said. “It is unbecoming of a NATO member to act in the aggressive and provocative manner as it has toward fellow Alliance-member countries. It is time to hold Turkey accountable, and we are encouraged Congress is taking measures to do so.”

The National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 (NDAA) is legislation Congress passes each year that sets policy and funding levels for the Department of Defense. This year, the legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate each contains provisions that aim at Turkey’s participation in the F-35 program.

“We thank Senators Thom Tillis and Jeanne Shaheen, who are members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, for their initiative and hard work to secure their amendment that targets Turkey’s participation in the F-35 program,” Larigakis said. “We also thank the House Armed Services Committee for drafting and advancing a bill with a strong provision that passed the U.S. House of Representatives.”

HOUSE BILL

The U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of the NDAA on May 24. The House’s version contains a provision that requires the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to submit a report on the status of the United States relationship with Turkey within 60 days of the bill’s enactment. Included in this report is an assessment of the potential purchase of the S-400 missile system from Russia and its impact on U.S. weapon systems such as the F-35s and F-16s, among other weapons systems.

All U.S. weapons sales to Turkey are suspended until the Secretary of Defense submits the required report to Congress.

SENATE BILL

The Senate’s version of the NDAA advanced out of the Senate Armed Services Committee on May 24, 2018. The Senate still must pass the bill.

The Senate’s bill, in its current form, has two provisions specific to the transfer of F-35s to Turkey, according to a news report.

A provision that “directs the Secretary of Defense to submit a plan to Congress to remove the Government of Turkey from participation in the F-35 program,” according to a statement issued by U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), who co-sponsored the provision with U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). Senator Tillis’ statement adds, “The Tillis-Shaheen provision…is a direct response to the Turkish government’s wrongful imprisonment of Pastor Andrew Brunson, and Turkey’s troubling intention to purchase the S-400 system from Russia. The provision explicitly states that Congress finds that the Turkish government is unlawfully and wrongfully detaining Andrew Brunson and is denying him due process rights consistent with international norms.”

A separate provision would also require the Pentagon to produce a report on Turkey’s place in the F-35 supply chain.

The senate’s bill also “expresses the sense of the Senate that if Turkey purchases the S-400 air defense system from Russia, the President should impose sanctions against Turkey under the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act,” according to a Senate Armed Services Committee statement.

“Turkey’s aggression in the Aegean Sea, which results in almost daily violations of Greece’s sovereignty and recklessly places lives in harm’s way; and Turkey’s gunboat diplomacy in the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus, all must be included in this policy discussion,” Larigakis said. “Greece and Cyprus, along with Israel, provide peace and stability in the region. Turkey is the instigator of instability and is not a reliable ally of the United States.”

NEXT STEPS

The full Senate must act on the bill. If it passes the Senate, it goes to Conference Committee, where differences with the House’s version will have to be reconciled. Once reconciled, the bill goes back to each chamber for a vote. If passed, it will go to President Donald Trump to be signed into law.

The post American Hellenic Institute Welcomes Efforts to Block Sale of F-35s to Turkey appeared first on The National Herald.

SYDNEY – A Greek-Australian man accused of smuggling 60 kilograms of cocaine was found dead in his cell, according to ABC (Australian Broadcasting Company) which reported that “Dimitrios Mavris was being held at Surry Hills police station after being arrested at Sydney Airport last Wednesday, accused of hiding $20 million of cocaine in frozen fish.”

He was found dead last week in a Corrective Services cell at the station, less than 48 hours after being arrested.

Police are not treating his death as suspicious, however his lawyer, Sam Chamas, told the ABC his wife and children were devastated and Mr. Mavris had no previous criminal record.

“I don’t understand how this could happen,” he said. “I visited my client on Friday morning and he was in good spirits.”

Chamas said Marvis was “feeling good” about the bail application that was due to be made in Sydney Local Court this morning.

Read the full story here:

The post Greek-Australian Dimitrios Mavris Found Dead in Cell appeared first on The National Herald.

In a move that could influence talks to rename the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM,) the rogue Orthodox Church in Greece’s northern Balkan neighbor wants to be accepted into the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The Patriarchate’s Holy Synod said it was considering a request from the leadership of FYROM’s church to be inducted under the name Archbishopric of Ohrid, as it plans to give up its identity as Church of Macedonia.

That comes as anti-nationalist Prime Minister and Radical Left SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras said he plans to give away the name Macedonia – an abutting ancient Greek province – to FYROM in a new composite and pave its entry into NATO that has been barred by Greek vetoes, along with European Union hopes.

The request came with a letter from FYROM’s Prime Minister, Zoran Zaev, addressed to Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, said Kathimerini.

In November, 2017, there were reactions from the Patriarchate to a request from the FYROM church to join the Church of Bulgaria, which supported the move, drawing a rebuke from Patriarch Bartholomew who said that “The mother church of all Balkan nations is that of Constantinople,” in Turkey, where he resides in its seat.

FYROM’s Orthodox church is currently under the jurisdiction of the Church of Serbia, but was part of the Ecumenical Patriarchate until the 1930’s.

The post FYROM Breakaway Orthodox Church Wants to Join Patriarchate appeared first on The National Herald.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The woman whose allegations that Bill Cosby drugged and assaulted her led to his conviction said the pills he gave her made her feel like a “limp noodle,” leaving her helpless to fend off the 2004 attack.

Andrea Constand, 45, a former Temple University women’s basketball administrator, spoke to NBC News in her first interview since the jury convicted “The Cosby Show” star of three counts of aggravated indecent assault.

Her comments closely tracked what she said on the witness stand at Cosby’s two trials — the first ended in a hung jury last summer — as she described how Cosby knocked her out with three blue pills he called “your friends,” then attacked her at his suburban Philadelphia home.

“My mind is saying, ‘Move your hands. Kick. Can you do anything? I don’t want this. Why is this person doing this?’ And me not being able to react in any specific way,” Constand said in the taped interview, a brief clip of which aired on NBC’s “Today” show on Thursday. “So I was limp. I was a limp noodle.”

She added: “I was crying out inside, in my throat, in my mind, for this to stop. And I couldn’t do anything.”

Constand said she felt ashamed and didn’t immediately tell anyone about the assault because she thought no one would believe it.

NBC’s full interview with Constand is due to air Friday night on the network’s “Dateline” show.

Cosby is confined to his home awaiting sentencing Sept. 24. The comedian, who turns 81 in July, is likely to face a sentence of five to 10 years in prison.

Cosby has maintained his innocence, saying his sexual encounter with Constand was consensual. His lawyers attacked Constand at the April retrial as a “con artist” who framed Cosby in order to extort a huge civil settlement from him. Constand sued Cosby after prosecutors initially declined to file charges, settling with him for nearly $3.4 million over a decade ago.

The post Andrea Constand Makes First Public Statements Since Trial appeared first on The National Herald.

COLUMBUS, OH – Mason Christian Mayerchak, 30, of Blacklick has been charged with vandalizing the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Columbus and causing $100,000 in damage.

At about 5:45pm, Saturday, the man entered the church at 555 N. High Street and refused to leave, WCMH-TV reports. When officers arrived on scene they observed glass all over the cathedral and saw Mayerchak pulling a stained glass window apart.

“I heard and I read about it. I was surprised. I was shocked. Honestly it’s just a sad thing,” Ilias Zervas, a member of the church said to WCMH-TV.

Mayerchak is accused of damaging a church pew, gospel stand, gospel book, vestment, altar candle sticks, tabernacle, incensor and stand, processional fans, gospel cross and a $40,000 stained glass window.

The post Man Reportedly Caused $100k in Damage to Columbus Greek Orthodox Church (Vid) appeared first on The National Herald.

YONKERS, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say about $660,000 has been stolen from 85 victims of mail theft in Yonkers, New York since January.

The Journal News says Democratic Mayor Mike Spano and Police Commissioner Charles Gardner blasted the Postal Service on Wednesday.

Most of the thefts were from street collection boxes. Ten were hit early Tuesday.

It was the latest in a rash of mail thefts that have plagued the area in lower Westchester County.

Police in neighboring Bronxville say mail was recently stolen from the deposit slot in the post office lobby.

Spano says some thieves have even used keys to unlock boxes.

Democratic Congressman Eliot Engel is also working on the issue.

The Postal Service says it’s made numerous “mailbox fishing” arrests and is stepping up prevention and enforcement.

The post Mike Spano Blasts Postal Service as Mail Thefts Plague Yonkers appeared first on The National Herald.