NEW YORK – On December 10, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) Board of Regents approved the replication of the Hellenic Classical Charter School and issued a charter for the Hellenic Classical Charter School – Staten Island (HCCS-SI) which will be located in New York City Community School District (CSD) 31.

HCCS-SI is modeled after the highly successful HCCS-Park Slope (HCCS-PS), a charter school located in New York City CSD 15 that has a long and consistent history of success, and has been designated a High Performing Reward School by the NYSED for four consecutive years.

HCCS-PS ranks among the top charter schools in New York. According to Politico and The NYC Affairs HCCS is a “model of integration.”  HCCS is profiled in New York City’s Best Public Pre-K & Elementary Schools Parent Guide by Hemphill & Raschka.

The two schools will share one Board of Trustees. Christina Tettonis, current Principal of HCCS-PS, will transition to the role of Superintendent for both HCCS-PS and HCCS-SI.

HCCS-SI will follow the outstanding educational model of HCCS-PS and build upon the education strengths of District 31 schools.  HCCS-SI will provide a diverse student body with a rigorous education in a dynamic environment. Using a standards-based curriculum, enriched with the Greek and Latin languages, and the classics woven throughout, the school utilizes the Socratic Method, teaching students to become critical thinkers by engaging in dialogue. Students will become college and career ready and well-prepared to succeed and contribute to the global community as responsible citizens.

School Board Chairperson Charles Capetanakis, Esq. said, “Yesterday was another great chapter in HCCS’s amazing history. We look forward to replicating our success and thank all our supporters including the elected and appointed officials for their consistent support.”

“I am thrilled that we will be replicating our amazing school to Staten Island. We are looking forward to our new beginning and working with the children, families and educators in District 31”, said the principal of HCCS, Christina Tettonis.

Founding Director of Operations Joy Petrakos said, “This an exciting time for our HCCS family at large! We are very eager to build a new foundation in District 31 and bring our exemplary model to the students of Staten Island.”

HCCS-PS opened its doors on September 6, 2005 and was established to provide a classics-based education in the study of humanities and literature for students in Kindergarten through 8th grades. HCCS has proudly received three charter renewals and continues to exceed the district, city, and state averages on the New York State Examinations.

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NEW YORK – With the stock market going through some ups and downs, it can be difficult to see the big picture when it comes to investing. Gus Lambropoulos, entrepreneur and an Executive Board member of the Hellenic Medical Society of New York, spoke with The National Herald about margin accounts and real estate. He shared his concerns about the future especially for investors who may not be aware of the risks involved with margin accounts.

“I have been in the financial industry for over 20 years,” Lambropoulos told TNH. “I believe the industry, specifically in the stock exchanges, such as NYSE, AMEX, and NASDAQ, just to a name a few, will face many economic challenges in the very near future that could become catastrophic. The reason being ‘easy access to capital’ through margin accounts.

“What are margin accounts? A margin account is a brokerage account in which the broker lends the customer cash to purchase securities. The securities and cash collateralize the loan in the statement. Because the customer is investing with broker’s money rather than his or her own, the customer is using leverage to magnify both gains and losses. The investments are actually funded by stock brokerages rather than investors themselves,” Lambropoulos pointed out.

“A recent review, Charles Schwab Corporation’s 2017 Annual Report, revealed margin loans outstanding of $18.3 billion compared to the following prior years: Year End [YE] 2016 – $15.3 billion; YE 2015 – $15.8 billion; YE 2014 – $14.3 billion and YE 2013 – $12.6 billion. In just five short years margin loans have significantly increased by 45.23%.

“Please note this is from only one brokerage house although one of the largest – out of 3,867 brokerages houses listed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).  As per the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the overall margin debt soared to $642 billion at year-end in 2017. These debts are continuing to rake in with significant risks.

“Financial Analysts have closed their eyes to the potential for losses as a result of the increased level of margin account purchases.

“Just as a decade ago, the American economic bubble burst due to subprime mortgages, yet today’s marketplaces continues its link to millions of investors utilizing margin accounts. Today’s potential risks include multiple Federal Reserve rate hikes, high-security valuations, geopolitical risks, and cyber security attacks,” Lambropoulos observed.

He continued, “Establishing a margin account has become the norm and more so than ever before in these past ten bullish years.

“Brokerage houses are exposed to a lot of risks when it comes extending margins to its investors, in return, investors, too, are put at personal risk on margin calls. These so-called margins risks, if the stock exchange markets take a nose dive, it could trigger a new trend – a bear market.

“A bear market for stock exchange markets could potentially become a recipe for disaster for the brokerage houses because it will set off margin calls. These margin calls can continue to a point where all investors may not have sufficient balances to cover the calls and become personally liable for the investors,” Lambropoulos said, adding that brokers will sell off stocks arbitrarily from investors’ portfolios to cover the costs whether the stocks are valuable or not.

“Brokerage houses’ collection calls may not come so easy, if we continue to be in a bear market for years to come. They will likely attempt to place liens against the already leveraged real property and report to the three credit repository for unpaid debt by these investors.

“The multiple attempts to collect payment for margin calls by brokerage houses will begin to pinch painfully to their bottom line. The brokerage houses will add another column on their balance sheet ‘margin loan defaults.’”

“With these unpaid toxic margin debts, brokerage houses could potentially become insolvent. Banks who lent to the brokerage houses will also begin to see a default payment on their side,” Lambropoulos noted.

He is also involved in the real estate industry, managing properties in New York, New Jersey, and Florida, and is creating a new niche, helping small businesses and property owners with mergers and acquisitions, especially in the restaurant business. Lambropoulos pointed out that the focus is on a smaller scale and offers growth opportunities. He added that a private lending company is also being set up with the funding currently being secured.

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NEW YORK – A pleasant surprise was awaiting the audience at the early performance of the Christmas Spectacular on December 3 at the legendary Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan. Shortly before the famed Rockettes went on stage, 26 students from the Dimitrios and Georgia Kaloidis Parochial School (DGK) of the Holy Cross Bay Ridge community stole the hearts of the audience.

The choir was created only two months ago, in October, by the school’s music and dance teacher Konstantinos Stergioulis. It is made up of young children, ranging from the first to fifth grades. Thus, their appearance in one of the oldest Christmas shows in New York was rather unexpected for everyone.

The days leading up to Christmas always need a little bit of childish sweetness. And it looked like the young students definitely took their roles seriously – preparing for this monumental event by having rehearsals every Thursday after school.

The show was attended by many parents from the school, whether or not their own children were part of the choir. The children sang two songs, White Christmas and When a Child is Born, in the completely packed theater. Chrysa Vavas also sang a solo during When a Child is Born.

“I always accompany the children’s singing with my guitar, but for technical reasons, Radio City does not allow musical performances on stage to include instruments. It is a general rule – it didn’t just apply to us,” Mr. Stergioulis said.

Despite the lack of live musical accompaniment, the children responded impeccably to the difficult challenge they faced. The audience was captivated by the children’s voices and gave them a huge round of applause following their performance.

Stergioulis, who apart from his role as a teacher is also a professional musician and composer, told The National Herald that his goal is to inspire self-confidence and advance the talents of the children. “It was a great experience because not everyone can appear on the Radio City stage. The children will definitely carry this memory with them for the rest of their lives,” Stergioulis told TNH.

“It is important to make children feel proud of themselves but also proud of their background and origin. I would like to thank the parents of the students for their trust in me, as well as the school council. I would also like to thank the Chairman of the School Board Gerasimos Menegatos, as well as our school’s principal, Francesca Mannino, for their support and excellent cooperation,” he added.

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ATHENS – The Greek designer Stavros Mavrakis (Stavros Mavrakis) presented a proposal for a “vehicle from the future,” as described in Drive magazine.

“Zephyr,” illustrated in digital images, is a design exercise by Mr. Mavrakis, for an autonomous (driverless) vehicle that will be a piece of “mobile architecture,” he said.

Mavrakis also told The National Herald that, with regard to Zephyr, “I was aiming not just to put forward a futuristic concept, but to create something that would have a holistic/good approach, not just something visually, aesthetically beautiful and minimal, but above all something that has substance and a realistic, as much as possible, reference base.”

“This is about a project that is trying to offer fresh ideas in designing and exploiting new technologies, trying to match design to innovation by offering a new experience in the way we use a vehicle or more… a ‘mobile architecture’ as I say.”

Mavrakis continued, “The project tries to offer fresh ideas and answer problems, exploiting new technologies such as driving without a driver, showing how it could be the future.”

As he pointed out, “At this point the Greek element comes in, marrying all the above inspired/borrowed elements from Greek mythology, the forms and geometries of ancient Greek art (see Cycladic figurines), popular but also modern architecture and tradition, including the materials and the culture of the place. An important element of the project is sustainability and untapped renewable energy sources. I wanted to make a hint at them as I consider them important directions/guides for the future, especially for a place like Greece that is experiencing a surplus. Moving in this direction, we cannot only offer innovative proposals but at the same time try to protect what we are generously given and often neglected, the Greek landscape with its rich features.”

In particular, according to Drive, (the article is reprinted by TNH with permission from Alexis Galanopoulos, Editor-in-Chief of Autocar Magazine) it is a driverless vehicle in 2030, designed for the purpose of sharing it with the visitors of a tourist destination, such as the Aegean islands, from which Mavrakis drew his inspiration.

Under these circumstances, driving is far from desirable. The traveler has every reason to see the scenery and admire the sights he encounters on his way, rather than watching the road. So the vehicle transporting him should be adapted to these requirements.

At the same time, it should be environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing. By doing so, the way in which we visit and experience a place would change altogether.

Zephyr moves on four wheels, like the cars we know, but from here on it is made of white paper. The bottom of it resembles a boat hull. With a length of 4.47 m (about 14.66 feet) and opposite, its narrow, sharp edge is on the rear of the vehicle.

A three-legged frame, reminiscent of a metallic sculpture, reaching a height of 1.66 m (about 5.45 feet) is on top of it. The inclination of the front is similar to that found in the front pillars of a conventional car while the rear is vertical.

There is the backlight integrated, as well as retractable stairs, through which someone can climb the roof, and lie down on the hammock for sunbathing. There are no windows at all.

The “cabin” consists of a single wooden surface that points to a wooden deck board with passenger seats, which can be converted into deck chairs or completely removed so that they can be used as beach chairs.

To operate the car there is only one touchscreen on the side of the passenger compartment. A shelf offers wireless smartphone charging, while a separate luggage compartment is at the front.

Zephyr has electric motors on the wheels. The current can come from a conventional socket, from special wireless charging positions, or from wind energy, thanks to a wind turbine extending from its back.

Thus, the vehicle can be charged whenever it is stopped. Whether someone uses it while stationary or waiting for its next user to call through a smartphone. The distance from the ground reaches 19.4 centimeters (about 7.6 inches), so it can move off the road.

Mavrakis studied Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and later Car Design at the Royal College of Art in London. For his diploma thesis he decided to combine these two qualities, along with the Greek element and the mood to respond to future challenges, by designing Zephyr. A project in 2019 to be hosted at the London Transport Museum.

“By finishing my studies in Athens and having lived a year in Paris as a student through the Erasmus exchange program, I wanted to go abroad again and continue exploring, seeing new things, getting new, different stimuli, and to expand my field of vision,” he told TNH.

“So I cannot say that the crisis was the springboard for my decision to go, but mainly my need to explore, to test the waters and be tested, apart from architecture, and designing cars… something that could have started with a childish naïveté from my school days. The crisis (and other elements) obviously came to intensify this decision,” Mavrakis noted, adding that “the absence of the object [see vehicle design] in Greece in conjunction with the economic crisis are the basic elements that obviously affected my decision to return. My goal is to be able to see things and gain experience… so being somewhere giving birth to new ideas, innovation, which is generally active and that gives you the opportunity to take part in it… it is vital!”

More information is available online: drive.gr and stavrosmavrakis.com.

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NEW YORK – New York State Senator Michael Gianaris issued the following statement about the December 12 protest at City Hall before the New York City Council’s first oversight hearing into the Amazon deal.

“Three billion dollars in taxpayer subsidies for a wealthy corporation like Amazon is offensive. I am working with my colleagues in government and allies in the community to oppose this deal, especially at a time when there are real needs across New York. Affordable housing is sorely lacking, the subway is in crisis, our schools are overcrowded and we haven’t summoned the political will to fund these critical priorities, yet our governments bend over backward to provide billions in benefits for the one corporation that needs it the least. New Yorkers expect more and we demand better.

“That is why I authored legislation to prohibit the use of secrecy agreements like the one imposed on the state and city by Amazon. That is why I am taking on insider dealing in the real estate industry. The more we learn about this deal, the worse it gets, and I expect to come forward with even more proposals to prevent something like this from ever happening again.

“But as we work to improve our laws going forward, we must keep working to stop this deal in its tracks, and I rededicate myself to that cause today. The people must be heard, and their concerns must be respected.

“I applaud the New York City Council for exercising its important oversight role in this matter. While the state and city have worked with Amazon to shut the public out of this process, the State Senate will work to empower the people who would have to live with this fiasco.”

NY City Council holds contentious hearing on Amazon

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Council members grilled Amazon executives about the company’s plan to build a secondary headquarters in New York during a contentious hearing Wednesday that was interrupted several times by jeering protesters.

The council members, who have no vote on the project and no apparent path to block it, demanded to know why the city and New York state were offering Amazon up to $2.8 billion in tax breaks and grants to build the new headquarters in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens.

“We have a crumbling subway system, record homelessness, public housing that is in crisis, overcrowded schools, sick people without health insurance and an escalating affordable crisis,” said City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, a Democrat. “Is anyone asking if we should be giving nearly $3 billion in public money to the world’s richest company, valued at $1 trillion?”

Brian Huseman, Amazon’s vice president for public policy, said the project would provide “over $186 billion in positive economic impact” over 25 years.

Johnson countered, “That analysis was done by someone who was hired by the state of New York, not by neutral third party academics or companies that can provide that economic analysis.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, both Democrats, hailed the deal as a huge money maker for the state and the city when Amazon announced last month that it would split its second headquarters between New York City and Arlington, Virginia. Amazon is promising to bring 25,000 jobs to New York over 10 years and up to 40,000 in 15 years.

“This is a big moneymaker for us. Costs us nothing,” Cuomo said when the agreement was announced.

James Patchett, the president of the city’s Economic Development Corporation, called the project “the single biggest job creation opportunity in New York’s history” in testimony Wednesday.

But city and state lawmakers angered at being cut out of a deal that was negotiated without their input have criticized both the process and the Amazon subsidies.

“This is bad for Long Island City, bad for Queens and bad for New York City,” said City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, a Democrat whose district includes the projected Amazon offices. “The mayor and the governor caved to the riches man on Earth and then handed the bill to each and every New Yorker.”

Some independent economic development researchers said the estimates from city and state officials overlook the cost of Amazon’s growth in the city .

State Assemblyman Ron Kim, a Queens Democrat, told protesters rallying on the steps of City Hall before the hearing, ” Any politician in our progressive city and our state who’s willing to had $3 billion to Amazon — that should be a career ender right there.”

Sign-carrying protesters filled the hearing room and chanted, “Amazon workers are under attack! What do we do? Stand up! Fight back!”

Council members questioned Huseman about everything from Amazon’s labor practices to its deleterious effect on small businesses to its contract to provide facial-recognition technology to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“We think the government should have the best available technology,” Huseman said in response to the ICE question.

Councilman Ben Kallos, whose Amazon account was cited in a New York Post story about politicians who had criticized the Amazon headquarters deal despite being Amazon customers themselves, asked Huseman, “Did Amazon provide my shopping cart wish list information to members of the media?”

Huseman responded, “No.”

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BROOKLYN, NY – ESPN, the world’s cable and satellite sports television channel, visited Kimisis tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church in Brooklyn for the sake of Giannis Antetokounmpo. The ESPN presenter Scoop Jackson and his seven-member crew met with Greek-American parents and children, spoke to them about the “phenomenon of Giannis Antetokounmpo,” watched and taped a basketball game for the Children’s Championship of the Archdiocese, visited the Kimisis tis Theotokou Church of the Assumption, got the interviews they wanted, and then ate… souvlaki and other Greek dishes, and left with the best impressions and images.

What was the reason for the visit? Following an interview with Giannis Antetokounmpo for a segment which will air on Christmas Day, December 25, shortly before the New York Knicks-Milwaukee Bucks game, all of America will see the Kimisis tis Theotokou Church and the Greek-American parents and children commenting on Giannis for Scoop Jackson and ESPN.

“It was a unique experience. Both for us and for them, I believe,” said Demetris Pristouris, Kimisis tis Theotokou Youth Director. “They asked me something about Giannis, but I think they were happy with the family atmosphere and warmth we have at Kimisis tis Theotokou Church. They found that the Church is nearby, they offered us the church and we talked with them there and the people of ESPN were very happy and satisfied. I think they did not want to leave,” “said Pristouris who is also the Director of the Super League Athletic Academy.

And he is right because ESPN presenter Scoop Jackson extended his program. They first went and sat down on the bleachers of the closed gym at Kimisis tis Theotokou, and after taking some pictures, then they “checked” the Greek-Americans with whom they would speak about Giannis Antetokounmpo. Among those interviewed were parents Andrew Sfouggatakis and Maria Grigou, from the children, George Sfouggatakis and Maria Stoupakis, and from the Super League Athletic Academy coaches, who visited Athens with the team in April, Yannis Hartofilis.

After the interviews in the room provided by the Church, then Jackson and Pristouris went into the church itself and began their interview.

There the ESPN presenter stared open-mouthed, admiring the quietness and devotion of the Greek Church… Then all the children of Kimisis tis Theotokou and the Super League Athletic Academy along with the coaches and, of course, the ESPN crew stayed in the hall that the Church provided very kindly and watched the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo take on the Raptors in Toronto. But they were not alone… They also had a classic Greek accompaniment.

The Greek restaurant Greek Xpress (263 Prospect Park West Brooklyn, 11215 – 158 Lawrence Street Brooklyn, 11201) donated… savory souvlakia and Greek foods, and Scoop Jackson and his seven-member crew were delighted with the delicious taste.

Now, we are all looking forward to December 25^th, not just because it’s Christmas, but also to see Kimisis tis Theotokou and the Greek-Americans talk about Giannis Antetokounmpo on national TV, all across the USA.

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NEW YORK – Within the context of the 20th Annual Capital Link Invest in Greece Forum, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in cooperation with Capital Link organized a special ceremony in honor of Greece entitled “Greek Day at NYSE.”

On December 11, the NYSE held an official reception in honor of the Greek Delegation, Greek companies listed on the NYSE, and companies that participated in the Forum.

The NYSE flew the Greek flag on Wall Street and issued special commemorative medals to honor the members of the Greek Delegation.

This year’s “Greek Day at NYSE” featured Greek Government Officials and executives representing companies listed in the United States as well as companies that participated at the 20th Annual Capital Link Invest in Greece Forum, which was held the previous day.

Minister of Tourism of the Hellenic Republic Elena Kountoura and Dr. John Coustas, CEO of Danaos Corp., rang the closing bell, ending the trading session on December 11 accompanied by Harris Kosmatos and Apostolos Tsitsirakis of Tsakos Energy Navigation; Emilios Kyriakou, CITI Country Officer Greece and Cyprus; Consul General of Greece in New York Konstantinos Koutras, Capital Link President Nicolas Bornozis; and Capital Link Managing Director Olga Bornozi.

Betty Liu, NYSE Executive Vice Chairman welcomed the Greek Delegation and the listed companies and highlighted the long-standing relationship between the NYSE and the Greek and Greek-American business communities.

The active support and participation of NYSE, the world’s largest stock exchange, enhances the prestige and the visibility of the Forum and of Greece to a wider international investment audience. It also shows the stable support to Greece, the Greek companies, the Greek shipping industry, and the Diaspora.

The U.S. Capital Markets are a major source of capital for a growing number of companies of Greek interest and the NYSE plays a leading role in this.

The event was broadcast live on major news stations in the United States and abroad to an estimated audience of 150 million viewers worldwide.

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NEW YORK – The Capital Link 20th Invest in Greece Forum brought together a distinguished group of panelists from various industries in the business world and government officials to discuss opportunities and topics related to investing in Greece. Capital Link President Nicolas Bornozis gave the welcoming remarks and Ambassador of Greece to the United States Haris Lalacos gave the opening remarks before a full day of fascinating topics and discussions.

Among the fascinating topics and panel discussing were the following:

The Macro Picture began the day with the panel discussion on the Current State and Outlook of the Greek and the European Economy. After several years of recession, Greece is gradually returning to a growth trajectory. The panel touched upon the global and European economy culminating with specific focus on Greece, stating the progress achieved so far, and the challenges that remain ahead. Moderator Yannis Manuelides, Partner, London- Allen & Overy LLP, led the discussion with panelists: Silvia Ardagna, Managing Director, Global Economics & Global Investment Research- Goldman Sachs International; Dr. Tasos Anastasatos, Group Chief Economist- Eurobank and Chairman of the Scientific Council- Hellenic Bank Association; Declan Costello, Principal Adviser, Mission Chief for Greece- European Commission; Elena Duggar, Chair of Moody’s Macroeconomic Board, Associate Managing Director, Credit Strategy & Research- Moody’s Investor Service; and Bob Traa, Independent Economist, former IMF Representative in Greece.

In the section on Accessing the Global Debt Capital Markets, the panel discussion, Investing in Greek Bonds –Government & Corporate Bonds, discussed the issuance in the global capital markets of fixed income instruments by the Greek Government, the Greek Banks, and Greek Corporates. It also discussed global investor interest in Greek Risk and Greek Fixed Income Instruments.

Moderator for the discussion was Mr. Apostolos Gkoutzinis, Partner – Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP, with the panelists: Giulio Baratta, Head of IG Finance, Debt Capital Markets EMEA – BNP Paribas; Philip Brown, Managing Director, Global Head- Public Sector Fixed Income Origination – Citi; Konstantinos Vassiliou, Deputy CEO, Head of Group Corporate & Investment Banking – Eurobank Ergasias; Vassilis Kotsiras, Head of Funding Solution & Structure Finance – National Bank of Greece; Morven Jones, Head of Debt Capital Markets EMEA – Nomura International; and Dimitrios Tsakonas, Chief Executive – Public Debt Management Agency.

Success Stories of Greek Multinationals with Moderator Tom Kyriakopoulos, Partner – Machas & Partners, featured panelists Dimitrios Kyriacopoulos, Executive Vice President – ElvalHalcor S.A.; Antonios Kerastaris, Group CEO – Intralot; and Ms. Vivian Bouzali, Director of Communications & Strategic Marketing- Mytilineos Holdings.

Growth & Investment Opportunities in Greece featured speaker Yannis Harizopoulos, Partner – McKinsey & Company Greece.

Investing in Greece: The Institutional Investor Perspective featured the Institutional Investor Panel which provided the point of view of major foreign and Greek institutional investors active in Greece. It highlighted the challenges, opportunities, and risks; the progress achieved so far and what needs to be done to solidify Greece as an attractive business and investment destination. Moderator Stathis Potamitis, Partner- Potamitis Vekris, led the discussion with panelists: Thor Talseth, Managing Director- Amerra Capital; David Schamis, Founding Partner & Chairman of Investment Committee- Atlas Merchant Capital; Nikos Stathopoulos, Managing Partner- BC Partners; Mr. Anthony Diamantakis, Global Co-Head of Global Asset Managers- Citi; Sabina Dziurman, Director – Greece & Cyprus – European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; and Spyros Spyropoulos, Senior Advisor – Oaktree Capital

Why Greece – Why SMEs featured speaker Apostolos Tamvakakis, Managing Partner – EOS Capital Partners, and Private Equity Opportunities in Greece featured Takis Solomos, Partner & Co Founder- Elikonos Capital Partners.

The Greek Banking Sector- Strategy and Outlook panel discussed current trends and developments in the Greek banking and financial sector; cost issues, liquidity, upcoming stress tests and growth strategies with Moderator Panos Papazoglou, Regional Accounts Leader, Central Eastern SouthEastern Europe and Central Asia, Country Managing Partner, Greece – EY, and Panelists: Artemis C. Theodoridis, Deputy CEO – Non-Performing Loans and Treasury Management – Alpha Bank; Francesco Drudi, Principal Adviser – European Central Bank; Nikolaos Karamouzis, Chairman – Eurobank Ergasias SA & Chairman – Hellenic Bank Association; Julien Petit, Managing Director, Head of Financial Institutions Group M&A Europe Middle East & Africa – Goldman Sachs; Mr. Paul Mylonas, CEO- National Bank of Greece; and Mr. Christos Megalou, CEO – Piraeus Bank S.A.

The panel discussion NPLs – The Big Opportunity for Restructuring, Growth & Investment discussed the successful handling of NPLs which will inject new liquidity in to the economy and will improve the competitiveness and sustainability of Greek companies. There is progress with a new regulatory framework, the approval of NPL manager licenses and the establishment of an NPL Forum for corporate loans among the four systemic banks, which are now much better positioned to deal with NPLs. Significant challenges remain but the potential for a positive outcome is there. Moderator Constantine Karides, Partner- Reed Smith, led the discussion with panelists: Theodoros Athanassopoulos, Executive General Manager Non Performing Loans Wholesale Banking- Alpha Bank; George Linatsas, Group Managing Director & Founding Partner- AXIA Ventures Group Ltd; Bob Liao, Managing Director – EMEA Head of Structured Finance – Citi; Dr. Martin Czurda, CEO – Hellenic Financial Stability Fund; George Georgakopoulos, Executive General Manager, Legacy Unit – Piraeus Bank S.A.; and Spyros Tsiloglou, Managing Director, Head of Greece and Cyprus – Credit Suisse.

Sector Reviews and Investment Opportunities featured the panel discussion on Tourism & Hospitality pointing out that Greece is experiencing record high number of visitors. Privatization of key tourist and transport state assets (marinas, regional airports), the development of premium tourist resorts and of specialized tourist products are transforming the tourism industry and create attractive investment opportunities.

Keynote Remarks Elena Kountoura, Minister of Tourism of the Hellenic Republic, gave the keynote remarks while Moderator Constantinos Lambadarios, Managing Partner- Lambadarios Law Firm led the discussion with panelists: George Galanakis, President- LAMPSA Hellenic Hotels S.A.; George Tziallas, Secretary General for Tourism Policy & Development- Ministry of Tourism; Nikos Hadjos, Director of International Development Europe (Greece & Cyprus)- Marriott International Inc.; Constantinos Dedes, Legal Advisor- Mirum Hellas; and Plato Ghinos, President- Shaner Hotel Group.

The Real Estate & Infrastructure panel discussion examined the fact that investors are returning to the Greek Real Estate market as Europe’s hardest hit economy is showing signs of recovery. The panel discussed which areas show the most growth potential, the key factors affecting real estate investment in Greece, and which flagship hotel, urban regeneration, retail and commercial projects are already in the pipeline which will change the way we look at this vital market. Moderator Mr. Dionysios Voulgaris, Partner- A.S. Papadimitriou & Partners Law Firm. led the discussion with panelists: Dimitris Andriopoulos, CEO- Dimand S.A.; George Chryssikos, CEO- Grivalia Properties; Aristotelis Karytinos, CEO- NBG Pangaea REIC; and Christopher Baldwin, Managing Director, Head of Real Estate, Gaming, Lodging & Leisure- Nomura.

The panel discussion Greece as an Energy Gateway looked at how major infrastructure projects for the delivery of gas to the European markets and increased interest in hydrocarbons exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean will change the energy landscape in the region with wider geopolitical implications. Also, the liberalization of the electricity market and increased activity in the field of renewables create new investment opportunities with Moderator Mrs. Virginia Murray, Partner- Watson Farley & Williams, and panelists: Arnaud Jossien, Managing Director Corporate Finance- BNP Paribas; Mathios Rigas, CEO- Energean Oil & Gas; George Alexopoulos, General Manager Group Strategic Planning & New Activities- Executive Member of the BoD- Hellenic Petroleum SA; Alexandra Konida, CFO- Public Power Corporation S.A. (PPC); and Amos Hochstein, Senior Vice President- Tellurian Inc.

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All you need to know how addictive cell phones and pads are is to look around a subway car and count how many people have their faces down staring at a screen, oblivious to their surroundings, texting, playing games, reading messages, scrolling and lost in high-tech space.

They have been captured by what scientists call “brain hacking,” a technique application designers learned to get them too, building apps that offer rewards, surprises and trigger the release of a chemical in the brain called dopamine, to make them tune in, turn out and drop out of their environment, locked onto the phone or pad.

Now look at your toddler, two or three years old, and see the same scary scene: they’re swiping Netflix looking for Word Party, the Octonauts, Disney Junior and PJ Masks, the tiny screen their preferred playground, which should worry parents but doesn’t, at least not enough.

CBS’ 60 Minutes has featured the danger of too much screen time, especially for adolescents and pre-pubescent teens and now has focused on the trickle-down effect of the devices implanted in the hands of toddlers, who become qujckly adept at how to use them and don’t want them taken away, even to go outside to play, or read a read book inside of a tablet.

It’s estimated that children spend as much as 4 ½ hours a day looking at their phones and with the proliferation of the devices and parents distracted by work, errands, household chores and other activities, they are increasingly relying on the phones and pads to be electronic babysitters.

That worries Dr. Dimitri Christakis, lead author of the latest screen time guidelines for children by the American Academy of Pediatrics, who was featured on the program talking to reporter Anderson Cooper about why parents should be spending more time with their toddlers.

Christakis said toddlers are increasingly using mobile devices to self-soothe, rather than learning to do that on their own. He warned that interaction with a parent or caregiver is being replaced by technology, and his guidance for parents is simple: Toddlers “need laps more than apps.”

It’s not just his opinion or anecdotal evidence that’s being offered about the impact of screen time on children’s brains, as the effect was shown in a government looking at the e-world gadgets hypnotic grab.

The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study will follow more than 10,000 children, with Dr. Gaya Dowling of the National Institutes of Health explaining it was initially designed to gauge the impacts of alcohol, drugs, sleep patterns and sports injuries.

“I think the screen time component really came into play because we were wondering, what is the impact?” Dowling said. “I mean, clearly kids spend so much time on screens. And they’re very engaging, very interactive. The likelihood that they have an impact on brain, and cognition, and social development is pretty high,” she said.

National Institute of Health researchers let 60 Minutes to visit test centers in California and Maryland as they began their first MRIs and interviews with nine and 10 year-olds and they were surprised by the results from the scans of 4,500 participants that showed evidence of differences in the brains of some of the heaviest users of electronic devices.

“We have these snapshots of their brains now. And then we’ll be able to see as they escalate their use, and they come back and get their brain scanned again, whether there have been changes,” Dowling said.

“And when you’ve got 12,000 kids, you can then control for a lot of things. So in order to figure out if it’s really screen time that’s causing it, you can look at kids who spend a lot of time on screens, versus kids who don’t, kids who spend a lot of time on screen, and participate in sports, versus kids who spend a lot of time on screens, and don’t. So you can tease apart some of the impacts on what you’re seeing in terms of outcomes in the brain.”

The information provided by the ABCD study has also already revealed that kids who spend two hours a day or more on screens scored lower on memory and language tests no matter how adept they were at figuring out how to use devices even if they couldn’t read the letters or numbers but learned from repetition and understanding visual cues of apps such as photos of their favorite games and TV shows.

The report said it could take years to understand what’s at work – too late for the current generation of toddlers to be weaned off phones and pads and taken to a playground to ride a swing or go down a slide instead of swiping for the newest app luring them.

The post Dr. Christakis Says Toddlers Need Laps, Not Apps appeared first on The National Herald.

NEW YORK – Dr. Panagiotis Manolas was elected President of Hellenic Medical Society of New York (HMSNY). Dr. Manolas is a trusted surgeon, who earned his medical degree from the University of Athens School of Health Sciences. He completed a residency in surgery at New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and a residency in plastic surgery at the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital to enhance his clinical abilities.

After Dr. Manolas‘s residency, he pursued additional fellowship training in pathology at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. He is also board certified by the American Board of Surgery and is multilingual in English, French, Greek, Spanish, and Italian. He is a member of the Athens Medical Association, the Greek Medical Association, and the International Union of Angiology.

Affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Lenox Hill Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital, he has been in practice for more than 20 years and is one of 61 doctors at Lenox Hill and one of 164 at Mount Sinai who specialize in General Surgery.

Dr. Manolas is highly regarded by his colleagues. He succeeds Dr. George Liakeas who made great contributions to the Society during his presidency. Dr. Liakeas spoke to The National Herald about Dr. Manolas’ election. He said that “we are very happy when there is a change and in this case there is a new president, and also some new members of the Board of Directors, too.”

Dr. Liakeas added that “as a former president, I will continue to be active” and pointed out that “the new president brings in new energy, new life, and new love for the Society. There is enthusiasm for a new era in the Society.”

Of Dr. Manolas, he said that “he is very dynamic, smart, and inclusive, that is, he includes everyone and he can inspire many young people we are trying to reach.”

Dr. Andreas Cosmatos, who was recently honored at the HMSNY 82nd Annual Gala with the Distinguished Colleague Award, said, “I have known Dr. Manolas for close to 30 years. He is one of the hardest working doctors I know. He will be a great leader for the Hellenic Medical Society. He has great leadership skills, is very organized, and has strong connections in the Greek community. I will be part of the executive board helping and aiding Dr. Manolas to steer this philanthropic group forward.”

The Hellenic Medical Society of New York, founded in 1936 is a professional organization of physicians. The Society is devoted to education and international outreach projects, granting scholarships, fellowships and awards, and also fostering strong ties to the community through conferences and symposia like the one held to honor the Distinguished Female Physician of the Year and the annual Scientific Symposium and Scholarship Award Ceremony.

The Hellenic Medical Society has its origins in the Greek-American Medical Fraternity, an organization co-founded by the renowned physician George N. Papanicolaou during the First World War. The organization officially registered with the New York State authorities in 1920. Drs. George N. Papanicolaou, Constantinos Carousos, and Constantinos Logothetis served consecutively as presidents of this fraternity. In 1936, Dr. Coryllos with other members of the Hellenic University Club formed The Hellenic Medical Society (HMS), a professional organization of physicians. The founders included the pediatrician Christos Bozes, the internist Alexander Alexio, the dermatologist Nicholas Pattakos, the gynecologist Avraam Soukouris, and the surgeon Constantine Psakis. The specific objectives of the HMS included creating a network of Greek-American physicians, cultivating fraternal relationships among its members, and promoting public health initiatives in conjunction with other medical societies.

The post Dr. Manolas Elected President of Hellenic Medical Society of NY appeared first on The National Herald.

SUNNYSIDE, NY – On December 13, New York State Senator Michael Gianaris issued the following statement following a major fire that destroyed businesses and homes in Sunnyside, Queens: “I was heartbroken to learn of last night’s devastating fire in Sunnyside impacting local businesses and neighborhood residents. I reached out to various agencies, including the American Red Cross, Office of Emergency Management, FDNY, Small Business Services, and the Small Business Administration to offer my assistance in recovery and rebuilding efforts.

“A number of firefighters and residents were injured during the incident. My thoughts are with them and their families in hopes of a speedy recovery. I thank them and the more than 200 FDNY members who responded for their bravery.”

According to the Associated Press, the fire raged through a row of businesses early on Thursday morning, collapsing part of a roof and injuring 12 people including seven firefighters.

None of the injuries was considered life-threatening, Emergency Medical Services Chief James Booth said at the scene.

The fire was reported in a restaurant around 2:15 AM on December 13 on Queens Boulevard, and the flames spread between the roof and ceilings to neighboring businesses. About six businesses were affected, according to Assistant Fire Chief Anthony DeVita Jr.

Orange flames shot into the air and smoke engulfed the neighborhood of Sunnyside.

At least a dozen firefighters were in the immediate area when an apparent “smoke explosion” erupted and the roof collapsed, DeVita said.

“The chiefs on scene were proactive,” he said. “They saw this was an advanced fire and they began to back the troops out. Because they took that action, that more than likely prevented more serious injuries.”

Nearly 200 firefighters and emergency personnel worked to prevent the fire from spreading to other structures.

Fire officials said the blaze was under control and the cause was under investigation.

Material from the AP was used in this report.

The post Sen. Gianaris’ Statement on Sunnyside Fire appeared first on The National Herald.

CHICAGO – The weather may be nippy, but that didn’t stop members of the city’s Greek-American community and friends from gathering for festivities on S. Halsted Street.

Celebrating the holiday season in Greektown, The National Hellenic Museum hosted Greek dance performances and children’s activities. Meanwhile, situated under the Greektown temple structures, with a breathtaking backdrop of Chicago city’s skyline, children sang traditional “kalanta” Christmas carols in anticipation of the lighting of the Greektown Christmas tree.

“We’re working very hard…to preserve the cultural depth here in Greektown and we are succeeding with the museum and other activities, but this is an activity that has gained nationwide acclaim,” said Dean T. Maragos, advisor to the Greektown Special Service Area.

Fathers Apostolos Georgiafentis of St. Demetrios in Chicago and Chrysanthos Kerkeres of St. George in Chicago commenced the ceremony with prayer. Students of Solon and St. George Greek schools then joined pianist Marika Panton’s tunes, singing traditional Greek carols, starting off with “kalin esperan arxontes.”

“Kala Christougenna” said 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett Jr. “This is the season of remembering to give, to help, and to love people, and we should not remember that only this season, but throughout the year,” he said.

The crowd counted down to the lighting of the 2018 Greektown Christmas tree, which took a moment to glow, prompting the comment “it’s running on Greek time.” The tree stands next to a handcrafted “karavaki” Greek Christmas boat.

Honorable guests included longtime Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, who came to cheer on the children, and wish Greektown a Merry Christmas. “It’s an honor for me to be here in Greektown where I normally get a lot of liquid and gastronomical appeasement,” White said. “Behind me are these wonderful young people who are going to help run this great country of ours. It’s important for us to do all we can to make sure that they become properly educated so that they can go off into the world and make this world a better place for all of us,” he said. 

The carolers and their fans continued their night walking up S. Halsted Street, spreading holiday cheer to local businesses including Ambassador Public House and Artopolis Bakery Cafe and Agora. 

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NEW YORK – The Cyprus-U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Cypriot Young Professionals, in cooperation with the Cyprus Trade Center in New York, held their Christmas party on December 11 at the Greek restaurant 11 Hanover Greek in Manhattan’s Financial District. Festive music by Phytos Stratis on the keyboard and singers Ariadne Panagopoulou and Demetris Michael added wonderful holiday cheer to the party with Christmas songs, and carols in Greek and English to entertain the guests.

Among those present were the Consul General of Cyprus in New York Alexis Phedonos-Vadet and his wife Melina. Amb. Phedonos spoke with The National Herald at the event, noting that “I am very happy to be here today among friends. I thank the U.S.-Cyprus Chamber of Commerce leadership for the invitation and congratulate them for organizing this evening’s event. It is an opportunity for an exchange of views on how to move forward in the business world. And I for my part will do everything I can to help them open up their horizons.”

He added that meetings are planned “with a view to further cooperation and development of the Cyprus-U.S. Chamber of Commerce.”

President of the Cyprus-U.S. Chamber of Commerce Nicolas Nicolaou told TNH, “The purpose of the evening is to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s. It is an opportunity for all our members to meet and network. We chose a less formal and more youthful setting this year for the party.”

The aim of the Chamber is to encourage the relations between Cyprus and America and to facilitate networking for Cypriot and Cypriot-American professionals.

Also present were the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Cyprus to the UN Attaché for Press Affairs Eliza Patsalidou and First Secretary Fourth Committee Michael Mavros, Executive Director of the Chamber, Despina Axiotakis, the Founding President and Honorary Chairman of the Chamber Andreas Comodromos, Trade Commissioner of Cyprus Aristos Constantine, and attorney Maria Markou. Members of the Cypriot Young Professionals (CYP) and the Cyprus Permanent Mission to the United Nations also attended the event.

Mr. Comodromos told TNH, “I am particularly pleased to see among us the young people of the CYP. It gives me the hope that the Chamber will continue on and will be very strong. So I hope for these young people, the new year will be the best year in their lives and for our Chamber, all the best.”

CYP President Jovanna Tannousis said, “CYP is a part of the Cyprus-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and aims to achieve business links between young Cypriots and Greeks in our community. I hope our organization will continue to promote business in our community. It is also important to remember that although we are far from our countries of origin, in order to achieve success in business we need to work together as much as we can.”

At the end of the night, President Nicolaou thanked all the attendees and the press, and invited everyone to join in singing Christmas songs.

The post The Festive Cyprus-U.S. Chamber of Commerce Christmas Party (Vid) appeared first on The National Herald.

NEW YORK – Yannis Amoryanos builds a modern paradise with his paintings – where the mind wanders beyond reality through the vibrant, optimistic colors and shapes that interfere with and change the emotional world of the viewer.

Thanks to the kind sponsorship of John Catsimatidis, the National Herald had the opportunity to see the exhibition of Yannis Amoryanos, which took place at the community hall of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral on December 11.

In his exhibition, the artist included sculptures and jewelry he created, which, in combination with the paintings, filled the welcoming space of the Cathedral with light and energy.

Amoryanos studied painting, sculpture and jewelry making in Argentina and in the United States. He was born in Piraeus and came to New York in 1970. His artistic quests sent him to Spain, the famous country of light, flowers and love, where he lived for three years. His experiences there greatly influenced his future artwork.

He returned to NY, but soon left for Argentina, where he lived for 5 years. “I loved Argentina, and Argentina loved me,” he told the National Herald. It was there that he decided to set up a career and a gallery called “The Islands,” which later led him to more exhibitions in Venezuela, Uruguay, Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico, but also to a new gallery in NY – to where he again returned.

TNH asked Catsimatidis, the sponsor and longtime friend of the painter, about his own opinion and his particular interest in the work of Amoryanos. Catsimatidis said, “I really like Yannis’ paintings. I like the differentiation it creates using two similar concepts, such as peace and love. I also love animals and love the way he uses them in his work.”

Amoryanos is loved by the Greek-American community. This was especially evident at the exhibition with the arrival of friends and acquaintances who came to support him. He told TNH that he has particular love for the Greek-American community as well because they have always been supportive of him and all the work he has done through the years.

Nellie Logothetidis, an old friend of Amoryanos and a member of the Philoptochos, told TNH, “Yannis is an amazing artist and friend. I have known him from the first day he came to America. We have always been very close and I have not missed any of his exhibitions.”

The artist, whose work was once bought by Queen Sofia of Spain, is a simple man and continues to paint everything with the goal of creating a beautiful world filled with color, animals, Mediterranean light, reflections – all of this through a romantic but majestic perspective of the world and of of emotions.

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JERUSALEM, Israel – AHEPA Supreme President George E. Loucas gave the welcoming address and Supreme Secretary George Horiates presented as a panelist, at an international conference entitled, “New Realities in the Eastern Mediterranean” held at the Konrad Adenauer Conference Center, Mishkenot Shaananim, Jerusalem, December 11. The Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies (JISS) and B’nai B’rith International (BBI) sponsored the conference which was held in cooperation with AHEPA and the American Hellenic Institute (AHI).

“Developments in the Eastern Mediterranean amid the growing alliance between Greece, Cyprus, and Israel across many sectors, have elevated the region’s geopolitical importance,” Loucas said. “We are proud to support and participate at such a significant international conference to examine these developments. We sincerely thank its organizers, JISS and B’nai B’rith International, and we are happy to hold the conference in cooperation with AHI.”

Also, Loucas stated his gratitude for the participation of the expert panelists. “We look forward to learning from the panelists as we—the diaspora groups with a vested interest to see the Eastern Mediterranean be a safe, stable, secure region that contributes to global prosperity—continue to plot our course going forward in support of the burgeoning trilateral partnership between Greece, Cyprus, and Israel,” he said, adding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently described the trilateral partnership as “an alliance for good.”

Supreme Secretary Horiates spoke on the topic, “Promoting Mediterranean Awareness in the U.S.” He approached the topic by examining how the region is promoted in two distinct areas, in Washington, DC and throughout the grassroots of the United States.  Horiates touted the work of the Congressional Hellenic Israeli Alliance and relayed the high-level of engagement of U.S. State Department officials in the region. However, he added diaspora groups can do more, working together, to promote the importance of the Mediterranean to mainstream America.

AHEPA’s Canadian President Christos Argiriou and Executive Director Basil Mossaidis also attended the conference.

Founded in 1922 in Atlanta, GA, on the principles that supported its fight for civil rights and against discrimination, bigotry, and hatred felt at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan, AHEPA is the largest and oldest grassroots association of American citizens of Greek heritage and Philhellenes with more than 400 chapters across the United States, Canada, and Europe. AHEPA’s mission is to promote the ancient Greek ideals of Education, Philanthropy, Civic Responsibility, and Family and Individual Excellence through community service and volunteerism.

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LOS ANGELES, CA – George Papadopoulos, the former foreign policy adviser recently finished a 14-day prison sentence after admitting lying to the FBI about a 2016 conversation with a Maltese professor who told him Russia had dirt on Clinton in the form of emails. Now living in Los Angeles with his wife Simona, Papadopoulos, 32, is thinking of running for Congress in California’s Orange County, as the UK’s Daily Telegraph reported on December 14. The area is known to lean towards the Republicans historically, but in this year’s midterm elections, went Democratic, according to Politico magazine.

His recent felony conviction, may prove a major challenge to his campaign, but Politico reported that “Papadopoulos confirmed his interest in a congressional bid,” adding that “he declined to say whether he had been in touch with party officials about a potential bid but said he had ‘been in touch with donors,’ and ‘We are at an incipient stage… More to come.’”

The post George Papadopoulos, Out of Jail, Looking to Run for Congress appeared first on The National Herald.

BOSTON – His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago spoke exclusively to The National Herald regarding the troubled historic Holy Trinity parish of Chicago which is about to be taken in foreclosure by the bank due to loan default.

The entire interview follows:

TK: Your Eminence, what are your thoughts concerning the current events at the parish of the Holy Trinity in Chicago?

MN: Concerning this issue, as you know, the Metropolis has issued a statement. There is nothing pleasant about what is happening. No one is pleased when churches are lost because they cannot pay their debts. Nonetheless, we are trying, as much as possible, to face this current matter in the best possible way.

TK: Why did matters reach this point? Couldn’t they have been prevented?

MN: The issue concerning the parish of Holy Trinity is complicated and one that spans many years. It is not an ecclesiastical or canonical matter. If it were, you can be certain that we would have found a solution. But here we need to address a legal and economic issue. From the briefing I received, I was informed that there were attempts in the past with my predecessor, Metropolitan Iakovos of blessed memory, to find a solution; unfortunately, however, these efforts did not lead to any tangible result. As we have emphasized in our communiqué, the issue of Holy Trinity is for me a top priority. Although we are limited by the provisions of the Law, we have devoted and continue to devote considerable time and professional manpower in an effort of good faith for the future of Holy Trinity.

TK: Did you give permission to the parish to file a lawsuit against Mr. Demetrios Logothetis?

MN: It is not a matter of permission. We live in a country where every person and every legal entity has rights, which we cannot limit, let alone violate, otherwise we would be accountable to the Law. One such right is that someone can appeal to the courts when they believe that they have been wronged. I personally did not give my blessing to the parish to take legal action against Mr. Logothetis or the Academy. However, I understand the council, when its members, having an obligation to protect the parish, felt they must appeal to the courts as their last resort. The matter between Mr. Logothetis and the parish is a legal matter and not an ecclesiastical one. Personally, this state of affairs, that our own people would go to the courts over whatever their differences might be, certainly does not please me at all. We have asked both sides several times, through their lawyers and through various faithful people and their associates, to sit down and find a solution outside of court. I pray that God, even if at the very last moment, will enlighten them.

TK: They filed a lawsuit on their own? Don’t they respect you?

MN: I do not think that they don’t respect me, nor do I think that we have an authoritarian regime in the Chicago Metropolis. I can tell you again that this is a legal issue that goes beyond the role and the capacities of the Metropolitan.

TK: In his interview, Fr. Nicholas Jonas told us that you advised them to work with a mediator. They did, but nothing came of it. As the Metropolitan, didn’t you call all the members together in a pastoral manner to find a solution?

MN: Of course, I suggested that there be a mediator so that we might not enter the judicial system. Of course, I called the two sides separately into my office, first to meet them, and secondly to hear their thoughts and opinions. What I found was that neither side was ready to dialogue with the other because there was built up tension and enmity. That is why, as I said before, I recommended the solution of having a third-party mediator, because, as an expert, he knows how to bridge opposing views and find solutions to legal disputes. The Metropolitan, apart from his pastoral and spiritual word, does not have judicial authority so that he might judge and render rulings on such matters.

TK: Given the reduction in parish members – 175 families according to Fr. Jonas, 75 to 100 according to Fr. Kaloudis – why does the parish pay two priests? Can’t one serve the needs of the community?

MN: That is a very good question! I inherited this situation and did not want to intervene immediately before getting to know the people and the situation. But now, due to the court’s decision to transfer the church building to the bank, we have organized, based on the regulations of the Holy Archdiocese of America that outline what we should do in such cases, a special Ad Hoc Committee that will study the facts at hand, work with the parish, and ask the parish to submit a plan for its future. The Metropolis will examine this plan and, together with the parish, we will attempt to pave a joint path toward the future. What matters to me and concerns me most is the future of the parish. I place great importance on this.

TK: Going forward, how do you think things should be, or rather, what are you thinking of doing as the Chief-shepherd of the region?

MN: I have already answered this. Importance is given to what the future plan will be. In this light, I would like to emphasize that I will not abandon the parish.

TK: Are there other parishes in your region facing serious financial problems?

MN: I am still researching and studying these things. I cannot give you an absolute and clear answer. When the parishes submit their annual budgets, we have a general picture of the parish’s condition; however, this is little more than a snapshot at that moment. Consider, for example, what will happen if a large benefactor of a parish moves or passes away; or if the festival or dinner dance doesn’t go well. Suddenly, serious financial problems arise, which may even threaten the survival of the parish. However, the parishes, in general, have difficulty getting by. They are in financial straits. Our people, working together with our priests, struggle hard and make great sacrifices in order to meet the many demands on the parish. We also have to bear in mind that the number of members in our parishes is decreasing, either because people are no longer interested in the Church, or because, unfortunately, they choose other Churches, such as those of the Catholics or Protestants. This is a phenomenon I encountered here in Chicago and I do not know if it exists in the rest of America. But it is a matter of particular concern to me.

The post Metropolitan Nathanael Speaks to TNH about the Troubled Holy Trinity Parish in Chicago appeared first on The National Herald.

CHICAGO (AP) — A 120-year-old Chicago church was saved from auction after a midnight call from a group of donors, which one church official said was “a Christmas miracle.”

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church held what parishioners believed would be its final service on Thursday. The church was slated to go to auction Friday after facing legal issues and about $8 million in debt when a bank foreclosed on the property.

“A lot of people thought that this was it and it was hard to see,” said the Rev. Nicholas Jonas.

But church leaders said they received a phone call around midnight from a group offering a nearly $2 million donation to help the church purchase the property from the bank.

“We prayed for a miracle to happen, and we didn’t give up,” Jonas said. “A group of guardian angels came forward.”

The nonprofit behind the donation hasn’t been identified, but church leaders said at least one member of the congregation belongs to the group.

The move will allow the church to file for bankruptcy, which is enough to halt the auction and prevent the building from being demolished by an investment bank firm, according to Parish Council President Stanley Andreakis.

“We feel like kids. You wake up at Christmas and you have a present,” he said. “You are like, ‘I get to keep my church.'”

Andreakis said services will continue this weekend. He calls it their “Christmas miracle.”

“We want to keep the church going for more generations to come,” Andreakis said.

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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Former patients of a doctor accused of molesting children at Rockefeller University Hospital for decades are demanding to know what happened to photos they say the physician took while the abuse was occurring.

The physician, Reginald Archibald, worked at the New York City hospital from 1948 to 1982 as an endocrinologist who specialized in childhood growth. Former patients have said that in addition to molesting them, he would photograph them naked for what he said was scientific research. Archibald died in 2007.

Peter Katsikis had only one appointment with Archibald, in 1969. He said Archibald directed him to remove his clothes; he touched him sexually and then took several photos of him in the nude. Katsikis was 12 and said it was his first sexual experience. He wouldn’t tell anyone until he told his wife 26 years later.

The trauma changed him, he said, making him cynical and sometimes short-tempered as an adult. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are sexual assault victims unless they grant permission.

“I’ve replayed the episode a couple thousand times,” said Katsikis, now 61, who lives in North Carolina. “It took me a couple years to sort things out as to what truly happened. I didn’t know anything about sex at 12 years old. When I got older I started to get angry, because I realized he took away my innocence.”

The hospital has acknowledged that Archibald’s conduct with patients was “inappropriate” and has hired a law firm to investigate. Hospital officials have not, however, said whether any of the photographs were found in hospital records. Attorneys for former patients say more than 1,000 children may have been victimized.

The former patients and their attorneys held a news conference Tuesday in front of the hospital to demand more information about the whereabouts of the photos. The group says that if the hospital cannot say where the photos are, then it should ask the state attorney general to begin its own investigation into the records.

Questions about the whereabouts of the photos continues to haunt many of the former patients, according to Michael Pfau, an attorney with the Seattle-based firm of Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala, who is representing about 100 former patients.

The thought that the photos are now circulating as child pornography compounds his clients’ pain and fear, Pfau said.

“Finding these photos is critical for our clients,” he said. “Hopefully the hospital can do the right thing and accelerate the investigation.”

A spokesman for the hospital declined to comment when asked about the photos Monday.

The hospital wrote to Archibald’s former patients in September asking about their experiences and in October released a statement that it had discovered that Archibald “engaged in certain inappropriate conduct during patient examinations.”

The hospital also said it notified authorities when it received a report in 2004 about Archibald’s conduct. It says it changed some pediatric policies after an investigation at that time determined that “certain” of the allegations were credible.

Civil molestation suits against institutions in New York are now subject to one of the nation’s tightest statutes of limitations, meaning that many of Archibald’s alleged victims would not be able to sue the hospital. The case is likely to fuel efforts to pass the Child Victims Act, state legislation that would greatly expand the statute of limitations and create a window to sue for plaintiffs with decades-old allegations that are now prohibited by the statute.

Asked what he would do if any photos are found of his single appointment with Archibald, Katsikis paused briefly before answering.

“After the litigation is over,” he said, “let’s have them destroyed.”

—
By DAVID KLEPPER , Associated Press

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WASHINGTON, DC – The American Hellenic Institute Foundation (AHIF) hosted its Seventeenth Annual Conference on the Future of Hellenism in America, keeping the discussion of the promotion and preservation of Hellenism at the forefront of the community. This year’s conference was held in Dallas, TX., at the Hilton Anatole Hotel, November 9-10.

Featuring nearly twenty prominent speakers from across the country, conference presentations analyzed key issues including: the future of Greek American organizations, the political process and lobbying, religious and ethnic identity, promoting Hellenic values through business, Greek education, and perspectives from young Greek Americans. Speakers also identified how Hellenism could be promoted in the future through these various channels.

On the eve of the Hellenism Conference, November 9, AHIF held a successful conference dinner with more than 125 persons in attendance. There, AHI President Nick Larigakis officially opened the conference and welcome remarks followed. George Naftis served as Master of Ceremonies.

Ambassador Haris Lalacos, Greek ambassador to the United States, delivered the Keynote Address, “The Role of Greece in Promoting Hellenism Abroad.” The ambassador’s remarks were thorough and touched upon topics such as increase coordination between the U.S. and Greek governments. He emphasized that the relationship between the U.S. and Greece is at a high point, and the future looks bright regarding the relationships between these two governments. One of his most poignant remarks, however, was when he discussed his affinity for Greek Americans. Amb. Lalacos stated, “I am always touched when Greek Americans are connected with Greek culture and language.”

The Invocation and Benediction were given by Rev. Presbyter Peter Kostakis, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Dallas.

Barbara Vittas and Maria Lainioti Carayannopoulos received AHI’s Hellenic Heritage Public Service Award for the Promotion of Hellenism and Orthodoxy in America.

In her acceptance remarks, Vittas first thanked all the individuals involved with and speaking at the awards dinner, honored guests, attendees, as well as congratulating her fellow award-winner, Mrs. Maria Carayannopoulos. During her speech, Vittas said, “When I first moved to Texas in 1979 and became involved in the community, people had the conception of church-based initiatives as simply older Greek women at the kitchen […] By 2012, Ladies Philoptochos Society was able to raise $800,000 in philanthropic aid to those in Greece and Cyprus.”

During her speech, Mrs. Carayannopoulos stated, “I am overwhelmed with gratitude and joy for this wonderful but totally unexpected honor. I am truly humbled! Thank you from my heart, Mr. Larigakis, for your leadership at AHI and for making a bridge to the Greek American communities near and far. And congratulations to my fellow winner, Barbara Vittas—it is an incredible honor to be up here with her. We should all be united in our efforts to preserve and share our Hellenism and Orthodoxy. I dedicate this plaque to my father who taught me to be humane, to my mother that gave me music to soothe my life and to my beloved late brother Dimitri who shared his life with me, mentored me, and brought me to America!”

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