http://www.thenationalherald.com/ The articles in this RSS feed are comming from the home page of thenationalherald.com. Sat, 18 May 2013 08:11:45 EST en-us http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59256 http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59256 Sat, 18 May 2013 08:11:45 EST GLEN COVE, N.Y. - The photographs of proud Greek Jewish families in the early 1900?s and the richly decorated artifacts from centuries past on display at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County reflect a vibrant community. But images from the 1940?s, of sobbing people on their way to Nazi death camps and of postwar commemorations of the murdered, document a darker era. Portraits of Our Past: The Sephardic Communities of Greece and the Holocaust, on view through Aug. 15, is an exhibition about a little-known sector of the Holocaust that Beth Lilach, Senior Director of Education and Community Affairs, said she had long wanted to bring to the center. ?When most people think of the Holocaust, they think about Germany, Poland, Auschwitz, the camps,? she said. In Greece, however, 87 percent of the Jewish population perished, she said. That represented about 67,000 people, a relatively small share of the six million Jews killed throughout Europe during the Holocaust. http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59255 http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59255 Sat, 18 May 2013 07:38:07 EST TORONTO - On an early morning bike ride this week I saw a grumpy-looking older man walk out of his house, reach into his pocket, pull out an empty pack of cigarettes and toss it out onto the street. The extra endorphins that were flowing through my body at that moment helped quickly replace my initial anger with a whole bunch of reflection. That grumpy-looking man?s act felt so uncomfortably familiar. It reminded me of all the disillusionment I used to feel as a dreamy teenager growing up in a very selfish, immature, unbalanced and fundamentally undemocratic society. It reminded me of why I chose to leave Greece and move to Canada 30 years ago. http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59254 http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59254 Sat, 18 May 2013 05:31:57 EST ATHENS(AP) ? Greece's deep, six-year recession is likely to end in 2014, but growth will be weak and unemployment will remain above 20 percent for another three years, the country's international debt inspectors said. The European Commission issued the gloomy predictions in a 237-page assessment of Greece's bailout agreement, as the country formally received its latest emergency loan payout, worth 4.2 billion euros ($5.4 billion). The report cited progress by Greece's year-old coalition government in reforming the economy and public finances, but warned against complacency. 'The implementation of wide-ranging structural reforms remains the prerequisite for stabilizing the economy and laying the foundations for economic growth ... further efforts are needed.' http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59253 http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59253 Sat, 18 May 2013 04:14:18 EST Alexandros Mallias is in a better position than almost anyone to understand the many tightropes that Greek diplomats have had to walk in dealing with tension and crises in foreign affairs, particularly in the Balkans, and he notes them in his book published by Infognomon, entitled The Other Crisis: An Ambassador?s Account Following a 35-year career with the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during which he served his country with distinction and dedication, he was awarded the title Ambassador of Greece He gained an unprecedented experience on Balkan issues from his service in several posts in the Ministry as well as Greece?s diplomatic missions in several Balkan countries, FYROM, Albania, Croatia and Bulgaria and unique experience from his tenure in the US as the Greek Ambassador in Washington D.C. from 2005-2009. http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59252 http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59252 Sat, 18 May 2013 03:58:34 EST ATHENS ? Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Greece Daniel Bennett Smith and philanthropist Isabella Arvaniti, who has built shelters for needy children and is known for her charitable works, received this year?s Hellenic Heritage Achievement awards from the American Hellenic Institute before a packed audience in the capital city. This year?s event was characterized by optimism for Greece in contrast to the last two years as the country continues to undergo a crushing economic crisis and would stay in the Eurozone. Smith is set to be transferred after spending three years in Greece as the country was suffering a crushing economic crisis and oversaw assistance for Greeks as well. Arvaniti arranged for the renovation of a building complex and fully equipped it to offer hospital to 50 children for the Smile of the Child agency which works to help abused children and combat exploitation and work in the campaign to find children who go missing. http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59251 http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59251 Fri, 17 May 2013 09:43:01 EST NEW YORK - John Catsimatidis is affable, proudly unpolished, and really rich. Forbes lists his net worth at around $3 billion dollars. His self-financed campaign has all the trappings of a quixotic, longshot bid for mayor - except he's got many friends in the political establishment. At forum after forum, John Catsimatidis points to his own immigrant success story and appeals to patriotism, even to questions about things like congestion pricing. ?God bless them if they want to drive. That?s what America is all about!? he declared at a Park Slope forum this month.In interviews, Catsimatidis? down-to-earth style can sound more stream of consciousness than the rehearsed talking points of a candidate for office. Like when he suggested to Brian Lehrer that, ?There?s global warming all over the solar system, among the other planets too.? Lehrer followed up, to ask if that was relevant, and Catsimatidis held his ground. ?You asked me for the scientific answer, I gave you the scientific answer.? http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59250 http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59250 Fri, 17 May 2013 09:24:22 EST The smell of spring in Greece, even in the capital Athens, is overwhelming. The citrus and bitter orange trees are in blossom, the sweet aroma of their flowers so strong that it covers any unpleasant smell of the city. In the countryside, nature is gloriously reborn. Everything is green, from the water-deprived islands of the Aegean to the mountains of Epirus and the fields of Macedonia. Wild flowers - vibrant daisies, aromatic freesias and the graceful poppies that Greeks associate with Easter (their petals being as red as the blood of Christ) - make their vibrant appearance in any conceivable corner, including the most humble, tiniest piece of land. http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59249 http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59249 Fri, 17 May 2013 06:20:57 EST Greece?s entry into the pop-kitsch 2013 Eurovision song contest, Alcohol is Free, sung by the group Koza Mostra and noted Rembetika player and singer Agathon Iakovides made it into the final, but just barely, after gaining the 10th and final spot in a second semi-final in Malmo, Sweden on May 16. Cyprus was eliminated in a previous semi-final. Despina Olympiou performed, An me thimasai (If you remember me) and ranked 14th in the first semifinal Alcohol is Free is a fusion of electronic dance with rembetiko and features the noted Agathon in the center of a group of young men in kilts playing guitars, horns and other instruments and jumping around the stage. A take-off on the Greek economic crisis, it describes their dream night in a Corfu beach bar but the up-tempo song uses metaphors to describe the plight of the crisis-stricken country. http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59248 http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59248 Fri, 17 May 2013 05:41:08 EST Nobody knows which came first: the economic crisis tearing Greece apart or shisha, the drug now known as the 'cocaine of the poor,' What everyone does accept is that shisha is a killer. And at ?2 or less a hit, it is one that has come to stalk Greece, the country long on the frontline of Europe's financial meltdown. 'As drugs go, it is the worst. It burns your insides, it makes you aggressive and ensures that you go totally mad,' said Maria, a former heroin addict. 'But it is cheap and it is easy to get, and it is what everyone is doing.' The drug crisis, brought to light in a new film by Vice.com, has put Athens's health authorities, already overwhelmed by Draconian cuts, under further strain. http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59247 http://www.thenationalherald.com/article/59247 Fri, 17 May 2013 05:05:23 EST ATHENS - After a contentious confrontation in the Greek Parliament that led to a member of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party being ejected for violating rules against insulting colleagues, it was reported that it was a leftist MP who yelled 'Heil Hitler!' in mockery. Panayiotis Iliopoulos, was removed from a session on May 17 after using derogatory language and as he was escorted from the chamber the Hitler shout was heard three times. Golden Dawn denied it was any of its members who said it and after a day of confusion, the newspaper Kathimerini it was Giorgos Pantzas, a former film actor who now belongs to the major opposition party Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) who yelled the reference to the Nazi leader in an apparent attempt to ridicule Golden Dawn.