Greek Island Burgers June 17, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in GreekTaste World.add a comment
Greek Island Burgers, 1464 Madera Road at Royal Avenue, Simi Valley. 579-0493.
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week, the new restaurant serves a mix of Greek and American dishes. Greek items are on the menu all day long, with a few daily specials served only at dinner.
The array of Greek mezze or appetizers, includes spanakopita or tiropita, spinach or cheese pie and pita bread with dips that range from tzatziki to tirokafteri, the latter a mix of feta cheese, creamy yogurt and herbs and spices.
A baked appetizer of Onassis Shrimp, with feta cheese and tomatoes and a dash of the Greek liqueur ouzo, is a substantial treat. Gyro sandwiches and kabobs also are available, along with desserts both simple, yogurt topped with Greek honey and walnuts, and showy, baklava.
The Astor Restaurant turns 50 years old June 17, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in GreekTaste World.add a comment
The Greek-owned restaurant, at 5533 Leopard St., Corpus Christi, opened on June 17, 1957, as a small diner on what was then known as Highway 9 by Bill Sissamis. That day also saw the birth of Sissamis’ daughter, Maria, who he refers to as his “lucky charm.”
Named after a New York hotel, the Astor has been under direction of three generations of Greek families. Sissamis passed it on to his brother, Paul Sissamis, who partnered with his brother-in-law Gus Papakostas. Paul passed the business down to Mike Chryssos and Gus passed it down to Nick Chryssos.
The Chryssos brothers own and operate the restaurant. It has undergone several expansions and has more than tripled in size since it opened.
Greek WW2 victims score reparation victory June 17, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Politics.add a comment
Relatives of Greek civilians killed by Nazi forces during WW2 have won a battle to force Germany to pay reparations.
They successfully brought their case to Italy and made a legal claim on a German-owned villa near Lake Como. Last week, lawyers for the Greek victims took out a mortgage lien, a legal claim against a mortgaged property, on Villa Vigoni, a 19th century estate that is owned by the German government and used as an Italian-German cultural center, the victims’ lawyers and German officials said.
The lawyers acted after a court in Florence ruled that a 1997 decision by a Greek court awarding relatives of the victims Greek Drachmas 9.4billion (about USD 25million) could be executed in Italy. Note that the amount awarded in Greek drachmas is prior to Greece joining the Euro. The German government has appealed the case to Italy’s highest court, the Court of Cassation, and expects the judgment to be thrown out. But in Italy, such sentences are enforceable pending appeals. That means that until the high court rules, the relatives of the victims can secure the debt owed them by taking out the mortgage lien against German property in Italy, including Villa Vigoni, said Stefano Burzzone, an official in the German foreign ministry who has been handling the matter.
The case involves relatives of 214 civilians executed by Nazi troops on June 10, 1944 in the central Greek village of Distomo. Tens of thousands of civilians were executed during the 1941-44 Nazi occupation of Greece as part of a brutal campaign to suppress resistance fighters. The Distomo killings, though, have been seen in Greece as one of the worst Nazi atrocities committed in the country.
In 2000, Greece’s Supreme Court upheld the 1997 ruling by the court in Levadia which originally awarded the GRD 9.4bn (USD 25mn) as compensation. The Greek government, though, refused to approve the sale of German state properties to execute the sentence, saying it could harm relations with Germany. And in 2002, the Special Supreme Court, Greece’s highest court, ruled that the relatives of victims could not sue Germany for reparations through Greek courts.
Germany never accepted the Levadia verdict, saying the case violated the principle of state immunity. Germany also insisted the claims were covered by the 115 million marks (USD 56mn) it paid to Greece in the 1960s to compensate victims of the Nazi occupation. The Levadia sentence remained on the books, however. After the Greek judgments blocked any seizure of German assets in Greece, relatives of the victims tried to execute the sentence elsewhere, including in Belgium and Italy, Burzzone said.
The Belgian court rejected the claim, arguing that it could not recognize a sentence of a foreign country that was not enforceable in that country, he said. An appeal is pending. In Italy, though, the Florence court accepted the case and ruled in favor of the victims.
In their arguments before the Florence court, the Distomo relatives successfully cited a 2004 Italian high court ruling that said that state immunity does not apply when war crimes are committed. The lien they secured does not mean that Villa Vigoni is going to be sold off anytime soon, said Joachim Lau, the Italy-based lawyer who is representing the victims here.
It merely means that the German government would have to ask permission of the Distomo relatives if it were to sell it, a ploy the relatives are hoping will compel the government to reach a settlement, Lau said. Lau has estimated that the original Levadia sentence was now worth EUR 62mn (USD 82mn), with interest. Burzzone ruled out any settlement, saying there were simply too many potential claimants. He predicted that eventually the Cassation court would rule in Germany’s favor, by reaffirming that state immunity applies and that the Greek sentence cannot be executed here. “As long as the court cases go on, there is no reason to settle,” he said.
Mark Stephens, a London-based international lawyer with Finers Stephens Innocent, said eventually the Germans may have to pay. “Compensation for war crimes trumps comity between nations,” he said. “We are now at a point where we bring people to account for war crimes. And there are no statute of limitations for war crimes because they are beyond the pale.”
At Villa Vigoni, meanwhile, life continues as usual. “I can assure you that at Villa Vigoni, no one from the police has arrived,” said Aldo Venturelli, the center’s secretary general. “Our activities continue.”
Greece’s Aegean Airlines sign Sabre Airline Solutions June 17, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in News Flights.add a comment
Sabre Airline Solutions has signed a major revenue management contract with the fast growing, privately owned Greek carrier Aegean Airlines.
Aegean will use the product to control seat price and availability, both by flight-leg and segment. It anticipates “significant” incremental revenue as a result. AirMax Revenue Manager features a comprehensive range of decision-support processes including data collection, forecasting, overbooking, optimization, alerting and performance measurement and reporting.
This is Sabre Airline Solutions’ first sale to Aegean, which operates an extensive codeshare partnership with Star Alliance stalwart Lufthansa. The Greek carrier recently expanded its revenue management operation and reviewed a number of systems before deciding on AirMax.
Sabre Airline Solutions will host AirMax for Aegean, working closely with the airline’s revenue management department.
Related Links > http://www.aegeanair.com/aegeanen/home/index.asp
Socrates: A Life Examined June 17, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in BooksLife.add a comment
Luis Navia Publishes 21st Book > Socrates: A Life Examined by Westbury Author, Professor
Westbury resident Dr. Luis E. Navia recently saw the publication of his latest book, Socrates: A Life Examined, published by Prometheus Books. Navia is a professor of philosophy and chair of the Social Sciences Department at New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) and author of 20 other books on ancient Greek philosophy and the Cynic movement.
In this, his 21st book, Navia presents a compelling portrayal of Socrates, the man and his ideas. Socrates: A Life Examined is an examination of the sources of information about Socrates whom the author said “spoke a lot but wrote nothing for which reason all we know about him is furnished to us by others such as Plato, Xenophon, Aristophanes and Aristotle, among others,” Navia said, continuing, “The problem is that their reports about him are not consistent and this implies that our information about Socrates is always problematic. Therefore, my task has been to create a composite portrayal of Socrates as cogent as possible.”
In writing this book, Navia said the goal was to present “a portrait of Socrates accessible even to those who have no acquaintance with philosophy.” “Socrates’ legacy, his message, is one that is as important today as it was 24 centuries ago when he was executed by his own people. His message may be even more critical today because, despite all the advances in science and technology, it seems as if we have lost our direction in what concerns the meaning and value of human existence. Socrates teaches that reason and reason alone is the necessary medicine to cure our intellectual and spiritual maladies,” he said.
Navia views his reconstruction of what he interprets to be Socrates’ philosophy and the relevance that it has on the present world as the most important component of this book. “Scorates’ philosophy is well expressed by his own statement, ‘an unexamined life is not worth living’.”
The author believes readers will find his latest book generally easy to handle with few demanding pages. “They will find a wealth of information about how people lived and died in ancient Greek times, and a great deal of philosophical and spiritual inspiration,” said Navia. “They will be able to walk the streets of ancient Athens in the company of Socrates.”
According to Navia, Socrates: A Life Examined is the summation of his writing career and his most significant contribution in philosophy. “Since my adolescence, Socrates has had a profound influence in my life. No other philosopher has affected me more profoundly. Indeed, we can affirm that no other philosopher has had an influence in the development of ideas as lasting as Socrates,” he said.
Navia regards himself as a citizen of the world and defines philosophy as a vocation, not just as a way of making a living, which obliges him to live an examined life and to regard reason as the only source of legislation for himself and those close to him. This, he believes, is the lesson that philosophy has taught him since the time when, as a child in Colombia, he learned about Aristotle from his father.
Born in Colombia, Navia was educated by the Jesuits and first introduced to the study of philosophy and classical languages at an early age. He came to the United States before his 18th birthday and has lived in Westbury since 1975. Navia received his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Queens College (CUNY) and a master’s and Ph.D. in philosophy from New York University. In 1977 he was awarded a fellowship for post-doctoral work at Princeton University, where he studied ancient Greek cosmology. He also holds a diploma in astronomy from the Coast School of Navigational Astronomy in California.
After holding a variety of jobs during his early 20s, including positions with the United Nations and New York Daily News, Navia began his teaching career at Hofstra University, where he taught foreign languages, and at Queens College (CUNY), where he taught philosophy. Three years later, in 1968, Navia joined the NYIT faculty, where he has been a professor of philosophy since that time and where he has held various administrative positions, including the deanship of the College of Arts, Sciences and Communication. He has also taught courses in philosophy and astronomy at New York University, School of Visual Arts, Touro College and other institutions. From 1974 to 2006, Navia worked for the Commission on Higher Education (Middle States Association) as an evaluator, consultant and pro tempore commissioner.
Navia, who is fluent in several languages and has a vast knowledge of Greek and Latin, has been the recipient of numerous national and international awards for teaching and scholarship. His biography has been included in biographical works such as Who’s Who in the World (2004), Who’s Who in America (2002), Men of Achievement, the Dictionary of International Biography, the Directory of American Scholars and Community Leaders of America, to name a few.
Navia’s books, many of which have been translated into German, French, Spanish, Greek, Portuguese and Japanese, include, but are not limited to: Diogenes the Cynic, Socratic Testimonies, Antisthenes of Athens: Setting the World Aright, The Adventure of Philosophy, Diogenes of Sinope: The Man in the Tub, Classical Cynicism: A Critical Study, The Philosophy of Cynicism: An Annotated Bibliography, The Socratic Presence: A Study of the Sources, The Presocratics: An Annotated Bibliography, Pythagoras: An Annotated Bibliography, Socrates: An Annotated Bibliography, The Fundamental Questions, Socrates: The Man and His Philosophy, An Invitation to Philosophy, Ethics and the Search for Values, A Bridge to the Stars: Our Ancient Cosmic Legacy and Journeys Through Philosophy: A Classical Introduction, among others.
Socrates: A Life Examined can be purchased in bookstores and online. In addition, Navia is currently scheduled to conduct a book signing on Wednesday, July 11 at 8 p.m. at Book Revue, 313 New York Avenue in Huntington.
Chicago Neighborhood Tours > Greek Chicago June 17, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Hellenic Light Americas.add a comment
Unusual sights in the Windy City
That’s the gist behind Chicago Neighborhood Tours, a creation of the city’s tourism division. Visitors sign up and take a guided visit by bus and on foot to neighborhoods like Historic Bronzeville, Hyde Park, Little Italy, Greek Chicago or Ukrainian Village.
A companion program offers special-interest tours. You can visit the city’s magnificent churches, eat your way through ethnic communities or follow Walavich through the tombstones and see where the McCormicks and the Medills, the Palmers and the Pullmans were entombed in digs worthy of the pharaohs.
Patricia Sullivan, manager of the tours program, said it started a decade ago with four tours, and now has 23. Last year, some 3,500 people took the tours. Neighborhood tours last four hours, with a stop for refreshments. It costs $25 for an adult, $20 for seniors and children 8 through 18. Special-interest tours are a little longer with lunch and are $50 and $45.
The tours leave at 10 a.m. on Saturdays, year-round, from the Chicago Cultural Center, at Randolph Street and Michigan Avenue. To make reservations, call 1-312-742-1190 or visit www.chicagoneighborhoodtours.com. Group tours also are available.
”People are familiar with North Michigan Avenue and The Loop,” Sullivan said. ”But the city is made up of 77 community areas with 120 neighborhoods. We try to look at the ethnic neighborhoods or those with historical interest.”
The most popular tours, like the churches and the ”taste of the neighborhoods,” fill up fast. The tours had been offered only on Saturdays, but this year the program has added ‘’summertime sampler tours” on Thursdays, through August 30.
”We do three neighborhoods in three hours on the motor coach for $20, no refreshments, no lunch,” Sullivan said. She added that the special-interest tours give a more in-depth look than the neighborhood tours.
”We do Greek Chicago, led by a couple active in the Greek community,” she said. ”We learn how and why the Greeks came to Chicago, visit a Greek church, the Hellenic Museum, have a Greek lunch, it’s always a hot meal. For the special-interest historic cemeteries tours, we bring a box lunch and have a picnic in the cemetery.”
Read this article at > Salt Lake Tribune.
Sharing roots > A Politically False article in an American newspaper June 17, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Greek Diaspora, Politics.1 comment so far
Yes! That’s right! The title of this post is 100% correct. There are huge mistakes done, and I trust not on purpose, on the following article, which we cite in its original text and original accompanying map. We also cite our email and comment sent to the newspaper, requesting them to proceed in making all corrections needed.
Here is the article in its original text, (bold letters are our choice) >
Sharing roots. Greek-Americans gather for their annual meeting
Sunday, June 17, 2007 By Milton J. Valencia TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
Elections were held yesterday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Worcester, for officers of the Panepirotic Federation of America.
It was the Greek way in Worcester this week, with families and extended families, friends and more friends making up a crowd of some 500 people with roots from the region called Epiros that took over a downtown hotel for a convention and a reunion.
“Greek people love politicians and religious leaders, and so they’re all here,” said Eleni Gage, an author originally from Grafton, and daughter of author and journalist Nicholas Gage. Also, she is family member to many others at the hotel, and friend to practically all of them.
Indeed, it was like a reunion for many who say they take pride in their culture, and their roots that date back to the Northwestern region of Greece, called Epiros, now a part of Albania. Ms. Gage could point to the people from Worcester, and others from New York, some from Los Angeles and even some from the village in Epiros, where her father came from.
“I think people like to talk about it. That’s why there are so many speeches, and everyone is so loud,” she said.
They were young and old. Many, such as Worcester Mayor Konstantina B. Lukes, could trace their roots to the northern part of the region, which became the southern part of Albania when the country was created in 1913.
The majority had roots in Greece, including former Gov. Michael S. Dukakis, Mr. Gage, and even Al and Dorothy Wilson, parents of Rita Wilson and in-laws of Tom Hanks. They came from Los Angeles. Others are local. Still others came from Greece and Epiros, including Nikos Gontas, the Mayor of Ioannina, the provincial capital of Epiros.
The reunion was really the 35th gathering of the Panepirotic Federation, an international organization of descendants of Epiros that was formed in Worcester in 1942.
The association, with 36 chapters, was formed on behalf of what are called the minorities of Epiros — Epirotan Greeks who say they have been discriminated against by the Albanian government since the communist takeover after World War II.
During the three-day convention, the group elected new officers, set new agendas and passed a resolution calling on the United States and the European Union, among others, to encourage the Albanian government to grant Epirotan Greeks their religious and cultural rights.
But once business was completed, the families and longtime friends, all connected by their common link to Epiros, celebrated in Greek fashion with speeches and circle dances, two national anthems, food and drinks, in what truly became a family reunion.
“There’s a lot of history here,” said Mr. Dukakis, whose grandparents were from the village Vrisohori. He’s been to Greece before, but never the village, and so planned to promise the crowd he would do so on his next trip.
The love of the region binds people beyond common pride of their Greek heritage, said Mr. Gage. He compared it to Sicilians’ pride in their homeland — which goes beyond being Italian.
And people remember that mountainous region long after they have come to the United States.
“The unusual thing about people from this area is they have maintained their regional ties more than most people,” Mr. Gage said. “Most people don’t even maintain their ethnic ties after a few generations.”
And it passes on to generations. Al and Dorothy Wilson are 87 and 85 years old and still made the trip from California. In the meantime, Ms. Gage pointed out her 2-year-old godson, the youngest of the crowd.
“You have a connection with people,” said Demetra Ganias, a TV reporter from New York who co-emceed last night’s gala with Ms. Gage.
“Even though we live around the country, around the world, there’s still the connection,” she said. “To us, that’s the amazing thing.”
It was a coming-home for Ms. Ganias, who was born and raised in Worcester. Indeed, she went to St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral.
Here she was yesterday, with what she called the leaders of her family’s heritage: Mayor Gontas, and Metropolitan Methodios, the spiritual leader of Greek Orthodox Christians in New England.
People may have not lived in Greece for 50 years, “but they’re still so proud of their heritage, and so eager to teach the next generation,” she said. “They feel so strong about it, and it’s respectable.”
Above article copyright by Milton J. Valencia and the Worcester Telegram, MA, USA. For the link to the original article > click here
And here is the copy of our email and comment posted to the newspaper >
date 17-Jun-2007 19:07
subject Your article Greek-Americans gather for their annual meeting
Dear Mr Valencia,
Dear Mr Whitin,
I have added a comment related to your above mentioned article appearing on Sunday June 17, the link is http://www.telegram.com/article/20070617/NEWS/706170452/1008/NEWS02
Despite the fact that via your system, after posting my comment, I was notified of an email is being posted to my email address which I correctly provided, so far I have not received any such email in my inbox. Thus I am mailing you directly with copy of my original comment which is as follows:
QUOTE: In your article Greek-Americans gather for their annual meeting by Milton J. Valencia, the author has made some major mistakes, which either they are due to ignorance or due to politics.
First one in paragraph 3 refers “the Northwestern region of Greece, called Epiros, now a part of Albania.” Since when a Greek territory is part of a near by country, ie Albania? Even your map shows the opposite!! Epirus is an area belonging to Greece, the Hellenic Republic! Epirus is famous in history during the WW when the Greek women helped the Greek soldiers climbing via the Pindus mountains. In fact, many of Greek towns, are NOW part of the country named Albania. In Albania, after the communist party of Hotza was ceased, the Orthodox church has strived. There is a large Greek minority in Albania, which in free elections wins substantial seats and votes. There is also the Greek Orthodox Church with its Greek Archbishop.
Second mistake, on your map, you refer to a NON existing country, which you call Macedonia. According to United Nations, this country is called FYROM, which means FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA. Despite the recent political issues, despite the fact that FYROM insists on to be called as Macedonia, despite the political conflict with Greece, since there is an area in Greece called Makedonia or Macedonia, the area where Alexander the Great was born and lived, FYROM is propaganding against it. It seems to me that USA is backing up. So to ask is that your way of backing up illegal use of names, heritage, history and the list goes on!
You are kindly requested to make all necessary corrections to your article, in order to restore historical facts, and to apologise for your author’s ignorance.
For your information, I am citing your article as well as my comment to you, at my blog http://grhomeboy.wordpress.com encouraging my worldwide readers to comment as well. Greece is the craddle of Democracy and of Western Civilization, and will remain as such, but with not accepting any unjustified discriminations against it.
Thank you for your attention, I look forward to reading your corrections.
George (aka grhomeboy)
http://grhomeboy.wordpress.com UNQUOTE
I would appreciate your further comments.
Kindest Regards from Athens, Greece,
George
We urge you to post your comments to the newspaper or to contact and email directly the author and the editor at the newspaper >
Harry T. Whitin: Editor, (508) 793-9187, hwhitin@telegram.com
Milton Valencia: Reporter, (508) 793-9177 mvalencia@telegram.com
grhomeboy
