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from the editors
t is with happiness that I share with you the second issue of Portes, a collection of original stories and photographs compiled for the enjoyment of the few and unique, those sprinkled with that extra dose of creativity and authentic appreciation of Ελληνισμό. This issue is very special to us. In it, we celebrate the unparalleled contributions of Greek war heroes to whom we owe the utmost acknowledgement for the very fact that we are today, free to call ourselves Έλληνες. The Portes group and I were lucky this summer to have visited Panagia Evangelistria Monastery in Skiathos, where the first flag of Greece is known to have been weaved. The Γαλανόλευκη is a modern day symbol of collective Hellenism, and something we cherish. Respect should be paid to those who made it possible for us to have a flag we can call our own. If the few brave and passionate did not make the decision to dedicate their lives to a cause for which a positive result was never guaranteed, Ελλάς would not have been mapped on the globe as a country representing our culture today. I cannot begin to describe the spark I felt upon further studying the life and death of some of our war heroes I grew up learning by name in Ελληνικό Σχολείο. These individuals fought for an idea. They were proud, determined, and genuine. And though many did not live to see the results of their battle, they won it for the rest of us. A battle of a different kind is being fought today in Greece, yet, there seems to be an absence of heroes the general population can follow with a sense of progress, pride, and security. Still, we Greeks must keep calm and continue to better ourselves as both individuals and as a collective group. If one seeks moral support or some inspiration, they need just spend a few moments reading about the struggles of those who preceded us. That should put things into perspective. A true Greek should get shivers just thinking about the great War of Independence. Those carrying the true Greek spirit will “survive” this battle, though it will be a difficult one. On a lighter note, in this issue we also highlight the island of Poros, which our grandfather George Sourtzinos grew up on. Παππού Γιώργο, born in Kerkyra, valued education and learning, passing that trait on to our mother, who has instilled it in us. We wish he could be here to see what we’ve done with Portes. We dedicate this issue to the war heroes of 1821, and to our παππού, who we miss very much!
*Anthe Mitrakos is a Chicago journalist, writer, and graphic designer. She has reported for, and worked at various news agencies including Crain’s Chicago Business, CBS Network News, FOX News Chicago, and the Chicago Sun-Times, among others. She graduated with honors from Loyola University Chicago, which named her 2010 Journalism Senior of the Year. Anthe enjoys travel, drawing, painting, cooking, writing, and studying the Greek language.
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e are back again with our second issue! Since the summer we have been busy introducing Portes to a wide range of communities and organizations in the Hellenic diaspora and in Greece. On our journey, we received a lot of feedback, and the most common questions we heard were: What is your focus and who is your target audience? In the time it took to publish this issue, we reflected on the feedback and comments we have received. Taking into consideration the comments, I realized we didn’t really have a concrete “cookie-cutter” answer to the questions above. Yes, our tagline is to highlight and celebrate “The Best of Everything Greek,” but how does that make us unique and what is it that we aim to provide our readers with? So, in reflection, I would respond to some of the feedback with the following: There is so much that goes into the creation and production of Portes that it is difficult to provide an all-encompassing sentence about our focus or our audience. In brief, our focus and content is both scattered and selective. Our audience is simply anyone who enjoys reading something exclusive and has an appreciation for the artistic, the creative, and the yet to be discovered. But it goes beyond that. On a broader scale, we want our readers to experience Portes inside and out. Time and again, readers express their excitement about our original photos, stories...the look, size, feel and yes, even the smell of Portes. So when we think about it, we want you to feel inspired by the pages in this book and we hope you resist the temptation to rip them out and post them on your wall. We want you to share the stories with others and to eagerly anticipate the next copy. And there is definitely more to each issue than the artistic appearance alone. Our goal is to foster an interaction with our audience as well. Whether it’s publishing photos from our fans or serving as a channel for young talent to express their stories, work, or ideas, Portes is an interactive platform. We hope our readers flip through Portes not just once, but over and over again and feel happy and proud to share it with others. Engaging with Portes is like making a fashion statement. Portes is new, out of the ordinary, a bit bold and constantly changing but with a touch of continuity. What I like the most is the freedom to create, design, and write. Every issue is a seemingly random collection of things that make us happy, and that’s exactly what we love about this book! *Vasiliki Mitrakos is a senior at Northwestern University studying Political Science, Legal Studies, and International Studies. She is the recipient of several academic awards including the Katherine L. Kreighbaum Scholarship, the Weinberg Research Grant, and the Northwestern Club of Chicago Scholarship. Vasiliki enjoys traveling to Greece, politics, and international relations. She regularly contributes to various media and scholarly publications.
Vasiliki & Anthe Mitrakos - Editors, Portes Magazine.
special contributors Angelyn (Angie) K. Balodimas-Bartolomei is an associate professor of education at North Park University in Chicago and Coordinator of the ESL Teachers Endorsement Program and MALLC (Masters of Literacy, Language & Culture) Program. Her areas of research include comparative education, Greek/Italian/Jewish ethnic identity, the Greek Romaniote Jews, the Griki of Southern Italy, and Holocaust Education, in addition to being the author of “Footsteps through Athina.”
Dimitris Polymenopoulos is a Greek-American freelance journalist and photographer based in Athens. He received his degree in Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture from the National Technical University of Athens, but fate drew him into new media, in which he currently, and happily, resides.
Chris Blake is a media relations coordinator and one of the radio broadcasters for the Corpus Christi Hooks minor league baseball team. He was part of the Reinventing Greece Media Project launch team in July 2011 that set out to document the everchanging economic landscape in Greece. Originally from Dallas, Chris is a proud Texas Christian University Horned Frog and hopes one day to conquer the whole “speaking Greek fluently” thing.
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on the inside From the Editors 03 Wonderful Greece 07 Ariston Foundation 09
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Celebrations 10 Philanthrophy 13 Party Politics 15 Ethnic Study
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Greek Flag 21 History 22
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Timeline 23 Greek Heroes 25 Time Machine 27 Ekklisia 29
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Chroma 31
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Centerfold: Artist Spotlight 33 Gallery Portes 37
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Mousiki 39 Moda: Designer Spotlight 41 Vitrina 44
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Ecology 45
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Destinations 47 Kouzina 51 Sports: Athlete Spotlight 55 University Square 58 Aesop’s Fables 59 Heron’s Inventions 60 Periptero 61 Environment 63 Spotlight: Designer 64
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ON THE COVER:
Photographs of Greek doors by Andriana Mitrakos.
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ARISTON FOUNDATION publisher ANTHE & VASILIKI MITRAKOS executive editors ANDRONIKI PAPADOPOULOS managing editor ANDRIANA MITRAKOS design editor GEORGIA MITRAKOS copy editor LOOPIE mascot CONTRIBUTORS - Angelyn Bartolomei - Dimitris Polymenopoulos - Chris Blake -
POR T E SM AG A ZI NE .CO M The Fine Print: Portes Magazine is published bi-annually by Ariston Foundation, a non-profit organization. No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced without prior written consent of the editor. The Portes Magazine logo is a design and registered trademark of Ariston Foundation. To contact Ariston Foundation, e-mail: contact@aristonfoundation.org. To contact Portes Magazine for ad placement or for other inquiries, e-mail: info@portesmagazine. com. Or write to us at Ariston Foundation/Portes Magazine P.O. Box 46064, Chicago, Illinois 60646.
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Michael Bozis
llatos Vasilis Ra
Michael Bozis
Antonis Bofilios
Stella Mandeh ou
El-Habre Lara Katerina
Yiouli S. Andriana Mitrakos
Andrew
Kantzo
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Alexi Stocker
ocker Alexi St
Andriana Mitrakos
Dimitris Mele kos
Photos selected from fan and subscriber submissions to our last photo contest. To submit your best photos of Greece for a chance to see them in the next issue of Portes Magazine e-mail us at myportes@portesmagazine.com.
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est.
“I would rather excel in the knowledge of what is excellent, than in the extent of my power and possessions.� - Plutarch
2011
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riston Foundation was established in 2011 on Greek Independence Day, to celebrate Hellenism and award excellence in academic achievement.
Portes Magazine Launch Party
C e l e b r a t i o n s!
The inaugural issue of Portes Magazine was published in July 2012. A launch party was hosted at Chicago’s Sushi Samba. Guests enjoyed the new publication with delight! A special birthday cake was designed & served by Chicago Sweet Connection Bakery. Portes Magazine Editors & guests at the summer 2012 release of the inaugural issue of Portes.
The Scale of Justice tips to: Guilty
About 1,000 members of CHICAGO’s community came together in January at a mock re-trial of the great philosopher Socrates, an event hosted by the National Hellenic Museum at the Hilton Palmer House. Mock court participants consisted of Chicago attorneys, journalists, judges, academics & businessmen. After hearing the deliberation, the public cast their vote.The verdict? Guilty. But this time, Socrates was spared the death penalty.
An audience of 1,000 filled the room at a mock re-trial of Socrates held more than 2,400 years after the philosopher was sentenced to death by the Athenian government.
left: National Hellenic Museum Members of the Board: Thomas Skallas, vice-chairman, Connie Mourtopalas, president, John Calamos Sr., chairman, & Peter Parthenis, vice-chairman. right: Niko Marneris, Eleni Katsoulis, & Constance Barlas.
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left: Michael Gerasimou enjoys a copy of Portes Magazine. above: Terry, Peter, & John Stratoudakis.
Friends & new acquaintances convened at the Nation’s Capital for 3 fun-filled nights of Pan Hellenism Weekend 2012. Hosted by the DCGreeks Chronis brothers. above left: Guests enjoy a night out at AHEPA’s headquarters rooftop. above right: Joy Economos & George Logothetis. below left: Kostas & Andreas Lagos & guests. below right: Christiana Shoushtari, Harris Mylonas, & Andreas Akaras.
$105,000 raised in CHICAGO at the Hope for the Children of Greece luncheon, December 2012. Sponsored by Soteria Foundation & Chateu Ritz.
above: Congressman John Sarbanes with recipients of the AHI Hellenic Heritage Public Service Award for the Promotion of Heritage, Dr. Victor G. Polizos & Karen Stamatiades, with AHI President Nick Larigakis, & Conference Chairman Sandy Papadopoulos.
Greek-American
leaders, professionals, & students gather at the 2012 American Hellenic Institute conference in
Atlanta, GA. to discuss
Hellenism.
left: Aleco Haralambides, Archimedian Academy vice president speaks about the importance of instilling Hellenic ideals in students. below: Speros Kokenes, Vasiliki Mitrakos, Georgea Polizos, Anthe Mitrakos, Melanie Papadopoulos, Dean Polizos, & Nick Kostopoulos, front.
above: Dimitri & Eleni Bousis, fashion designer Patricia Field, model Vicky Kaya, Evangelo & Victoria Bousis help raise money for orphans & childern with special needs in Greece. below: Chicago youth come together in celebration of Hope for the Children of Greece.
Cel e br a t i o n s !
above: Michael & Mary Jaharis, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Elaine & Steven Jaharis, Valerie & Michael Jaharis at the opening celebration of the new exhibit “Of Gods and Glamour.” below: Paula & Peter Fasseas, with guest.
above: His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos sits with guests. below: Alexi Giannoulias with guest.
The Art Institute of Chicago opened the Mary & Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman and Byzantine Art on November 11, 2012. Over 550 pieces are on display in the gallery, including 150 pieces from around the world, on loan from private collections & public institutions. The gallery brings a new dynamic to the museum’s Greek & Roman collections, melding together the aesthetics of Mediterranean history that spans over 4,000 years. In February of 2011, the Jaharis Family Foundation had helped make the new exhibit possible with their donation of $10 million - the largest gift ever received for support of ancient Mediterranean and Byzantine art at the Art Institute. The donation has helped with acquiring & loaning new pieces & establishing educational programs about ancient Greek, Roman & Byzantine art at the museum. The inaugural display was aptly titled “Of Gods and Glamour,” & opened with a special reception for the Jaharis family, guests of honor, & members of the Greek-American community in Chicago.
You are cordially invited: Send us a note about more great events happening near you! media@portesmagazine.com
front: Vasiliki & Anthe Mitrakos back: Stathis Bousis, Anna Sophia Loumis & George Bousis.
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THE ALPHA OMEGA COUNCIL & The Peter Agris Memorial Scholarship: Awarding Excellence in Journalism
C
elebrating its 37th anniversary this year, the Boston, Mass.-based Alpha Omega Council continues to avidly serve the interests of the Greek-American community. Alpha Omega Council was founded in 1976 by the late Peter Agris, whose memory the council celebrates with several journalism scholarships. In an effort to better unite Hellenes and fill a gap in his community, Mr. Agris launched The Hellenic Chronicle, an English-language weekly newspaper, at the young age of 24 in 1950. Through the Chronicle, Greek-American news and stories of Hellenic achievements, politics, events, and causes were noted and celebrated. Gathering a national following, the paper became the largest Greek-American national weekly in the United States. “It was not a money making venture. It was a venture from the heart,” says his daughter Nancy Agris-Savage, who now serves as executive director of the council’s scholarship programs. Clearly reflected by his involvement with Greek happenings and journalism, Mr. Agris was an active member of the Greek-American and Greek-Orthodox communities. “I call him the ‘nouno of networking,’” says Agris-Savage. “He used to talk about ways to keep Greeks in touch. Way before anyone used the word networking, he was doing it.” After the death of her father in 1989, Agris-Savage ran the Chronicle for ten more years. Facing the increasingly tough print market, and having to spend more time with her family, she decided to put The Hellenic Chronicle to rest on its 50th anniversary in September of 2000. “The newspaper business is a 52 week a year business,” she says. “There are no summer vacations, or Christmas vacations. I published a newspaper when my father died and I published one the week I got married.” The Hellenic Voice weekly succeeded the Chronicle, though sadly, the Voice too was taken out of circulation in 2012. “I see Greek-American publications plummeting,” says Agris-
Savage. “I find that Greek-Americans don’t support those kinds of things like they should.” While facing a firestorm for discontinuing the paper, Agris-Savage took it upon herself to help young Greek-Americans to stay in the field of journalism, something very dear to her. Support and motivation are key factors in the success of young adults, and to honor the council’s founder, the Peter Agris Memorial Scholarship fund was established in 1993. These scholarships are a vehicle for Greek-American students to network with each other. Recipients are not only awarded with $5,000, but are flown to Boston to meet their peers and mingle with celebrated Greek-American leaders at the Lifetime Achievement Awards dinner. Aside from journalism scholarships, the Alpha Omega Council also runs a mentoring program, helping students determine a career path direction through advice and networking. Very important to the scholarship committee’s consideration of some 150 annual applicants is their active role in Hellenism and Orthodoxy. And, as a sign of the times, these two aspects of “being Greek” are naturally beginning to fade. “Twenty years ago the majority of applicants had both Greek parents, Greek last names, and they were baptized in the Greek Orthodox church,” notes Agris-Savage. “That’s not the case anymore.” Naturally losing one’s ties to Greece and the true Hellenic heritage is a matter of time for those living outside of the motherland, but it is the ongoing efforts of those who cherish our culture that keeps us together as Greeks. “It’s going to be more and more of a struggle each generation to keep our Greek heritage as being something important and vital to us Greek-Americans. I think that’s where we have a crisis,” Agris-Savage says. But the Greek flame is difficult to put out she notes, and the future seems bright as long as we stick together and support each other.
Peter Agris (1926-1989) Born and raised in Massachusetts, Peter Agris served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and later attended Suffolk University and Boston University’s School of Public Communication. At just 24 years old in 1950, he founded The Hellenic Chronicle, an English-language weekly newspaper targeting the Greek-American community. The newspaper soon gathered a national following, making it the largest Greek-American newspaper in the United States. It was filled with stories about achievements within the community, charitable causes, religious issues, social news, as well as current events in Greek politics and in U.S. policy toward the Mediterranean. It also followed the news of the organizations that Peter Agris took pride in, like the American Hellenic Educational and Progressive Association (AHEPA) and the Alpha Omega Council, which he founded in 1976. Agris, who died in 1989, had high standards as an individual and as a journalist. The Alpha Omega Council celebrates and honors his memory by awarding the Peter Agris Memorial Scholarships annually since 1993.
the
Alpha Omega Council
the
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a prominent individual of Hellenic ancestry for the achievement of excellence in a chosen career or profession, or a Hellenic organization for contributions to the community. Past recipients of the award include Emmy Award-winning actor Telly Savalas, former Governor of Massachusetts and Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, author and investigative journalist Nicholas Gage, internet pioneer and businessman Ted Leonsis, and the Alexander Onassis Foundation.
the
Peter Agris Memorial Scholarship The Peter Agris Memorial Scholarship recognizes and celebrates the achievements of graduate and undergraduate college level students of Hellenic descent pursuing a career in journalism and communications. The scholarships are awarded annually in honor and memory of Alpha Omega Council’s late founder, and publisher of The Hellenic Chronicle, Peter Agris. The $5,000 award is presented at the Alpha Omega Council’s Annual Lifetime Achievement Award Dinner held in June of every year. To date, the council has awarded a little over $400,000 to 81 deserving students since the scholarship’s inception in 1993.
The Alpha Omega Council, established in 1976, is comprised of 21 leading businesspersons of Hellenic ancestry, honoring its late founder Peter Agris, awarding the annual scholarships to GreekAmericans pursuing careers in journalism and communications. Thanasi C. Liakos, a long-time member of the board of trustees, currently serves as president of the council. The Alpha Omega Council hosts an annual Christmas party and a student mentoring program to help college graduates network in their field of interest. Including the journalism scholarships, the council has raised and donated over $1.6 million to core charities including the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston, the Hellenic Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, and Philoxenia House.
“
This scholarship introduced me to a network of successful Greek journalists that had the same vision or goals as I do. It’s easy to meet and talk to another reporter, but it’s not easy to meet one who has strong journalistic values and shares common spiritual or religious values. That’s why I found a strong connection to those involved with the Alpha Omega Scholarship. It afforded me a chance to recognize that following my television dreams is possible, because of the countless success stories of Greek-Americans before me. Meeting John Metaxas and other revered names in the industry gave me someone to look up to and model myself after. I thank the organization for that, because otherwise that would not have happened.
”
- Angelica Spanos (‘08) Television reporter, FOX Connecticut News. For more information on the work of the Alpha Omega Council and the Peter Agris Memorial Scholarships, please visit alphaomegacouncil.com.
Mr. & Mrs. Agris | 2008 Peter Agris Memorial Scholarship Recipients | Nancy Agris Savage
Editors’ note: As past recipients of the Alpha Omega Council’s Peter Agris Memorial Scholarships, Anthe (‘08) & Vasiliki (‘10), we are ever so thankful for the recognition & motivation the council provides to aspiring journalists. Programs such as these truly make a difference in our community, and as Hellenes, supporting missions awarding excellence should be a priority. They serve as a catalyst and inspiration to those who appreciate the honor of acknowledgement, beyond the monetary gift.
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Party Politics in Greece
In the most recent elections, Greece experienced a dramatic shift in support away from the historically dominant political parties. Portes takes a look at the significance of party stability in Greece, and what that might tell us about public opinion and the future of party politics.
By Vasiliki Mitrakos
T
he political tension in Greece reached a feverish pitch on May 6, 2012, after the country failed to elect a leading party in the national elections following the cessation of the interim government under Prime Minister Lucas Papademos. Consequently, the Hellenic Parliament called for a second round of elections on June 17, 2012, hoping a coalition government could help prevent a looming political collapse and exit from the Eurozone. The battle over seats in parliament ended with a coalition among the pro-bailout parties of New Democracy (ND), the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), and the Democratic Left (DIMAR), bringing ND in control under Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. Despite the longtime rivalry and ideological differences between ND and PASOK, the party leaders at least agreed on one thing: the collapse of the government was not an option. A coalition had to be formed. Although this cooperation quelled international fears of Greece’s potential exit from the Eurozone, the electoral rearrangement that
followed has been indicative of a rather dramatic shift in voting behavior, coupled with rising political polarization. For example, this is only the second time since 1974 that more than five independent political parties have surpassed the 3% vote threshold required to gain seats in the parliament. The Hellenic Parliament now houses representatives from seven different political parties, bringing together a whirlwind of platforms and agendas responding differently to the economic crisis at hand. Interestingly, new members of this tapestry of factions include representatives from two parties established in the last two years, namely the Democratic Left and the Independent Greeks. Also winning seats for the first time since its formation in 1993 was Golden Dawn, Greece’s far-right nationalist party. At the same time, Greece’s historically dominant parties struggled to gain the majority of votes. These enigmatic election results bring to focus many important questions about the future of Greek politics and the stability of dominant parties during crises.
Falling Out of Favor: New Democracy and PASOK The June elections not only illustrated the public’s frustration with the past government’s actions, but also showed the volatility of party stability during an economic crisis. In a typical election, incumbent parties are expected to take the blame for consequences of an economic downturn, and are often voted out of office as a result. The election in Greece is a curious case because both dominant parties have fallen out of favor, rather than just the incumbent PASOK. Historically, Greece has been a majoritarian government with a bi-party representation for the most part. Since 1977, PASOK and ND have each carried between 38% and 48% of the vote for every election, and fringe parties rarely gained above 5-7% of the vote. This time around, the public clearly rejected the reigning parties, causing vote shares for PASOK and ND to drop dramatically. For PASOK, support went from 43.9% of the vote in 2009 to just 12.3% in the June election, a decline of over 70%. But PASOK’s leading opposition was not safe either. In the first round of elections, ND gathered only 18.8%, and in the second, won the election by a slim margin with 29.6% of the vote. This is still a loss of support for a party that received 33.4% of the vote in 2009, and had on average 41.9% of the vote share since 1974.
Rising Political Contenders Often depicted in mainstream media as parties in opposition, the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) and Golden Dawn, have gained significant support from ideologically different spheres of the Greek public. Rising from a fringe party formed in 1993 by Nikolaos Michaloliakos, Golden Dawn has gained notoriety as the farright nationalist party of Greece. Though there has been much opposition to the party, especially by mainstream media, Golden Dawn gained a substantial number of followers in 2012. Having secured 18 seats in parliament is an indication of the rising discontent with historically dominant parties, and a change in the political preference of many voters. On the other side of the spectrum lies SYRIZA, which became a party independent from PASOK in 2004. SYRIZA is currently the main opposition party to the coalition government headed by ND, with 71 parliamentary seats and rising popularity. Major support for the party has come from voters who oppose the bailout and the austerity measures. Alexis Tsipras, leader of SYRIZA, has been heading a vocal opposition against reform policies, rejecting the bailout conditions, and threatening to cancel the entire memorandum if elected. “It is clear that the Greek economy and Greek state apparatus have their own endemic problems. These problems are structural and have deep roots. However, these problems are not what caused the economic crisis,” said Tsipras during a January interview with the Brookings Institute, a Washington DC-based public policy organization. “The crisis is not something that is strictly Greek, and though these problems didn’t cause the crisis they made it worse,” he said. According to Golden Dawn Member of Parliament and spokesman
Ilias Kasidiaris, the two parties are not in direct competition with each other. But the fact that Golden Dawn and SYRIZA, among other fringe parties, have increased their vote share significantly in less than two years indicates a turning point for the Greek public, especially for the younger generation whose future has been marred by the crisis. “We think that among the youth, Golden Dawn is one of the top political parties,” Kasidiaris said, in an exclusive interview with Portes Magazine. “Thus, in the immediate future we will definitely see a change in the political system in Greece and a clear change in the public’s mentality.” Although Greece is not a stranger to ideologically divisive and polarized groups, the current crisis has been coupled with an increasingly discouraged population and frequent episodes of civil unrest and protests. The decline in voter turnout over the summer is another indicator of growing public disaffection. Despite the compulsory voting law in Greece, voter turnout dropped from 70.5% in 2009 to 65% in 2012. In comparison, between 1990 and 2004, voter turnout consistently hovered around 80%. What is the significance then, of the political landscape having changed to such a degree? The current dispersion of vote shares, and the rising support for relatively new fringe parties both illustrate the severity of public disapproval and frustration over the consequences of the crisis, the reforms, and austerity measures being put into place.
In comparison: Looking at the rest of Europe However turbulent Greece’s political and economic crisis has been, the subsequent electoral rearrangement in June may be attributed to more than austerity measures and fiscal issues alone. For example, when comparing Greece to other European counterparts facing mounting debt, austerity, and rising unemployment, we see their party systems have not changed as dramatically as they have in Greece, except maybe in Italy. Take into consideration the other four fifths of the “PIIGS” countries. In Portugal, the incumbent party lost 23% of its vote share, compared to the previous election, which is a relatively normal change considering the economic downturn and unemployment rate. In Spain, where youth unemployment has surpassed the levels in Greece and the government has also received monetary assistance from the EU, the incumbent party lost 33.5% of the vote. Only in Ireland did the incumbent party suffer more than a 45% vote share loss, but unlike Greece the country did not see the entrance of new political parties with more than 2% of the vote share, and the majority of votes went to the established opponent party. Not surprisingly, in Italy, where the public has been outraged by austerity measures and corruption scandals among politicians, the election results have been similarly derailing as they have been in Greece. The newly created Five Star Movement party won the largest single party vote share on a slim margin, but the elections have not produced a working majority in Italy, and the country might face another round of elections soon. Furthermore, when considering the degree of political polarization and the rise in fringe parties, both Italy and Greece saw a rise in small or relatively new factions, which pulled a large part of the vote share away from the traditional
BBC | NSD European Database | OECD Statistics | Eurostat
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So how would we characterize the results of the last election in Greece? According to Seawright, differences in electoral results that are coupled with economic crises are generally characterized either as a party system collapse or simply a party system change. A party system collapse occurs when the traditional party structure is threatened by the presence of new parties that swiftly overtake or completely overthrow the incumbent parties. Conversely, party system changes occur more gradually, and the difference in vote shares between elections is more conservative and rare. In the case of Greece, there was a swift decline of public support for the incumbent parties and the entrance of three new parties that resulted in the failed elections of May 2012. But by June of that year, the government was able to garner enough support and collaboration to form a coalition government, thus avoiding an immediate collapse. So it appears that the electoral results may lie somewhere between a party system collapse and gradual party system change. Although the future of political party stability in Greece is not certain, it is clear from polling data that the memorandum and economic crisis have created a new line of division among the Greek public. There is some indication that the phenomenon is linked to the frustration over the austerity measures and perception of corrupt heads of state, but it is not yet conclusive, as concrete research has not been conducted. Only time will tell how damaging or beneficial this degree of polarization may be to Greece’s road for recovery. Maybe the politics of the past will finally be rooted out and the newcomers will change the political landscape in Greece.
-5.8
Greece’s score on the social climate index. Down 2 index points since 2009 and currently the lowest in the EU. Average value in the EU is -.8. According to Eurostat, the index measures general perceptions of the country, personal circumstances, and future outlook.
Parties ND
45 40
PASOK
35
KKE
30 25
SYRIZA
20
XA
15
LAOS
10
DIMAR
5 0
ANEL 1990 1993 1996 2000 2004 2007 2009 2012 2012
Year The chart above tracks the electoral results of major political parties in Greece since 1990. The results indicate a sharp rise in support for Syriza and a sharp decline for Greece’s traditionally dominant parties - New Democracy and PASOK.
63% 74% 18% of Greeks think society needs significant changes.
of Greeks do not agree with the memorandum.
Portes Magazine Graphic | NSD European Database Statistics.
Signs of Party System Collapse or Just Change?
National Election Results Since 1990 50
Vote-share
parties, but other countries have not seen this electoral shift. Thus, it may not necessarily be the case that change in voter behavior can be attributed to the persistence of an economic crisis alone. In his latest book, Party-System Collapse, Jason Seawright, professor of political science at Northwestern University, explains that elections are relatively stable over time but when dramatic changes occur they are often motivated more by the anger and frustration of voters with traditional political parties than the general economic circumstances. Thus, other factors to consider in the case of Greece, in comparison to other countries, are the perceptions of corruption and the depth of the economic crisis each country faces. In Greece, the perception of corruption among politicians rose significantly between 2009 and 2012, and ranked the lowest among the EU countries, going from a score of 71 to 94 on the index of perceived corruption, according to Transparency International, an organization that monitors international corruption. The index ranges from 1 to 174 with 1 begin the least corrupt. In comparison, the perception of corruption rank in other PIIGS countries has dropped only a few points, despite the turbulence surrounding their economies.
of Greeks favor the memorandum.
50% + -25% 91% 79% 26.8% Youth unemployment in 2012.
The average decline in real wage since 2010, according to OECD General umemployment in Statistics. 2012. Highest in the EU.
of Greeks perceive their household finances have worsened.
OECD Statistics | European Commission: Eurostat | The World Bank | Public Issue
of Greeks expect the economy will get worse in the next five years.
Founded: 1974 Name: PanHellenic
Founded: 2010 Name: Democratic Left Leader: Fotis Kouvelis Main Platform: The party was
Socialist Movement (PASOK) Leader: Evangelos Venizelos Main Platform: PASOK is probailout but wants to extend Greece’s fiscal adjustment period until 2015. Venizelos presented a “National Regeneration Plan” proposing a reformed tax system that will ease the burden on low-income earners and pensioners for the next 10 years. PASOK wants to provide economic incentives and liquidity for small and medium-sized enterprises, and also advocates pushing the youth toward agricultural jobs. Moving away from Papandreou’s pervious policies, the party has now pledged to clamp down on illegal immigration and plans to create 30 additional detention centers.
established by four members of SYRIZA, who wanted to break from SYRIZA’s anti-European platform. Later, several members of PASOK also joined. The party wants to remain in the European Union but rejects the bailout deal. Kouvelis argues for slightly higher tax rates and reforming tax evasion, eliminating corruption and cutting public waste to reduce spending in 2013 and 2014. On the issue of illegal immigration, the party wants to revise the Dublin II Agreement and supports the repatriation of undocumented immigrants.
Founded: 2004 Name: Coalition of the
Radical Left (SYRIZA)
Main
Left Wing
PASOK DIMAR 33 17
Leader: Alexis Tsipras Platform: SYRIZA was
created through a collaboration of several left-wing and communist groups. SYRIZA supports Greece’s membership in the EU, but opposes austerity measures and several EU-IMF imposed reforms including privatization efforts and the deregulation of maritime enterprises. However, Tsipras has not been entirely clear if the party would support the return to the Drachma. SYRIZA wants to see the return of worker’s cooperatives and sustainable businesses, and would hope to legalize all immigrant workers. It is in favor of abolishing the Dublin II Agreement to speed up asylum processing.
Right Wing
KKE 12
SYRIZA 71
Portes Magazine Graphic
ND 129
300 Seats
ANEL 20 XA 18
June 2012 Election Results The 2012 General Elections in Greece ushered in several new parties into the Hellenic Parliament. Portes Magazine breaks down the basics of each party currently in office.
Founded: 1918, regained legal status in 1974. Name: Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Leader: Aleka Papariga Main Platform: KKE openly favors Greece’s exit from the Eurozone and the EU. The party argues for minimum pension rates, and a freeze on all privatization programs and private debts until the country exits the crisis. Staying true to the party’s Marxist-Leninist ideology, Papariga says KKE will not cooperate with other parties in a coalition government and urges voters to fight for their interests against the capitalist system. Regarding social issues, KKE wants to legalize immigrant workers and grant asylum to refugees. Additionally, KKE favors reversing the Dublin II Agreement, which has put pressure on Greece to deal with 80% to 90% of the immigrants seeking to enter the EU.
Founded: 1974 Name: New Democracy Leader: Antonis Samaras Main Platform: ND advocates
for restructuring the loan agreement requirements and imposing a 15 percent flat tax for businesses and the lowering of VAT. Samaras also supports full privatization programs and estimates around 11 billion euros in savings can come from cutting public sector waste in 2013 and 2014. ND has also pledged to tighten immigration flows and repeal a law allowing second-generation migrants to claim Greek citizenship. Samaras also wants to get rid of parliamentary immunity and set up a parliamentary committee to investigate scandals.
Founded: 2012 Name: Independent Greeks Leader: Panos Kammenos Main Platform: Independent Greeks
is a right-wing nationalist party formed in February 2012 by Panos Kammenos, a former member of New Democracy. The party opposes the EU-IMF memorandum and has called for the nationalization of the Bank of Greece. Kammenos has been highly critical of the current parties and fears that economic intervention has led to the loss of political independence. Kammenos wants to remove the EU and IMF’s influence on Greece’s finances and has even labeled the crisis as a European conspiracy. He has advocated for the payment of German war reparations originally owed to Greece, and has called to eliminate the parliamentary immunity.
Founded: 1993 Name: Golden Dawn Leader: Nikos Michaloliakos Main Platform: Golden Dawn is opposed to the EU-IMF loan requirements but wants to remain in the EU. Golden Dawn calls for the cancellation of Greece’s bailouts and the erasing of any debt accumulated since. Regarding immigration, the party has also called for the removal of illegal immigrants and the tightening of Greece’s boarder with Turkey. The party wants to cut out influence from the EU and IMF on Greece’s politics. Michaloliakos also argues that Greece has enough natural resources to help it through the crisis, but needs to redirect labor to primary manufacturing and agriculture.
18
“The Ethnic Identity of Second and Third Generation Greek Americans!”
This study, conducted by Dr. Angelyn Balodimas Bartolomei, analyzes the effects of generation status on Hellenism among GreekAmericans. It has been presented at several conferences, including those of the American Hellenic Institute, the Modern Greek Studies Association, and the Centers of Globalization: Greek America.
By Dr. Angelyn Balodimas Bartolomei Since I am a university professor, research plays a very significant role in my life, and I have performed several studies in the area of sociology. Whereas Hellenism is a passion of mine, I tend to design studies that have a Greek component. For years, I have been interested in Greek identity. As I immersed myself in journals and books, I realized that several decades had passed since such studies were performed, and that there was an absence of current Greek identity research in academia. In addition, I began looking at different sociological theories on ethnic identity, assimilation, and acculturation. I wanted to see if they could be applied to the current day identity of Greek-Americans. So I began my venture. I first examined previously performed studies on other ethnic groups. Since most of the studies used an attitudinal questionnaire in gathering information about the participants, I examined existing documents and then designed a survey for the Greek community. The questionnaire contained 80 questions. It was divided into several sections that sought to gain information about the socio-demographics and personal history of the Greek-American participants; their attitudes about ethnic identity and culture; ethnic motherland contact and the use and importance of the Greek language, among other topics. The project was conducted in two phases. The first phase consisted of the pilot study. The results were calculated, examined, and analyzed. The questionnaire was reevaluated and then reformatted and slightly redesigned. In addition, it was decided at this time that
the next stage would be a comparative study among Greek and Italian Americans. The same questionnaire was then formatted for the second group. The questionnaires began circulating among Greek and Italian organizations and universities, ethnic newspapers, websites, and acquaintances. The cooperation among the Greek community was phenomenal. Both my website and university mailbox were constantly overflowing. One hundred and fifty participants from around the country took part in the Greek study, with the majority being from Chicago and the suburbs. Half were second generation and the other half were either third or third plus. The majority of the participants ranged between the ages of 18 and 59 years old. The top five professions of the participants were teachers, students, attorneys, consultants, professors and office managers. The highest level of education for 38% of the participants consisted of a BA; 23% had earned an MA, and 6% a PhD. The results were both amazing and alarming. There is definitely a decrease of ethnic involvement and attachment in all areas of the study among third generation Greek-Americans. Such results contradict Hansen’s (1962) Third Generation Hypothesis indicating that the third generation returns back to its ancestral group. I was rather surprised to see the high decrease in Greek ethnicity and religion among the third generation group. It is rather disturbing. Since I always look at life with a half-filled glass, I believe that there are several opportunities within the Greek community to preserve, perpetuate
and promote Hellenism. This study should serve as a wake-up call to all. To start, we need Greek foundations, organizations, university Greek study programs and chairs, additional study abroad programs to Greece and updated Greek schools equipped with current technological and methodological resources to advance Hellenism. It is time that we study and emulate other ethnic groups, such as the Jewish Community, to pattern and restructure both our educational and cultural centers. We also need to take a new approach and market who and what we are. We have done a terrific job in keeping our Greek community alive and close knit, however, we have failed in stepping beyond our community to show others what Hellenism is all about. We need a new approach, a new mentality, and of course, plenty of funding. I am confident that there are several people out in our community who can make a difference and bring about the change we need! We must stop complaining about the situation and do something to improve it!
Dr. Angelyn Balodimas Bartolomei is an associate professor of education at North Park University in Chicago, and Coordinator of the ESL Teachers Endorsement Program and MALLC (Masters of Literacy, Language & Culture) Program. Her areas of research include comparative education, Greek/Italian/Jewish ethnic identity, the Greek Romaniote Jews, the Griki of Southern Italy, and Holocaust Education. She is the author of “Footsteps through Athina.”
The following findings are based on the participation of 150 Greek-Americans living in the Midwest. The study identifies how current second, third, and third+ generation Greek-Americans view and interpret their cultural, ethnic, and religious identity. Portes Magazine has highlighted some of Dr. Bartolomei’s findings.
78% 31% -VS-
2nd generation Greeks grew up speaking Greek
Chart Title Series1
“The majority of my friends are from my Greek community”
78
26.7% Agree
Series2
3rd+ generation Greeks grew up speaking Greek
48 31
54.2% Agree
3rd + generation 2nd generation
14 Grew Up Speaking Greek
Currently Speak Greek at Home
TRIPS to GREECE 3.4%
11.1%
2nd
generation
5%
30%
35.1%
3rd
generation
56.7%
50.4% 1
2
3
8.3%
Yearly 2-‐3 Years 1 2 3
4-‐10 Years 4
Never
4
Correspondence with Greece
100
90
90
80
80
70
70
60
60
50
50
40
40
90% Agree
66.1% Agree
20
10
10
0
Email/Mail
Telephone
2nd
generation 33.9% Disagree
30
20
10% Disagree
Contact with Greek Media
100
30
“I feel it is important that Greek-American children attend Greek school.”
0
Internet Print Media
Radio
3rd
generation
Television Satellite TV
Graphics by Portes Magazine. Statistics based on Dr. Angelyn Balodimas Bartolomei’s study “The Ethnic Identity of Second and Third Generation Greek-Americans!”
20
Γαλανόλευκη Ελληνική Σημαία It is thought that the 9 stripes represent the syllables of the phrase “Eλευθερία ή Θάνατος,” (freedom or death).
The white cross symbolizes Christianity.
Greek Flag The Greek flag’s modern pattern was officially adopted in 1822.
The blue and white colors used in the Greek flag are thought to symbolize the colors of the Greek sky and sea.
There is no official blue shade for the Greek flag, and the color has varied throughout time from light blue to dark blue. Dark blue has become more common in use since the 1960s.
In 1807, the first adaptation of the Greek flag was created and hoisted in the Evangelistria Monastery on the island of Skiathos. Several military leaders, including Theodoros Kolokotronis and Andreas Miaoulis, were gathered at the monastery and sworn to this flag by the local bishop as leaders of the Great Revolution. Today, part of the monastery serves as a museum where visitors can see the loom where the first modern Greek flag was created (above).
In 1863, under King George, the national flag of Greece bore a gold crown in the center to represent the reign of the Greek Royal Family. This design was removed in 1924 under the Second Hellenic Republic, then used again between 1935 and 1970. It served as the official state and war flag under the Royal family until Colonel George Papadopoulos removed the crown from the flag during the military dictatorship.
This inverse form of the national flag first appeared in the 1769 uprising. The flag served as a symbol of the revolution of 1821 and was widely used among revolutionary figures, most notably the Kolokotronis family, in the early stages of the Hellenic unification effort. The flag is famously depicted by Theodoros Vryzakis in his 1865 painting titled “The Bishop of Old Patras, Germanos, Blesses the Flag of the Revolution,” (above). Despite its popularity during the revolution, the flag was not officially adopted after independence was won.
The representative flag of the President of the Hellenic Republic used on official documents, buildings, and as a general ensign of the Greek government, has been used since 1979. The flag is also used as a rank flag when the President of the Republic is aboard The official flag of the Greek the Hellenic Navy’s ships. The design replicates the Orthodox Church features Coat of Arms of Greece, which bears the blue square a two-headed eagle in the flag surrounded by the gold olive branches. center holding a sword or During the military cross in one claw and an orb dictatorship in Greece, in the other, symbolizing the Greek naval flag spiritual and secular authority, was adopted as the land respectively. Between the two flag and slightly altered. heads hovers a crown, and Between 1970 and the background of the flag is dark yellow or gold. The flag 1975 the official flag was a dark or navy blue tone and is often displayed by churches the ratio of the flag was increased to 7:12. With the in Greece and used by the restoration of democracy the flag was changed again and the modern day version was adopted in 1978. Hellenic diaspora.
In the second year of the revolution, the First National Assembly at Epidaurus adopted this design (right) as the official flag of Greece, a precursor to the modern Greek flag. The official adaptation of a blue flag with a white cross replaced the numerous flag designs being used by generals in various regions across Greece. Thus, it also served as a symbol of unification during the revolution. In the 20th century the flag was flown in the country, while a version of the current flag with the nine stripes was used at sea. Today the flag above is used in the military and during national holidays.
The modern day Greek flag was originally designed and adopted on January 13, 1822 by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus as the country’s naval ensign. For over 100 years the flag was used for representation during foreign service or on ships at sea. During that time the flag had been decorated several times with different emblems representing the Kings and Royal families of Greece. The design replaced all other flags and became the sole national flag of Greece in 1978 with a specified ratio of 2:3. It is used both on land and at sea, and during war. Since 1978, Greek law also restricts the use of any add-on designs or symbols on the flag.
Για δες καιρό που διάλεξε ο Χάρος να με πάρει, τώρα π’ ανθίζουν τα κλαριά και βγάνει η γης χορτάρι. Εγώ Γραικός γεννήθηκα, Γραικός θε να πεθάνω! - Αθανάσιος Διάκος
Ταπεινότατή σου γέρνει ἡ τρισάθλια κεφαλή, σὰν πτωχοῦ ποὺ θυροδέρνει κι εἶναι βάρος του ἡ ζωή.
Ως πότε παληκάρια να ζούμεν στα στενά, μονάχοι σα λιοντάρια, σταίς ράχες στα βουνά; Σπηλιές να κατοικούμεν, να βλέπωμεν κλαδιά, να φεύγωμ’ απ’ τον κόσμον, για την πικρή σκλαβιά; Να χάνωμεν αδέλφια, πατρίδα και γονείς, τους φίλους, τα παιδιά μας κι όλους τους συγγενείς; Καλλιό ‘ναι μιας ώρας ελεύθερη ζωή, παρά σαράντα χρόνια σκλαβιά και φυλακή! - Ρήγας Φεραίος
Ναί, ἀλλὰ τώρα ἀντιπαλεύει κάθε τέκνο σου μὲ ὁρμή, ποὺ ἀκατάπαυστα γυρεύει ἢ τὴ νίκη ἢ τὴ θανῆ. Ἀπ’ τὰ κόκαλα βγαλμένη τῶν Ἑλλήνων τὰ ἱερά, καὶ σὰν πρῶτα ἀνδρειωμένη, χαῖρε, ὦ χαῖρε, Ἐλευθεριά! - Διονύσιος Σολωμός Ὕμνος εἰς τὴν Ἐλευθερίαν στρ. 14-16
EΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΑ Η ΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ! “H EΛΛΑΣ ΕΥΓΝΩΜΟΝΟΥΣΑ” - Θεόδωρος Βρυζάκης - 1858
22
Ελληνική Επανάσταση - Greek War of Independence
Ottoman Empire captures Athens.
The 17th century is filled with sporadic but failed revolts by Greeks.
Writer & intellectual Rigas Feraios, who conceived a comprehensive national movement aiming at the liberation of all Balkan nations, is arrested by Austrian officials in Trieste, handed over to the Ottoman officials & executed.
1814
1453
1458 1460 1600s 1669 1770 1798 A precursor to the War of Independence, the failed Orlov Revolt in the Peloponnese, sponsored by Russia, marks the 1st great uprising against the Ottoman Empire. Muslim Albanians ravage mainland Greece.
Countryside becomes infested with Kleftes, bandit groups that strike Muslims & Christians alike. Defying Ottoman rule, they become highly admired in popular lore. In response, the Ottomans contract Christian militias known as the Armatoloi to secure endangered areas & fight off the Kleftes.
March 1821 First of Filiki Etaireia revolts in the Danubian Principalities, Ottomans win.
Peloponnese falls to Ottoman rule.
Venetians lose Crete to Ottoman Empire.
25η ΜΑΡΤΙΟΥ
Greek revolutionaries wage war against the Ottoman Empire, which has ruled the area since the mid 15th century. Revolution brings about large-scale massacres of civilians by both Greek revolutionaries & Ottoman authorities. Turks massacre Greeks identifying with the revolution in Anatolia, Crete, Constantinople, Cyprus, Macedonia, and the Aegean Islands.
1821
May 1453 Fall of the great Byzantine Empire. Constantinople & majority of Greece come under Ottoman rule.
«Καλύτερα μιας ώρας ελεύθερη ζωή παρά σαράντα χρόνια σκλαβιά και φυλακή»
Filiki Etaireia, a secret organization, is founded by Emmanouil Xanthos, Nikolaos Skoufas, & Athanasios Tsakalov with the aim of liberating Greece.
ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΑ Η ΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ! March 1821 The Maniotes declare war on the Ottomans. Peloponnese revolts against Ottoman rule. October 1821 Under leadership of Theodoros Kolokotronis, Greeks capture Tripolitsia. Peloponnesian revolt followed by revolts in Crete, Macedonia & Central Greece. Revolts suppressed by Ottoman army. Makeshift Greek navy in Aegean makes advances in preventing Ottoman reinforcements by sea.
Portrait of an Armatolo by Richard Parkes Bonington, 1825.
The Massacre of Chios. About 20,000 island inhabitants murdered & die of starvation. Another 23,000 exiled. Outrage spreads in Eurpoe over Turkish attrocities. French painter Eugene Delacroix captures the suffering of Greece in a painting in 1824.
July 1832 The Great Powers of the West sign the Treaty of Constantinople, setting the boundaries of Greece.
King Otto, royal prince of Bavaria, becomes 1st modern king of Greece. Reigns until 1862.
1832
1822 1823 1824
Philhellene Lord Byron dies of fever in Mesologgi at the age of 36.
1827
Revolutionaries at the first National Assembly in Epidauros host a political gathering & adopt the white & blue flag of Hellas as we know it today.
Russia, the United Kingdom, & France decide to intervene & send navy to Greece, intercepting an Ottoman fleet at Navarino, after news that Ottomans were set to attack Hydra. The London Philhellenic Committee helps insurgent Greece with loans. Civil wars erupt in Greece as tension increases.
May 1832 As a result of negotiations with the powers of the West, Greece is finally recognized as an independent nation.
ΖΗΤΩ Η ΕΛΛΑΣ!
Poet Dionysios Solomos drafts the Hellenic National Anthem.
October 1827 The Battle of Navarino breaks out, resulting in the Rousso-Turkish war of 1828-1829. By the end of 1829 the Greeks drive out the Turks from the Peloponnese with the help of the Russians.
ΕΘΝΙΚΟΣ ΥΜΝΟΣ «Σε γνωρίζω από την κόψη, του σπαθιού την τρομερή. Σε γνωρίζω από την όψη, που με βία μετράει τη γη. Απ’ τα κόκαλα βγαλμένη, των Ελλήνων τα ιερά, και σαν πρώτα ανδρειωμένη, χαίρε, ω χαίρε, Ελευθεριά!»
Source: Εγκυκλοπαίδεια ΔΟΜΗ - Encyclopedia Domi.
24
Έλληνες Ήρωες του 1821
Theodoros Kolokotronis (1770 - 1843) is also referred to as “Ο Γέρος του Μοριά” (The old man of Morea), because he was in his 50s when the Hellenic revolution officially broke out in 1821. Kolokotronis was a leader of the Greek War of Independence, & today the most celebrated and famous of all Hellenic revolution heroes. He served as General and Field Marshal of the Greek Army. He was charged with treason in 1834 and sentenced to death, but then pardoned. He died in Athens at the age of 72.
Georgios K a ra i s k a k i s (1780 - 1827) served in the Greek militia in the Peloponnese during the early years of the war. He raised the siege of Mesologgi in 1823, & guided his army to overpower the Turkish forces in Arachova. He was wounded in action and died at the age of 47.
Greek Heroes of 1821
Ioannis Vlachos, Daskalogiannis (1722 – 1771) was a wealthy ship owner who led a Cretan revolt against the Ottoman fleet. With the help of the Russian army, Daskalogiannis agreed to fund & organize a revolt in Sfakia, but the Russian fleet never sailed for Crete. Without backup, the Greek uprising was smashed by the Ottomans. Daskalogiannis & his men surrendered. The local Pasha ordered him to be skinned alive & it is said that he suffered in dignified silence.
Georgios Flessas Papaflessas (1788 - 1825) also known as Grigorios Dikaios, took lead as part of the clergy to gain support for independence. He was responsible for establishing a mailing system, building schools in owns, & gathering troops to fight the Ottoman forces of Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt. Outnumbered, he died during the battle of Maniaki. He was named Minister of Internal Affairs.
Laskarina Bouboulina (1771-1825) used her own fortune to fund the purchase of ammunition and arms for the Hellenic troops. Additionally, she provided her own ships to create naval blockades & deter the Ottoman fleet from invading Nafplion. She was killed by gunshot during a family feud on the island of Spetses.
Manto Mavrogenous (1796 - 1840) was another female protagonist of the Hellenic War. She spent her fortune defending the cause, supplying ships & arms to the army. She led her own expeditions & battles, & was awarded rank of Lieutenant General after the war. She died impoverished on the island of Paros. Alexandros Ypsilantis (1792 - 1828) served as leader of the Filiki Etaireia & approved plans for the Greek War of Independence. He was appointed as Greece’s first Field Marshal & died in Nafplion, the country’s first official capital.
Markos Botsaris (1786 - 1823) joined the Filiki Etaireia, & served as Captain of the Souliotes. Outnumbered by Ottoman forces, he led an attack at Karpenisi where he died in battle at the age of 37, defending Hellas.
Constantine Kanaris (1793 - 1877) led successful attacks against the Ottoman fleet, detonating fireboats near warships. He was named admiral of the Hellenic Navy & was appointed prime minister of various provisional governments in 1844, serving until his death.
Emmanouil Xanthos (1772 - 1852) was a founding member of the Filiki Etaireia (1814), a Greek conspiratorial & secret organization against Ottoman rule. Xanthos was responsible for planning the prison escape of Alexandros Ypsilantis, a leader of the Filiki Etaireia. Xanthos recorded important historical information of the era & the War of Independence in his memoirs. Athanasios Tsakalov (1788 1851) was a founding member of the Filiki Etaireia. Born in Greece, he moved to Russia and then studied in Paris where he established a pro-Greece secret organization. In Russia, Tsakalov met Xanthos & Skoufas, other anti-Ottoman conspirators. He moved to Constantinople in 1818 to help with the movement.
Athanasios Grammatikos, Diakos (1786 -1821) joined a monastery at a young age but after an altercation with an Ottoman official, he fled to join the Greek cause & kept the nickname Diakos. A member of the Filiki Etaireia, Diakos formed his own band of Kleftes, fought, & was wounded & captured by the troops of Omer Vryoni, an Albanian commander of the Ottoman army. After facing a proposal to join the Ottomans & convert to Islam, Diakos is known to have said “I was born Greek, and Greek I shall die.” Refusing the offer, he was impaled alive.
Nikolaos Skoufas (1779 -1819) was a founding member of the Filiki Etaireia. He worked in Russia where he met Tsakalov and Xanthos, then moved with them to Constantinople to further the Greek cause. He died of illness that year. Odysseas Androutsos (1788 – 1825) joined the Filiki Etaireia after serving as an officer in the Ottoman army of Ali Pasha. With a band of Greeks, Androutsos fought off the advancing army of Commander Omer Vryonis at Gravia. The casualties on the Turkish side were a reported many, with very few for the Greeks. Androutsos was later captured by the revolutionary government, stripped of his command, & executed.
Nikitas Stamatelopoulos, (1784 - 1849) “Nikitaras” was a revolutionary also known as the “Τουρκοφάγος,” or Turkeater, a nickname he earned at the Battle of Dervenakia, which secured the Peloponnese for the Greeks. He fought with his uncle Theodoros Kolokotronis in the successful capture of Tripolitsia, & was responsible for preventing the escape of Ottoman troops. Count Ioannis Kapodistrias (1776 -1831) was a Greek Foreign Minister of the Russian Empire & a distinguished European diplomat elected as first head of state of independent Greece.
Rigas Velestinlis Feraios (1757 - 1798) born Antonios Kyriazis, was a writer & active early revolutionary. He authored the popular battle hymn “O Θούρειος” “Καλύτερα μιας ώρας ελεύθερη ζωή, παρά σαράντα χρόνια σκλαβιά και φυλακή.” He was executed during a Balkan uprising.
Source: Εγκυκλοπαίδεια ΔOMH - Encyclopedia Domi.
26
TIME Machine
Frederic Boissonas
(1858-1946) was a celebrated Swiss photographer who fell in love with Greece. Sent to the country on assignment in 1903, Boissonas became fascinated with the nature, culture, and people of Greece. He returned several times in the following three decades and photographed many regions and remote villages. In his thousands of photos, he captured the daily life, traditions, and dress of villagers and the natural terrain of northern Greece and dozens of islands. In 1930, Boissonas published a book titled “Le Tourisme en Grece� about his tours and photography in the country. In his passion for photography and love of Greece, Boissonas documented a rare and cherished glimpse of Greeks at the turn of the century.
28
Εκκλησία a look into
the Greek Orthodox Church
The Iconostasis separates the Nave, representing mortal life on Earth, from the hidden Holy Altar, representing Heaven.
The Royal Doors, located in the center of the Iconostasis, represent Christ as a door leading to communion with the Holy Trinity. Only members of the ordained clergy are allowed to enter these doors to the Holy Altar.
The Deacon’s Doors on either side of the Iconostasis, depict the archangels Michael and Gabriel, who guard the sanctuary. These doors are used by altar boys during church services. The remaining icon panels of the Iconostasis are reserved for the church’s patron saint.
St. Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church (Niles, IL) - Portes Magazine photo.
Icon of the Theotokos & infant Christ.
In a half dome behind the Iconostasis above the Holy Altar is depicted the Platytera ton Oyranon, “more spacious than the heavens,� a large-scale icon of the Theotokos with open arms, welcoming Christians into the Kingdom of God.
Above the 1st tier of the Iconostasis are icons representing patriarchs, prophets, & apostles. An icon of the Last Supper adorns the arch above the Royal Doors.
Representing Heaven, the Holy Altar is positioned behind the Iconostasis. Relics of martyrs are placed in the body of a marble altar table, representing their tombs in the days when Christianity was practiced underground in catacombs. An Orthodox altar faces the rising sun of the East to represent Christ bringing light to the world.
The remaining icons of the Iconostasis are reserved for of the church’s Patron Saint.
Icon of John the Baptist.
Icon of Jesus Christ.
30
ΧΡΩΜΑ Πortokaλι´
Orange is the color between red and yellow. Wavelength: 585–620 nm Frequency: 505–480 THz
Orange in different languages: Afrikaans: oranje Chinese: chéngsè French: orange German: orange Greek: πορτοκalί Italian: arancione
Japanese: orenji Korean: orenji saek Polish: pomarańczowy Spanish: anaranjado Swedish: orange
The orange color of clay was widely used as a contrast to black on vases & pottery in antquity, & is a characteristic of ancient Greek art.
“
Orange is the happiest color. –Frank Sinatra, singer.
The word orange, used to describe the color, was derived from the Sanskrit name for the orange tree.
Carotenes are hydrocarbon substances synthesized by plants. They are orange photosynthetic pigments that are responsible for the color observed in fruits & vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, oranges, & melons.
Greek soil has a distinctive orange tone.
The chemical compound beta carotene that makes the color orange.
”
Orange Color Found in Nature Marigold, flower. Red fox, mammal. Dahlia, flower. Monarch butterfly, insect. Heluconia psittacorum, flower. Red squirel, mammal. Altamira Oriole, bird. Flame Anglefish, fish. Phyllobates terribilis, frog.
Shades of Greece.
Photos by Portes & Dr. Peter Nicolaides.
32
- - - THE ARTIST - - The graphic illustrations of Charis Tsevis are reflective of his being. They are unique, intricate, and colorful. Tsevis likes to think of himself as a simple man. He doesn’t flaunt the world’s demand for his work, and he’s not too fond of talking to mainstream media. But the man himself cannot be so simple. His creations are proof he is a pro at design, a creative genius indeed. And for him, that’s second nature, since what he values the most is that everyday he does what he enjoys best. “I love to wake up in the morning and say ‘oh yes…I’m going to design today,’” he says. Based in Athens, Tsevis is living every designer’s dream: to have developed a signature style recognized and enjoyed worldwide. Tsevis’ graphic art has adorned the covers of popular magazines internationally. “I am lucky enough to have my own signature style and do what I love... it’s the dream of a designer,” Tsevis says. His characteristic style is vibrant and highly detailed. Tsevis is best-known for his image collage - portraits created by stringing together smaller images, almost like a cell structure of some sort.
“If you are creative...you will be successful.”
He creates these digital illustrations using personally developed techniques of scripts and hacks, and piling on loads of patience while working with graphic design programs such as Adobe Creative Suite, Synthetik Studio Artist, and Apple Quick Time Pro. (To the right is a portrait of Hugh Laurie, lead character on the hit TV series House. The portrait is made entirely of a variety of pills and medication, which House is notorious for prescribing to his patients, and taking himself.) Tsevis, who holds a Diploma of Graphic Design from the Akademie fur das Grafishe Gewerbe, Munich, and a Master in Visual Design from the Scuola Politecnica di Design, Milan, manages what he calls a modest studio: Tsevis Visual Design. - - - A COLORFUL JOURNEY - - Coming back to Greece after having spent time in Milan in 1992 was a mental burden on Tsevis, who says the country’s design market was not all that friendly. “In Italy all my friends were design students or professionals, so I was feeling fine. But here all my friends were something else...economists, doctors… whatever. But not designers.” In an effort to be closer to like-minded individuals, Tsevis in 1996 joined AKTO College of Art and Design where he still teaches editorial design and typography. “It’s only one day every week I teach but it’s one of the most beautiful days,” he says. “The nice thing with teaching is that you’re going into an environment where you’re not exactly working for money. You’re designing for the sake of
designing… to experiment and learn. Teaching is learning,” he says. In the early 2000s Tsevis was worried that relying on art and design was not going to work for him in Greece. “I was feeling that just by doing my profession I would probably not make it,” he recalls. He then got involved with writing and teaching about design, and eventually landed a position with Adobe in 2007 to manage the company’s operations in Greece, Cyprus and Israel. By 2008 Tsevis found himself stretched thin multitasking. He was working for Adobe, writing articles on graphic design, teaching, and managing his firm. It all eventually caught up and Tsevis found he was designing less and less, so he decided to quit a few things while he was ahead and go back to his love of art. “I said ‘I’m going to change my life completely because I don’t want to be an entrepreneur, and I don’t care if I’m going to have a lot of money or not. I’m going to do what I love and if I’m making money that’s fine, if not, that’s okay too.’ It was a big risk but it was worth it,” he recalls. Describing his daily routine as a professional designer, the main goal, Tsevis says, is to come up with an artistic concept that both encompasses the artist’s style and at the same time, satisfies the needs of the client. “The client has a problem and as a designer, you have to resolve this. The biggest problem is how to convince the client to accept your solution.” Luckily for Tsevis, who has developed and adopted a signature style, the “problem” is more of a pleasure every time. (continued on page 36)
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That’s because the world of print and digital media adores the detailed creations so characteristic of the name Charis Tsevis. And recognition doesn’t come easy without hard work. Design is time consuming, and Tsevis has had his share of 3 to 4 hours of sleep per day, taking very few days off. “I’m pretty close to 16 hours of work a day and that’s difficult but I want to remain an artist,” says Tsevis. “Even though that sounds very romantic, it makes sense business-wise.” Lately, Tsevis tries to control his temptation to constantly design. When on vacation he deletes creative programs on his laptop, for instance. “In America I was visiting Key West... and I was working,” he recalls. “There it was…a nice view of the beach…and I was working!” - - - FORTUNE - - Tsevis made his first international break in 2007 when he designed a cover for Fortune Magazine. The invitation came to him as a pleasant surprise. “When I got the message for the job I thought a friend was pulling my leg,” he recalls. The Fortune cover brought Tsevis a fortunate string of interest in his art. In the years following, Tsevis designed for major companies around the world, including Nike, PepsiCo, Toyota, and IKEA. His art has been seen in Time, Smithsonian, and Wired magazines, among others. Yahoo Mail users enjoyed some original Tsevis pieces during the summer of 2012 when the internet corporation featured his colorful artwork of various athletes as part of the Yahoo! London Olympic Games coverage. “If you are working freely you are developing something that is who you are. I am very lucky to work freely,” he says. But luck and success has its downsides. Being successful during a period of crisis is very strange for many reasons because there is a contrast, Tsevis says. “You are happy and the people around you are sad. You are progressing and the people around you are striving to survive.” Newfound success is very difficult to manage, Tsevis explains. “People hate you.” But working for big names is not as difficult as it seems, he says. “If you’re lucky enough to enter a certain club of clients, then the one client brings you to the other. It’s simple, and this is how I am trying to inspire my students.” “I haven’t done something big. I’m sure they
will do something more than me because that is the nature of things…the student should do better than the teacher,” he says. Tsevis’ general dislike for mainstream media attention stems from the idea that adequate time is not spent on understanding the artist. “The press wanted to interview me and create a lot of buzz around me…they don’t care about quality, they want to make a story out of you,” explains Tsevis. “I’m not feeling like a great guy. I feel like a normal person who is doing something that is not a recipe for success.” Tsevis has for now made the decision to limit his interaction with the press. “I don’t want to read interviews and see myself being portrayed as the successful person…I don’t care about that. It’s not how successful you are in your life or your job, it’s how happy you are. This is reality, because if you are not happy, you are not successful.” One of Tsevis’ real life heroes was Steve Jobs, the man behind the Apple Inc. legacy. The designer began to illustrate interesting portraits of Jobs (one of them pictured left) that were picked up by the technology mogul’s fans and widely circulated through the internet. “At some point it was his followers who took me under their shoulders and shared my work around the world,” Tsevis recalls. Having followed him since the 1980s, Tsevis was hard-hit when Jobs passed away in October of 2011. And even though the event sparked instant media attention and significant interest in his portraits of Jobs, Tsevis felt a great loss. “Everybody was calling me to tell me their congratulations and I was sad. This contrast teaches you some things.” - - - I LOVE GR - - Western Europe has been kinder and more open to the arts, making it a more feasible place to live for an artist and designer like Tsevis, but for him, nothing compares to his native country. Throughout the ages, Greece’s beauty has been an unparalleled muse to many creative individuals. “I really love the land, the nature, the sea.” Tsevis says. “It’s perfect.” Though design success stories like Tsevis’ are rare, especially in Greece, fate worked out for him and he got to stay in his favorite place on earth. “In order to leave you have to be a little desperate, to have a good reason, I never had a good reason,” he says. So he stayed. “I love Europe, but every time I visit I think ‘no’…I’m coming back here.” Photos courtesy of Charis Tsevis.
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Portrait of Steve Jobs - Charis Tsevis
“Nothing Really Ends”- Christina Tsevis
Assorted Doors - Αcrylic on Wood - Asia Bresan
“Kalanta”- Oil on Canvas - Nikiforos Lytras 1872
“Matia” - Color Pencil - Anthe Mitrakos 2008-2010
“Per Soldi”- Gouache on Illustration Board - J. Anthony Kosar 2009
gallery Portes
38
Of a Higher Note
FAIDRA GIANNELOY
Born in 1986, Giannelou is Greece’s youngest female orchestra and choir conductor. She took her first music lessons at the Panormonio Conservatory and graduated from the Music High School of Pallini, Athens, in 2003. Under the supervision of Professor Miltos Logiadis, Giannelou has received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. Degrees in Orchestral Conducting. She is now a Ph.D. Candidate at the Music Department of Ionian University.
By Dimitris Polymenopoulos What is your favorite aspect of conducting? The feeling of making music with other people at the same time on the same stage, and the feeling of all the vibes of that moment. It is an incredible experience! Music is all my life. It is a pleasure every time. I am looking forward to every upcoming concert and I try to have fun, regardless the difficulties. How has your attitude on music changed since your high school days? I think that my attitude towards music has been independent of time. Since my childhood, music has been a catalyst in my life. Like all art forms, music is something magical and boundless. From the first minute I came into contact with the music conservatory, and my music school later on, music won me over. Today, even though I’ve completed my studies in orchestral conducting, it’s unthinkable for me not to continue studying and researching this art form. Besides, an artist knows from the very beginning that he or she can devote a large part of their life to an art form without reaching a creative dead end. What difficulties have you come up against in your career so far? Even though I’m at the start of my career as a conductor, I’ve had numerous difficult experiences. The most difficult thing about careers in the arts is trying to combine the love of an art form with the economic stability that is necessary to survive. As a result, artists are often forced to do other jobs, as their art focus doesn’t provide them with a fixed income. This situation is devastating for an artist and can become a major hurdle in their career. Personally, I’ve found myself in this difficult situation many times. But I’ve tried not to lose my optimism and hope for a better future.
A second difficulty is that conductors find themselves in a position of power, and whether they like it or not, this fact opens up a number of fronts. As I enter into this field I’m starting to discern that you need a strong stomach and the ability to turn a blind eye. Otherwise, you can’t make it. Maybe I tend to come across more barriers because I’m a woman, but I don’t want this fact to create problems either. Let’s just say that, in maledominated jobs, we women need to try more in order to prove our worth over a man. What experiences do you seek out when you aren’t at the podium? I try to seek out good music. I don’t use this term to coin just classical, but every other kind of music that has a certain quality. I love concerts. When I attend a concert, I’m always overwhelmed with wonderful lasting feelings and ideas. This creates inspiration for my own performance on the stage. I believe that we’re influenced by everything we do during our lives. We should try to get involved with activities that are different from our studies and career. This will allow us to become well-rounded individuals. I strive to discover similarities between conducting and many other different activities so that, through them, I can combine and incorporate new elements into my own work. The image of a woman conductor may be considered exotic in one country but not in another. Why this difference? A woman conductor isn’t a common sight in most countries, even though this sounds odd in this modern day and age. In a large and liberal society that is open to new ideas, like the one
Photos by Thalina Karpouzi | MusicCorner.gr | Daniele Cruciani
found in the United States, there are more women conductors. It’s not just that the population is large…there’s also a greater variety of orchestras and incubators for conductors. On the other hand, in countries that are more phallocratic, the sight of a woman conductor is unusual. I do feel though that, with time, and with more women reaching these important positions, they’ll become tomorrow’s role models. The media also plays an important role by highlighting women’s work. In Greece, a female conductor is a totally new concept, even though there are Greek women conductors who pursue a career abroad. Nevertheless, I feel that public perception of women’s abilities is changing in a positive way. How can classical music make a greater impact in Greece? Studying classical music in Greece is considered a “lost cause.” Most Greeks and their children limit their connection to music to some piano or guitar lessons in a local conservatory or through private lessons. This is usually “the norm” with small kids, which have yet to be subjected to family pressure for success in some popular field like medicine, law, etc. Unfortunately, Greeks usually listen to mainstream radio stations and are up to date on ‘canned’ songs and albums marketed by the Greek music industry. Greek entertainment
usually consists of an evening out at one of the various venues which host these “artists.” So music, not just classical but any kind of quality music, is treated in Greece as something odd, boring, and insignificant. The government treats it that way too. Culture seems to be the last thing on its agenda. Today, many orchestras are near closing, while the Orchestra of Colors, which the famous Greek composer Manos Hatzidakis established, is no more. When music is dealt with in such a way, by both people and the government, it’s not surprising that fewer young kids decide to study it. Families are put off by the reputation of any art as “highly unprofitable” and dissuade their children from studying an art form they’ve come to love. It’s the truth. Even though as I’ve mentioned, a career for an artist is difficult, today we’re seeing that every kind of career in Greece is in crisis. So, the question boils down to: “Isn’t getting involved with an art form, and with what one generally loves, ultimately the better solution?” How do you feel about the future? The truth is that the future is difficult for everyone. As time progresses, I’d like to be more a part of what I’ve studied and enjoy. That’s my only wish. *Interview originally conducted in Greek & translated by D. Polymenopoulos.
“Music is my life... I chose it.”
- FAIDRA GIANNELOY
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Demetrios Elias
is a ladies’ man. That is, he is the man behind the most important garment in any woman’s life: her wedding dress. As a fashion icon, Elias’ styles have made an international impression. “The most important thing besides designing the dress is when I make the girl happy,” he says in an authentic Greek accent. Happiness translates to nearly a million bridal pieces designed and sold by Brides by Demetrios, Elias’ fashion line. That’s quite an accomplishment for a Greek born in Piraeus in the mid 20th century. Having moved to Warren, Ohio, with his family in the 1970s, Elias faced a new life that would be filled with great accomplishments in fashion design, something he likely had not imagined back then. In Ohio, he attended high school and college, and spent his free time watching his mother Matina create bridal and evening gowns at the family’s store. “I learned a lot of things from her,” Elias says. “I used to work with her and help the brides.” Elias soon picked up on the trade and it was not long before he found his calling. Though he studied business in college, fashion was his true passion, and in 1980, Elias realized the dream of owning his own design company. He moved to the east coast and purchased Ilissa Bridals of New York City. Elias then turned the small business into a thriving international company, traveling for trunk and fashion shows around the world. Today, Brides by Demetrios gowns are sold in 50 different countries at 1,000 boutiques, including 25 Demetrios locations, making the company a prestigious leader in bridal fashion. Mrs. Elias runs the family company’s own bridal publication, For the Bride Magazine. What he enjoys the most about his successful designing career, Elias says, is being an integral part in helping make women happy on what many
consider to be the most important day of their lives. “Brides like to wear a special garment to make them look beautiful,” he says. “Everybody has a different idea of what is beautiful, and I like to be part of that idea.”
“The most important thing
besides designing the dress is when I make the girl happy.” Great ideas come from great inspiration, and inspiration can come in many forms. Among his favorite inspirational spots on the map is the volcanic island of Santorini in the southern Aegean Sea. “Santorini is very romantic, and I like designing romantic gowns,” he says. When it comes to creativity, Elias has a style for every bride. His diverse dress collections are recognized for their intricate accents of glass beads, lace, and small bits of color. From sleek and sender, to full tulle princess gown, beauty and elegance exude from every piece. With fashion trends changing every year, Elias says his personal taste in gowns is just as versatile. His all time favorite dress style, however, is the mermaid shape, with a slender body and flared skirt. Regarding tones, light gold is popular nowadays, he says. And though he favored beaded tops in the past, the designer’s latest accent craze is lace. Contrasting the traditional wedding gown color of white, Elias’ favored colors are black and deep blue, shades he enjoys using in his line of evening gowns. Brides by Demetrios also offers something stylish for the men in brides’ lives, tapping into the male fashion industry with the re-launch of a tuxedo line a few years back. Visit demetriosbride.com for more gown designs by Demetrios Elias.
Photos courtesy of Demetrios Elias - Brides by Demetrios.
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ecology
Cotylorhiza Tuberculata Kingdom: Animalia | Phylum: Cnidaria | Class: Scyphozoa | Order: Rhizostomeae | Family: Cepheidae | Genus: Cotylorhiza | Species: C. tuberculata
The Mediterranean Sea boasts a myriad of fascinating creatures. One of the most elaborate and graceful is the Cotylorhiza tuberculata, commonly known as the “καφετιά μέδουσα,” “fried egg jellyfish,” or Mediterranean jellyfish. The scientific name Cotylorhiza is a combination of two Greek words: “κοντύλι,” meaning cup, and “ρίζα,” meaning root. Its characteristic brown dome top, yellow skirt, and bright purple tentacles make it an easy sighting against the deep blue hue of Greek waters. A typical adult C. tuberculata usually measures 17 to 20 centimeters wide, though they can reach 50 centimeters across. The jellies mainly feed on zooplankton, tiny organisms that drift with the water. Jellyfish reproduce asexually. Larva attach themselves to a hard ocean surface and grow in a polyp colony that looks like a stack of saucers. Tiny baby jellyfish are then released from capsules like spaceships and drift away. With their alien-like appearance, jellyfish are notorious for their stinging nature and often dreaded by humans and other sea creatures alike. “All these creatures sting you with a very clever mechanism called a nematocyst,” explains Dr. Peter Nicolaides, a marine biologist-oceanographer with the Aegean Institute, a Paros-based diving college. “As soon as you brush against the spike on the tentacle area, it triggers out an infolded whip that causes tiny lacerations in the skin and releases a little bit of poison.” But the C. tuberculata’s touch, he says, is relatively harmless to both humans, and the juvenile mackerel fish which dart in and out of the jelly mass. “It’s a floating safe house for them… it moves around with the planktonic drift and the mackerel have a chance,”
Dr. Nicoladies says. “C. tuberculata are very elegant creatures.” Little is known about what leads to population explosions of jelly fish, but researchers attribute this phenomenon to favorable circumstances in the ecosystem. “It’s like a sort of red tide...when the conditions are right you have a bloom,” he says. The sight of a medusa swarm can be breathtaking, as these docile creatures float graciously onward. “Many years ago there were huge populations of jelly fish in general and the tourist organization got worried,” recalls Dr. Nicolaides. “And then the next year there was nothing.”
“Swimmers should not freak out, they’re very graceful, you can swim around them and have great fun.” - Dr. Peter Nicolaides
Yet, they are still important in the balance of sea life. “An ecosystem is a perfect class for management. You have all these components that are interconnected… the more biodiversity there is, the more stable the system is,” says Dr. Nicolaides. “Oligopolies are the worst thing.” While C. tuberculata would not make for a good aquarium pet, these creatures make themselves easily accessible in their natural habitat, peacefully drifting along with the ocean’s flow. Dr. Nicolaides, who has spent years observing sea life, is very fond of the non-stinging C. tuberculata. “Swimmers should not freak out, they’re very graceful, you can swim around them and have great fun,” he says.
One of C. tuberculata’s natural predators is the Caretta caretta, a sea turtle and favorite sighting among tourists and marine enthusiasts. “The turtles love it, they go bananas for the medusa,” Dr. Nicolaides says. Luckily, C. tuberculata is not in immediate danger of disappearance, unlike the Caretta caretta.
Photos by Dr. Peter Nicolaides - Aegean Institute.
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destinations in the Saronic Gulf
Πόρος Island
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Poros is a small Greek island pair in the southern part of the Saronic Gulf, located about 58 km south of the port of Piraeus. Aside from Skorpios, an island famous for its owner, Aristotle Onassis, Poros Island is Greece’s only other island with a male name. It’s a popular weekend destination for Athenian travellers and foreigners alike. Poros consists of two islands. Sfairia, the southern part where Poros city is located, is of volcanic origin. The second part is Kalauria, meaning gentle breeze, the northern and largest part of the island. A bridge connects the two islands over a very narrow isthmus. Poros is accessible by ferryboat from Athens or the adjacent mainland, the city of Galatas. The town of Poros is a picturesque collection of neoclassical edifices, or classic ornate “arxontika.” Poros is a very mountainous island rich with vegetation, boasting pine forests and bushy greens. The island is also home to limestone caves and several small fresh water streams.
Name: Poros Ancient Nam e: Pogon. Location: Saro nic Gulf. Population: a pprox. 4,120.
Ancient Poros was inhabited since at least 1000 B.C., during the Bronze Age. Ruins of a temple honoring Poseidon are located on a hilltop close to town. The temple was built in Doric style about 520 B.C. The structure was constructed from porous limestone brought from the island of Aegina. Little remains of the temple today, as it was destroyed by an earthquake around 395 A..D. Archeologists have provided a rough example of what it may have looked like, but it is difficult to determine a complete picture because of all the damage. Still, tourists often visit the ruins and enjoy the beautiful sunset at the top of the hill during the late evening. It has been said that Demosthenes, the famous Greek orator, drank poison and died at this location.
The port of Poros is a favorite amongst seafaring visitors, attracting small vessels and large yachts alike. Every year in the month of May, the International Marine Tourism Symposium takes place at Poros. For five days, hundreds of yachts line the harbor of Poros in celebration of marine tourism.
poros-portal.gr
Poros Loves Lemons! Giorti tis Lemonias is celebrated on the island every year in late July & August. The famed lemonodasos is actually located to the east of Galatas, where there used to be more than 30,000 lemon trees. The island has several water mills near the lemonodasos, & the scent of lemons greets visitors as they approach the groves.
hmos The Rossikos Naustat ed by was a naval base us was It . ets fle Russian Navy granted to the Greek early e th in ar Cz by the s never 20th century but wa ndoned aba e Th e. put to us as a ruins were listed tural ec hit arc protected monument in 1989.
Between 1956 and 1983, the famous Greek warship Averof, was stationed at the harbor of Poros. The Averof served as the flagship of the Royal Hellenic Navy, and was named after George Averof, a wealthy benefactor who helped Greece purchase the ship. It served Greece from 1911 until 1952. The Navy restored the ship in 1984. Currently, the Averof is stationed at Faliron Bay as a floating museum preserving the naval history of Greece.
Photo by Christos Tiro poulos.
On the north side of the island, 250 meters from Vagionia Beach, visitors can ride horses. With lush green forests, horseback riding through the hills and on the beaches of Poros is a unique experience.
As the site of the first naval base in modern Greece in 1827, Poros played a major role during the Greek War of Independence. The base, K. E. Poros, is used today by the Hellenic Navy as a training center. Ναυτάκια Πόρου - 1994
Poros Island also hosts several cultural and traditional dance shows during the spring and summer time, with dance troupes often coming from Europe and Russia.
Poros Island native Demetrios Mougios won silver in men’s lightweight double sculls rowing during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
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The famous clock tower of Poros was built in 1927. Climb about 200 stairs leading up to a breathtaking & very romantic view of Poros port. Early morning & late night, this clock keeps time! Poros Island is ho me to a variety of Greek felines!
Poros Square variety of restauranboasts a perfect for some cots & cafes & dining with friend ffee time s.
Poros Island is also home to th e historical Holy Monastery of Zoodochos Pi gi, located 4km east of the main city of Po ros. It was founded in 1720 by Iakovos II, who bu the Archbishop of Athens ilt the monastery in gratitude after being cure d from an illness by drinking water from a sprin g of Independence on Poros. During the War , the monastery much needed fin provided an to the liberation ef cial and spiritual support fo the monastery an rt. Today, tourists can visit d spring that heale even drink water from the d Iakovos II.
Located along the port of Poros, the CITRONne Gallery features a series of temporary exhibits of Greek art during the summer months. The art depicted to the left is by Jannis Psychopedis, whose work was on display at CITRONne in the summer of 2010. The gallery brings an artistic touch to summer vacations on Poros.
The sunset view is stunning!
of The neighborhoods an in ilt bu are rt po ros Po e. amphitheatrical structur e tyl l-s ica ss cla d Island an a houses overlook the seay aw ps ste and are just from the water.
On Bourtzi island, located between Poros and Galatas, stand the external walls of a fortress built in 1827 by the Austrian General Heideck to protect his interests on Poros. The church of Agios Constantinos, possibly built in 640 A..D., previously stood on the island before the construction of the fort. Visitors can access the site by a chartered boat from Poros.
Beaches to visit: Askeli Beach Love Bay Kanali Beach Calypso Bay Neorio Beach Russian Bay Panagista Beach Vagiona Bay
PORTES MAGAZINE WAS
HERE!
ΨHΤΟΠΩΛΕΙΟN ΣΟΥΡΤΖΙΝΟΣ
...had the best souvlaki here ...or two, or three! ;)
υ
Ωραία Κοιμωμένη Πόρο
of Poros The Sleeping Beauty mountain the in n see be can port of range adjacent to the hind the be s set sun e Poros. Th e-perfect mountains for pictur t her scenes. Can you spo reclining in this photo?
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ΚΟΥΖΙΝΑ
Balsamic Octopus by Chef Christos
2 lbs baby octopus, (perferably imported from Greece) extra virgin olive oil balsamic vinegar 2-3 garlic cloves 2 dafni leaves
Wash & cut octopus. Grab a pot & fill it with 8-10 oz. of olive oil for every 2 lbs of octopus. Add 2-3 garlic cloves (chopped). Sautee garlic in the pot & then drop in the octopus. Add 8-10 oz. of balsamic vinegar for every 2 lbs of octopus, & two leaves of dafni for taste. Add no more than a teaspoon of salt & a teaspoon of pepper. Let it cook until all excess liquid & water have evaporated. It should turn a dark purple. Consistently stir toward the end to avoid sticking to the pot. When complete, let it cool. Serve with crumbled feta & enjoy!
Fancy Greek Salad by Chef George Gregorakos To desired amount: red tomatoes assorted peppers red onion authentic Greek feta
extra virgin olive oil balsamic vinegar salt & pepper to taste oregano leek (for base)
Traditional Greek salad with a twist: Mix feta crumbles, olive oil, oregano, salt & pepper with diced tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, & red onion. In a mold, place blanched, cooled & thin-sliced leeks at the bottom, pressing them to form a stable base. Next, layer with spoonfuls of salad mixture & remove mold. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar & top with wild greens, saganaki cheese, or more feta. :)
Chocolate Pistachio Truffles by the Girls at Portes Magazine 9 ounces dark chocolate (Σοκολάτα Υγείας Παυλίδης) 1/3 cup & 1 tblsp heavy whipping cream Pistachios (Φυστίκια Αιγίνης)
1/2 cup salted butter
Melt chocolate in a double pot. (Place pot with chocolate inside second pot with boiling water in medium heat. Do not allow water to mix with chocolate!) Add heavy whipping cream & butter to the chocolate & churn until creamy. Add desired amount of half or whole pistachios (no shell). Refridgerate mix for about an hour. Scoop chocolate & roll quickly into balls with hands. Roll the truffle balls into crushed pistachios for a crunchy green outer cover. Enjoy!
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Greek-Style Lamb Chops by Greek Islands Restaurant Chicago The secret to savory Greek-Style baby lamb chops, a simple to make delicacy, is to use the best raw ingredients. Season the fresh meat with a little salt and pepper, and throw it on the hot grill or barbecue. Cook to your desired level, then serve hot with Greek sauce: extra virgin olive oil, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and oregano.
και... Καλή Όρεξη!
Chicago
lombard
t was 1971 when a group of friends finally realized the American dream many immigrants hoped for; to start their own business after many years of hard work. Thus 200 S.Halsted St.born was Greek Islands 300Restaurant. E.22 nd Located st. on the corner of Adams & Halsted in the heart of Chicago’s Greektown, Greek Islands Restaurant is celebrated as one 782-9855 (630) 932-4545 of the top culinary spots on the map.(312) A second location was opened in the west suburb of Lombard in 1984. Famed for its fresh, clean, home-style Greek dishes, Greek Islands is a favorite among Chicagoans & visitors alike. Working directly with an estate winery in Monemvasia, Greek Islands imports award-winning wines right to your table for an authentic Greek experience. Enjoy specially-imported extra virgin olive oil, wine, cheeses, seafood, olives, herbs & spices directly from Greece.
best wishes and a happy new year
Inside, the restaurant’s décor varies by sections. One room resonates an aura of the sea, while another celebrates the essence of antiquity. A third section, and the most colorful of all, is that of the χωριό. When visiting the Windy City, dine at Greek Islands Restaurant for a warm experience & exceptionally prepared Greek cuisine. Greek Islands Restaurant A Portes Magazine Restaurant Selection
Chicago Chicago
200 S.Halsted St. St. 200 S.Halsted (312)(312) 782-9855 782-9855
lombard lombard
300 E.22 st.nd st. 300 nd E.22 (630)(630) 932-4545 932-4545
bestbest wishes wishes andand a happy new yearyear a happy new
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Christina Loukas
G
rowing up in Illinois, Christina Loukas was immersed in sports. She played softball, basketball, and performed ice-skating and gymnastics. But it was diving she liked the most, and diving that took her all the way to the Beijing (2008) and London (2012) Olympics. In 2008, competition to make Team USA was fierce. To make just the Olympic Trials, divers had to place top 12 at a national meet. First place had a spot in the Olympics, while a second diver was chosen by a committee based on pervious experience in national competitions. “It was scary because I had never won a national title before so I knew I had to win the trials to make the team, but I took it one dive at a time,” recalls Loukas. Outscoring her peers in the competition, she won first place. She was going to the Olympics.
“At my first Olympics I didn’t really feel like I belonged, but the second time around I knew I had really earned it.” For Loukas, who is half Greek on her father’s side, obedience in daily training, and the support of her family are what got her so far. “My family is the most important thing to me,” she says. “They always traveled with me when I go to competitions.” Back in the pool, Loukas handled diving like a job. A typical day would include out-of-water springboard practice, then several hours working on competition dive techniques, followed by Pilates and yoga. Used to the high-bouncing 3-meter springboard, Loukas faced the challenge of a 10-meter platform at Indiana University, where she studied and trained. “When you’re standing up there backwards and you have to flip so many times at a twist, it’s scary, and the water is not forgiving,” Loukas recalls. “I think every time I had to train 10-meter I cried because I hated it, but I was good at it and that’s actually how I made my first couple international meets,” she says. At the Olympics, each country has a maximum of two spots per event, for which there is a total of 30 spots, Loukas explains. Countries qualifying for finals get to send representatives to the world championship’s diving board.
Behind the Scenes The Olympic games, a tradition dating back to 776 B.C. Greece, are today marked as the world’s premier celebration of athleticism and peace. Host countries spend years and billions of dollars in preparation for the event. (The Athens 2004 games cost an estimated 10 billion euros.) Many participants spend the early years of their lives training to
Team USA Olympic Diver 2008/2012
Height: 5’ 4” | Birthdate: December 19, 1985 | Birthplace: Chicago
make it there. And the world watches. But having competed in two Olympic games, Loukas says that behind the scenes, it’s all diving as usual for her. “Honestly, the Olympics are just a world championship meet with a bunch of media attention, that’s all it is,” she says. “In the pool it’s still the same type of crowd, the same judges, the same competition.” Unlike millions of spectators worldwide, Loukas, who experienced the Olympics firsthand, says she has not watched recordings of her performance or the opening ceremonies. “When you’re in the opening ceremonies you don’t see anything. You hang out and then you line up and march in after a 2-3 hour wait,” she says.
Facing the Jump Immediately after the Beijing games where she placed 9th, Loukas began work for 2012, until diving and stress got the best of her. “I had mental blocks. I couldn’t dive anymore. I couldn’t do dives I had been doing for 6 years,” she recalls. “It was horrible. I dreaded it.” Having suddenly lost her appetite for the one thing that so much defined her daily life, Loukas grew depressed in school. “I would get on the board and I’d be terrified to do my dives. I would just close my eyes and go and hope I did it right…it was the most frustrating thing ever and my coach didn’t handle it well.”
“I couldn’t dive anymore. It was horrible. I dreaded it.” After dealing with stress for a year, Loukas decided to take herself off the world championship team, pack her bags, and go home. “I hated diving,” she recalls. But after 8 months of calling it quits Loukas’ family revived her dream to place in the Olympics again, and in 2010 she moved to Houston, Texas, to train with a new coach. Two years later, having placed 2nd of two finalist divers chosen to represent Team USA, Loukas was back in the game and going to London. “At my first Olympics I didn’t really feel like I belonged, but the second time around I knew I had really earned it,” she says. In London, just as in Beijing, Loukas didn’t take home any medals, but making it all the way to the games is a dream for so many, and a great honor for all participants. After the experience of a lifetime, Loukas knew she was ready to move on and retire as an athlete. “I’m done as an athlete but I want to continue working with athletes and be involved in sports,” she says. Loukas is now looking forward to pursuing sports medicine and plans on attending physical therapy school.
Photos courtesy of Christina Loukas.
Team USA Olympic Fencing 2012
Height: 6’ 2” | Birthdate: April 20, 1994 | Birthplace: San Francisco
A
t 18 years of age, Alexander Massialas was the youngest male on the USA Olympic Fencing Team during the 2012 London Olympics. Born and raised in California, he grew up playing a variety of sports, and credits this to his Greek father, Greg Massialas, who is a three-time Olympian in fencing himself. “From the very beginning I didn’t know if I wanted to fence, but I definitely knew I wanted to be an Olympian,” Massialas recalls. “It was just a matter of taking up the sport and once I started fencing I really enjoyed it, so I stuck with it.”
Trail Blazing Although he did not take home a medal in London, Massialas has had a record of wins in several competitions. In 2010 at the age of 16, he became the youngest athlete to win the Men’s Foil Division I National Championship. Then again in 2011, Massialas earned a bronze at the Seoul World Cup, making him the youngest medal recipient at the competition. As impressive as it is to be the youngest winner of a tournament, Massialas does not let that fact get over his head. “I think a lot of people make a bigger deal out of it than it should be. I’m there to do a job and just because I’m young doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be held to the higher standard that I should be,” he says. “In London I felt like I had to go in there with the mindset that I’m just a competitor and I can’t let the age difference between me and the other competitors make a difference for me,” he recalls. For Massialas, being part of the Olympics
Alexander Massialas
was a thrilling experience and one that he looks forward to reliving. “Walking into the opening ceremonies is something that every athlete dreams of … and I’ll never forget that experience,” he says. “At the Olympics there is a unique sense of community that you don’t get anywhere else in the world. But it’s not just the downtime that is incredible, it’s actually going out there and competing at the highest level in front of the biggest crowds.” Massialas hopes to place again in 2016 and 2020. Bringing back the gold for Team USA is the goal and to prepare for that, the fencer works closely with his father and coach in hopes of making his dream a reality.
“What I love about fencing is that it’s such a dynamic sport.” Massialas began competing in fencing at a national level around 13 years old, and since then has won dozens of national and international competitions. Though fencing is more of a low-key sport in the U.S., it is very popular in other parts of the world, Massialas explains. Competitions in the upcoming months will take him to Paris, Venice, St. Petersburg and Tokyo, among other locations outside the U.S. “What I love about fencing is that it’s such a dynamic sport,” he says. “Not only do you have to be explosive and very athletic to be successful, but you also have to be really smart mentally. You are not just trying to be the strongest or the quickest, you are also trying to outsmart your opponent, be one step ahead of them and avoid their traps.”
Photos courtesy of Getty Images Europe.
“Sports is just something that I grew up loving …” Aside from fencing, Massialas also enjoys basketball, swimming, skiing, and has a general appreciation of music, which he gets from his Chinese mother who is a classical pianist. “Sports is just something that I grew up loving … and I love doing every kind of sport that I can,” he says.
Beyond the Competition Between school and competitions, Massialas also enjoys visiting his family and grandparents in Greece. In 2011, he had a chance to visit some of the Greek islands for the first time. Among the places he visited, Massialas says he enjoyed Santorini and Mykonos but favored Naxos, which is more peaceful but just as beautiful. Aside from his travels to Greece and other parts of the world for competitions, Massialas has managed to balance sports with his academic career, and hopes that will continue now that he has entered his freshman year at Stanford University. “In high school I was able to balance everything very well, so hopefully the same thing will apply here at Stanford where there is a higher academic standard,” Massialas says. Currently undecided, the young fencer is leaning toward a major in mechanical engineering.
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Students visit the Parthenon for their first time.
The PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation’s Hellenic Birthright Program One of the the PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation’s missions is to create life-changing opportunities for young Greek-American college students. The foundation’s newest program, Hellenic Birthright, has given 14 students ages 18-25 an experience of a lifetime by sponsoring their first trip to Greece. With the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and other caring donors, Hellenic Birthright was launched in collaboration with Anatolia College and their school of higher studies, the American College of Thessaloniki (ACT). Incorporated in Boston, as the oldest American University in Greece and member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the institution’s courses and degrees are accepted by accredited educational institutions in the U.S.
Students at the ancient stadium in Athens.
Programs like Hellenic Birthright play a significant role in fostering and preserving one’s ethnic identity. Every one of the participants has expressed renewed pride in being a Greek-American, with a newfound appreciation for Greece and Greek people.
’
University Square: Conference Central National Hellenic Student Association (NHSA) Convention
Official Website: www.nhsaofamerica.org
First Official NHSA Convention: Fall 2009 at the University of Michigan, with representatives from 25 universities.
Founders: Members of Hellenic Student Associations (HSA) from various universities in the U.S. Locations: College campuses across the U.S. and Canada. Held: Bi-anually in the spring and fall. Next NHSA Convention: Fall 2013.
Number of attendees @ last convention: Approx. 130 students from over 50 universities, hosted by Philadelphia university HSAs. About NHSA: It serves as a network for students of Hellenic descent to support each other, to build a strong community for the future, and to develop a platform that allows student members to run initiatives that adhere to NHSA’s purpose: Education and Hellenism – Παιδεία και Ελληνισμός. The NHSA has grown from less than 20 university members to more than 60, and has begun collaborating with Canadian universities. “We have been fortunate to have very loyal sponsors and supporters, which have included the PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation, Hellenext, the American Hellenic Institute, and numerous individuals to whom we are extremely grateful.” - co-founder Eirini Schlosser. Typical activities/events/attractions: Guest keynote speakers, a professional mentorship fair, round-table discussions, a tour of the city & local universities, social events or concerts for student attendees, elections for NHSA, and discussions of NHSA initiatives. Target Audience: Students of Hellenic descent and philhellenes are encouraged to attend and take part in discussions. $$$ Price Range: Students pay a registration fee of about $100, which covers hotel, event, and dining expenses. The fee is usually 75% reimbursed. Why you should attend: “Students have the opportunity to develop the strongest friendships with peers who attend from universities all over the U.S. and Canada. The NHSA adventure is a chance to participate, become active, work with your peers to develop initiatives that you want to see happen, develop yourself professionally and academically, and finally do as Greeks do; enjoy the dance, the food, the laughter, and the NHSA family. You can’t find it anywhere else packed into one weekend.” - co-founder Eirini Schlosser. Photos courtesy of NHSA.
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Aesop’sFables:
ΚYΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΑΛΩΠΗΞ
Κύων θηρευτικὸς λέοντα ἰδὼν τοῦτον ἐδίωκεν ὡς δὲ ἐπιστραφεὶς ἐκεῖνος ἐβρυχήσατο, φοβηθεὶς εἰς τοὐπίσω ἔφυγεν. ἀλώπυξ δὲ θεασαμένη ἀυτὸν ἔφη «ὦ κακὴ κεφαλή, σὺ λέοντα ἐδίωκες, οὖ οὐδὲ τὸν βρυχηθμὸν ὑπέμεινας;»
GRRR Aesop lived in Greece between 600-500 B.C. He was a storyteller best known for his collection of fables and morals in which animals represented human characters.
You who pursued an entire lion, are scared of its roar? Ένα κυνηγητικό σκυλί είδε ένα λιοντάρι και το πήρε στο κυνήγι. Μόλις όμως εκείνο γύρισε και βρυχήθηκε, το σκυλί φοβήθηκε και το ‘βαλε στα πόδια. Τότε μια αλεπού που το είδε, του είπε «Βρε κακομοίρη, κυνηγούσες ολόκληρο λιοντάρι και δεν άντεξες ούτε το βρυχηθμό του;»
A hunting dog once saw a lion and provoked him with a chase. But when the lion turned and roared, the dog quickly ran away. Then, a fox that witnessed the scene said to the dog “Poor soul, you attempted to chase a lion and you could not even stand its roar.”
Ο μύθος ταιριάζει σε ανθρώπους θρασείς, που, ενώ επιχειρούν να συκοφαντήσουν πολύ δυνατότερούς τους, όταν εκείνοι εμφανιστούν, αμέσως τρέπονται σε φυγή.
Moral: There are some people, who in their own naivety, attempt to challenge those much stronger than them. Yet, when the stronger makes a presence, the weaker run away.
*Portes Magazine Illustrations.
Heron, (10 A.D. - 70 A.D.) an inventor extraordinaire born in Alexandria, was a master of automated devices and gadgetry. Having designed solar powered fountains, odometers, the fire engine, the coin operated vending machine, and mechanical puppet theaters, Heron’s inventive and awe-inspiring legacy echoes through time.
Known for his ingenious mechanisms, Heron is also credited for having invented the first semi-automatic doors. Using simple mechanical principles, Heron created a system where the doors of a temple would open when fire was lit at altars in front of the temple. Once the fire was extinguished, the doors would close again, giving the illusion of godly powers at work without human intervention. Below is the mechanism decoded.
A temple priest would light a fire at the altar. Below the altar existed a hidden chamber and metal globe filled with water. When the fire was lit, the heated air in the chamber pushed the water in the metal globe through a syphon into an adjacent bucket. As the bucket got heavier and sank, the doors were pulled open through a system of weights and pulleys connected to the bucket. When the fire was extinguished, the cooling of the air in the chamber would force the water back out of the bucket and into the metal globe.
Then the bucket would rise and the pulley system would work in reverse, allowing the doors to close. An addition to the design, mentioned in Heron’s writings, included a trumpet that would sound when the doors opened, creating a rather welcoming scene for unsuspecting visitors.
P. James & N. Thorpe - Ancient Inventions.
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περίπτερο
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MANOPOULOS Play a board game Made in Greece! manopoulos.com
PAPADOPOULOS Caprice! One of our favorite authentic Greek snacks. Place them in the freezer for delicious times! Assorted flavors. papadopoulou.gr
PORTES MAGAZINE Chic. Greek. Unique. Share gift copies with friends! portesmagazine.com
BENTE KELLER CANDLES Enjoy the essence of naturally colored bee’s wax candle creations from the island of Alonnisos. bentekeller.gr
M A G A Z I N E
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62
Green Justice: A Greek’s Journey for Environmental Sustainability By Chris Blake
Laying in a South Pacific hospital bed 10,000 miles from his home in Athens, Nikos Anagnostakis wondered if researching the effects of climate change was worth his life. “I was facing reality,” Anagnostakis, alive and well in New York City, said. “I was sick. I was in Vanuatu. The medical care couldn’t help me. The doctors there couldn’t help me.” Anagnostakis arrived in Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila, 1,000 miles east of Australia, in July 2012 to research the effects of climate change on small island nations for his Athens-based nongovernment organization, Green Justice. The NGO focuses on providing legal suggestions such as UN treaty proposals and international laws to help slow climate change. After just a few months there, Anagnostakis contracted a virus that medical professionals in Vanuatu could not diagnose. He does not attribute the virus to the changing climate, but simply to being exposed to things in the South Pacific that his body had never encountered. Anagnostakis stayed in a Port Vila hospital for two weeks before doctors cleared him to fly to Melbourne, Australia, to the closest advanced hospital, to seek better treatment. The 183rd largest country in the world, according the CIA World Factbook, Vanuatu has just over 256,000 citizens. The island nation covers 4,706 square miles, ranks 202nd out of 229 countries in GDP, and features a literacy rate of 74%, just below India and ahead of Cambodia. Green Justice, in cooperation with three other European environmental NGOs, selected Vanuatu as an example of the devastating effects of environmental degredation because small tropical islands are more readily affected by climate change than other parts of the world. Rising sea levels have impacted regions in the South Pacific more than anywhere else in the world. While the natives have heard of climate change, they do not grasp
its impact on their home and what it is, Anagnostakis said. “They don’t seem to know what is happening... that’s the worst thing,” he said. “They believe that everything is good, but it’s not. Until one moment someone is going to tell them, ‘Hey, we have to move somewhere. Let’s go higher.’” That scenario became reality in 2005 for villagers on Tegua, one of the northernmost islands of Vanuatu, when the United Nations Environment Programme relocated them to higher ground deeper into the island. Their village was washed away by flooding and they became the first climate change refugees in the area. Anagnostakis said he hoped that Green
The idea is to continue “ to produce, but in a sustainable way.”
- Nikos Anagnostakis
Justice would have success influencing international environmental law because the well-being of nations like Vanuatu is at risk. “The future is bad. They are in danger,” he said. “With the current situation and the incapability to reach a decision (at the UN Climate Change Conference) in Doha, (Qatar) they could endanger these islands.” At the conference in Doha, world leaders voted to extend the Kyoto Protocol through 2020. Anagnostakis, however, argued that the Protocol does not impose enough limitations to make a dent in the fight against climate change. “The idea is to continue to produce, but in a sustainable way. So update your technology, make it more environmentally friendly,” he said. Now working for the UN in New York with an emphasis on small island developing states, Anagnostakis is hard at work writing proposals for new international law. It’s a task he is uniquely qualified for, as he holds a law degree from
Swansea University in Wales and a master’s degree in environmental law from Tulane University. While content with his position in the Big Apple for now, Anagnostakis would like to return to Vanuatu, with his full health, to complete his research and eventually to go home to Greece and turn Green Justice into a global think tank on environmental law. He started Green Justice in Athens and wishes for it to continue there. The group has worked on various projects in Greece, including lobbying for aid for the wild fires in the northern part of the country, and researching the environmental pros and cons of drilling for resources in the Aegean Sea. The financial crisis has forced the NGO to focus on issues outside of Greece for the time being, as their donations have taken a hit with the economic downturn. Anagnostakis hopes his research will in the future lead to the betterment of environmental sustainability in Greece. Reflecting on the life-threatening illness that confined him to a month of bed rest in Australia, Anagnostakis displayed his unwavering dedication to the environment. “If something bad had happened was it worth it?” he asked rhetorically. “It was not worth it because we had not addressed the issues yet, so that was the
Photo courtesy of Nikos Anagnostakis.
Spotlight: George chronakis
The Designer
into an aesthetically unique and pleasing design, without consideration of possible engineering limitations. Chronakis’ winning design features an aluminum exterior with wood paneling on the back.
Chronakis’ winning design, pictured below, is a high-end luxury concept car featuring aspects of Japanese Wabi-sabi aesthetic.
“Regarding pure design, I always get inspired from nature and natural forms...”
Designing has always come naturally for George Chronakis, 24, who won a 2012 Aston Martin-hosted competition in car design last summer. Hailing from Irakleion, Crete, Chronakis decided to merge his interests in cars and drawing at Coventry University in London, one of the world’s top universities in engineering and automobile design. Every year, Aston Martin hosts and evaluates a design competition for the seniors at Coventry, recognizing students for their concepts in automobile aesthetics and engineering. From over 100 students, Chronakis received the award for best exterior design. Chronakis created the design as a high-end luxury car for the Japanese market, fusing several characteristics of Japanese aesthetic known as Wabi-sabi. “Following these principles of Wabisabi, I created a car that is simple in design, with natural materials, curved edges and such,” he recalls. “In a way, I wanted to provide people with a new vision for simpler automobiles, since we live in a world that is very materialized.” The award-winning design was based primarily on merging natural elements
The concept car also synthesizes Japanese aesthetics and the exterior environment with the interior of the vehicle. In the back seat rests a small bonsai tree, which in theory would be watered naturally by rain entering the car from small holes in the roof. “Regarding pure design, I always get inspired from nature and natural forms, so maybe it was also the sea that inspired this design as well,” Chronakis says. Following his graduation from Coventry, Chronakis is now set to teach car design as a professor at the DSK International School of Design in India. Yet, despite his focus in automobile design, he says he’s open to other creative possibilities. “Design is not something that I am tied down to,” he says. “I’m not necessarily chasing a dream job in design...I am very pleased that I will be a professor in car design but I don’t know what is going to happen next. My dream is to travel, to meet people, and experience new cultures and civilizations.” He learned a lot about design in London, but upon returning from his studies, Chronakis says his experience abroad has bolstered his appreciation of Greece, especially the country’s varied and very unique natural beauty. “When you start traveling or exploring the spots in Crete that are less known, you realize that it has so many things to offer,” he says. “For example, during the summer you can go skiing on Mt. Psiloritis, and in half an hour you can be at the beach.” Photos courtesy of George Chronakis.
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Deeply Rooted in Reforesting Greece For nearly 13 years, the non-profit foundation Plant Your Roots in Greece has spearheaded efforts to reforest regions in Greece that have been heavily affected by periodic forest fires in the last decade. To date, the foundation has planted hundreds of thousands of trees in various regions, contributing to the preservation, restoration, and improvement of Greece’s natural environment. “Planting a tree in Greece is like ‘lighting a candle’ in our homeland,” says Theodore G. Spyropoulos, president of the foundation. “Every tree contributes to the regeneration of the environment, acting as our most vital source of oxygen. During Greece’s current difficult financial situation, the funding for tree plantings is of great importance and support to our fellow countrymen.” Donations come mainly from Greeks abroad, but also from philhellenes around the world. Many companies in the U.S. offer their generous donations and consider tree-planting in Greece a perfect gift back to the cradle of Western Civilization, Spyropoulos says. Some of the tree plantings are also made as gifts to honor, celebrate or remember loved ones. “Without the contribution and support of our donors the work of the Foundation would not have been possible,” Spyropoulos says. “Their donations are living proof of their exceptional interest and awareness for the environment and Greece. We are moved by their contribution, it gives us the strength and courage to continue our efforts.” During tree-planting activities, the foundation collaborates with student volunteers and athletic, firefighting, environmental or cultural organizations all over Greece. All volunteers virtually adopt the trees they have planted and pledge to take care of the seedlings. Beyond reforestation, the foundation also helps restore the natural ecology to archaeological sites, and donates firefighting vehicles and other muchneeded equipment to various municipalities. The activities carried out by the foundation also promote environmental awareness and active citizen participation in the protection of the environment, emphasizing the importance of preserving the truly unique terrain and ecosystem found in Greece. In fact, Greece’s natural ecosystem, called “chaparral,” is found only in the Mediterranean, parts of Australia, southern Chile, and the West Coast of the U.S. There are over six thousand
plant and herb species throughout Greece’s diverse bionetworks, many of which are native only to Greece. And, over four hundred mammal species and more than one hundred bird species are heavily dependent on a healthy ecosystem there. Environmental protection and public participation are also ways through which Greeks abroad can strengthen the ties between their birthplace and honor the values of environmentalism rooted in Hellenism. “It is very important that we care about our roots, and this applies especially to us Greeks, as the roots of our people are traced back in the depths of time,” Spyropoulos says. “Our ancestors were the first to acquire an ecological awareness. They respected nature and the environment and for that reason they sanctified it.” The vision for “Plant Your Roots in Greece” was initially foreseen by Efi Weinberg, who in 1993 established the foundation with other members of the Greek-American community. Since 2006, the foundation operates under the auspices of the World Council of Hellenes Abroad. President of the Foundation, based in Chicago, is Theodore G. Spyropoulos, former President of the Hellenic – American National Council and SAE U.S.A. Region Coordinator since 2006. For more information please visit www.plantyourrootsingreece.org. Major Forest Fires in Greece Since 1980
1981: Kifisia, 612 hectares
1982: Dionysos - 1,360 hectares 1986: Varibombi - 500 hectares 1992: Avlona - 6,700 hectares 1993: Pendeli - 5,700 hectares 2005: Raphina - 1,100 hectares 2007: Parnitha - 5,000 hectares 2009: Grammatiko - 21,000 hectares Source: athensnews.gr Photos courtesy of Plant Your Roots in Greece.