GreekNewsBlog: johnmetaxas.com

ARCHIVES

Vol. 3, #5

Saturday, July 28, 2007

PODCAST: GreekNewsBlog speaks with Ike Gulas, AHEPA Supreme President

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Ike Gulas, newly installed Supreme President of AHEPA, about the direction in which he seeks to take the organization. Ike's election has been characterized as a changing of the guard at AHEPA. At the age of 45, he sees himself as a bridge between the older generation and the baby boomers in the organization. Gulas's goals include increasing membership, lobbying on behalf of the visa waiver program, and sustaining the organization as the largest developer of HUD 202 senior citizen apartments in the country. He is promoting AHEPA's Supreme Convention in Athens, Greece in 2008 and AHEPA's efforts to fight Cooley's anemia.

LISTEN!

Click to listen to my talk with Ike Gulas of AHEPA. (Runs: 14:43)

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Religious minorities apprehensive, Orthodox Metropolitans reported under police protection, on eve of Turkish elections

Selected readings:

EurasiaNet.org: Turkey: Religious Minorities watch closely as election day approaches

New Europe: "Deep State" in trouble

Forum18: Turkey: Dangerous consequences of intolerance of religious minorities

The New Anatolian: The problem of the ecumenical power of the fener greek orthodox patriarchate

Thursday, July 19, 2007

AHEPA Delegates Elect Ike Gulas Supreme President

From AHEPA news release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The delegates of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), the leading association for the nation’s 1.3 million American citizens of Greek ancestry, and Philhellenes, elected Ike Gulas, Birmingham, Ala., Supreme President for the 2007 - 2008 year. Gulas was officially installed on Sunday with the rest of the new Supreme Lodge and Board of Directors.

"I am honored to be given the unique opportunity to serve as supreme president of the largest association of Americans who share a common bond of ancestry,” said Gulas. “As we are in the midst of our 85th year, I intend to help AHEPA grow in terms of membership and international influence as we approach our centennial anniversary.”

The Supreme President thanked outgoing supreme lodge members and his family for their support. Gulas said he was particularly proud to have his father, who has been an AHEPA member for more than 60 years, participate in his installation by reading the president’s charge.

President Gulas is a member of Chapter No. 3, Birmingham, a vibrant chapter in the AHEPA family.

Gulas’s family has been in the Birmingham area for more than 100 years and he is the founding partner of Gulas & Stuckey, P.C. of Birmingham.

Supreme Lodge & Board of Directors Elections

The balance of the Supreme Lodge is a fine blend of veteran leadership combined with energetic newcomers. They are: Canadian President Fotis Antoniou; Supreme Vice President Nick Karacostas; Supreme Secretary Dr. John Grossomanides, Jr.; Supreme Treasurer Anthony Kouzounis; Supreme Counselor John Galanis and Supreme Athletic Director Dr. Monthe N. Kofos.

The eight Supreme Governors are: Charles Stamoulis; Colonel Nick Vamvakias; Lou Arvanitis; Connie Calliontzis; Phil Giavasis; George Pantazelos; John Georgifandis and Nick Perderis.

AHEPA Family Elections

The remaining organizations that comprise the AHEPA family also held elections. Karen Stamatiades was elected Grand President of the Daughters of Penelope; Rick Pecka was elected Supreme President of the Sons of Pericles and Stephanie Maniatis was elected Grand President of the Maids of Athena.

AHEPA is the largest Greek-American association in the world with chapters in the United States, Canada, Greece, and Cyprus and sister chapters in Australia and New Zealand. It was established in 1922 by visionary Greek Americans to protect Hellenes from prejudice originating from the KKK, and in its history, AHEPA joined with the NAACP and B'nai B'rith to fight discrimination.

The mission of the AHEPA family is to promote the ideals of Hellenism, education, philanthropy, civic responsibility and family and individual excellence.

The AHEPA family consists of four organizations: AHEPA, Daughters of Penelope, Sons of Pericles and Maids of Athena.

For more information about the AHEPA family, or how to join, please contact AHEPA Headquarters, 202.232.6300, or visit www.ahepa.org.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

61 members of Congress sign letter to FYROM

From greekembassy.org:

The 61 Members of the U.S. Congress below, and dozens more who will be joining them in the near future, are, through the legislation below, calling on the leaders of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to:

(1) “stop…violat[ing] provisions of the United Nations-brokered Interim Agreement…regarding `hostile activities or propaganda;’” and

(2) “work with the United Nations and Greece to find a mutually-acceptable official name for the FYROM.”

CLICK TO SEE WHO SIGNED THE LETTER.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Authorities cancel Dalaras concert in Istanbul

From AsiaNews.it:

Istanbul (AsiaNews) – Yet more tensions between the Turkish Authorities and the Ecumenical Patriarchate: today permission was revoked for the concert of the famous Greek singer song writer Dallara, also well known in Turkey, which was to have closed the 2nd Conference of Orthodox Youth organised by the Patriarchate in Istanbul. The move comes in the wake of pressure exerted by Turkish nationalists strongly opposed to the initiative.

CLICK TO CONTINUE.