John Thomas Financial Releases 2012 Economic Outlook

A. Makris
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John Thomas Financial Releases 2012 Economic Outlook
Mike Norman, Chief Economist, John Thomas Financial

John Thomas Financial, a full service independent broker/dealer and investment-banking firm located in New York City’s Financial District, today announced the release of its 2012 Economic Outlook, a research report compiled by Chief Economist Mike Norman.

The 18-page report includes analyses of trends and numbers affecting the U.S. economy including several components of GDP, corporate profits, imports and exports, government consumption and expenditures, personal income, international markets, U.S. treasuries and commodities.

In January, John Thomas Financial announced that it had successfully incorporated Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) in its 2011 forecasts, producing exceptional forecasting results. The use of MMT allowed the firm to take advantage of events including the S&P downgrade of US credit and European solvency. Modern Monetary Theory was largely used in forecasting for the John Thomas Financial 2012 Economic Outlook.

The following is a summary of this years’ Economic Outlook taken directly from the report:

Private demand is returning as the government cuts back. Credit growth is fueling the private sector rebound, but the scope for any sustained credit driven expansion is limited in our opinion. Fiscal contraction will continue to add drag to the economy, resulting in sub-trend growth for the remainder of the year.

Stocks will continue to trade in a range, with the upper bound probably already in place or nearly in place. Bond yields should trend lower. Commodities and gold will see more downside as demand throttles back. The dollar will benefit from an improving trade picture and accelerating U.S. fiscal contraction.

A complimentary download of the John Thomas Financial 2012 Economic Outlook is available in its entirety on the JTF Blog.

For timely insights, news, and commentary on economics and financial markets, visit the JTF Blog or join the John Thomas Financial community on  Twitter and Facebook .

About John Thomas Financial
John Thomas Financial, a member of FINRA and SIPC, is an independent broker-dealer and investment banking firm headquartered in New York City’s Wall Street district. Emphasizing a client-centric approach to managing all aspects of its business, John Thomas Financial and its affiliates offer a full complement of retail brokerage, private wealth management, and corporate advisory services tailored to the unique needs of its clients. The firm publishes the Fiscal Liquidity Index, a unique daily indicator that looks at government spending and its impact on the financial markets, as well as The John Thomas Financial Economic Outlook, a research report analyzing consumer sentiment, market outlook, credit cycles and dozens of other market influences. For more information on the firm, please visit: www.johnthomasfinancial.com.

Tired of Partisanship Olympia Snowe Retires

A. Makris
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Tired of Partisanship Olympia Snowe Retires
Senator Olympia Snowe announced she won't seek re-election

Olympia Snowe, the Greek-American Republican senator from Maine announced that she won’t seek another term in the US Senate. Three-term Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) issued the following statement today with regard to her re-election campaign:

“After an extraordinary amount of reflection and consideration, I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate for re-election to the United States Senate.

“After 33 years in the Congress this was not an easy decision. My husband and I are in good health. We have laid an exceptionally strong foundation for the campaign, and I have no doubt I would have won re-election. It has been an indescribable honor and immeasurable privilege to serve the people of Maine, first in both houses of Maine’s legislature and later in both houses of Congress. To this day, I remain deeply passionate about public service, and I cherish the opportunity I have been given for nearly four decades to help improve the lives of my fellow Mainers.

“As I have long said, what motivates me is producing results for those who have entrusted me to be their voice and their champion, and I am filled with that same sense of responsibility today as I was on my first day in the Maine House of Representatives. I do find it frustrating, however, that an atmosphere of polarization and ‘my way or the highway’ ideologies has become pervasive in campaigns and in our governing institutions.

“With my Spartan ancestry I am a fighter at heart; and I am well prepared for the electoral battle, so that is not the issue. However, what I have had to consider is how productive an additional term would be. Unfortunately, I do not realistically expect the partisanship of recent years in the Senate to change over the short term. So at this stage of my tenure in public service, I have concluded that I am not prepared to commit myself to an additional six years in the Senate, which is what a fourth term would entail.

“As I enter a new chapter, I see a vital need for the political center in order for our democracy to flourish and to find solutions that unite rather than divide us. It is time for change in the way we govern, and I believe there are unique opportunities to build support for that change from outside the United States Senate. I intend to help give voice to my fellow citizens who believe, as I do, that we must return to an era of civility in government driven by a common purpose to fulfill the promise that is unique to America.

“In the meantime, as I complete my third term, I look forward to continuing to fight for the people of Maine and the future of our nation. And I will be forever and unyieldingly grateful for the trust that the people of Maine have placed in me, and for the phenomenal friendship and assistance I have received over the years from my colleagues, my supporters, and my staff, both in Maine and in Washington.” Senator Snowe will be scheduling a news conference in Portland, Maine, in order to further discuss her decision when she returns to her home state on Friday.

Jewish Agency of Israel to Financially Support Greek-Jewish Community

Stella Tsolakidou
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Jewish Agency of Israel to Financially Support Greek-Jewish Community

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Jewish Agency will provide emergency aid to the Jewish community of Greece, which is now facing a serious financial crisis.

The Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel on Monday voted to grant about $1 million over two years to help Greece’s Jewish communal institutions continue operating, as well as to strengthen the community’s ties with Israel and to develop aliyah programs for those who wish to immigrate to Israel.

Other Jewish organizations have been offering assistance to the community.

The Jewish Agency aid package will be funded by the agency and its partners, Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. There will also be a fundraising campaign for the Jews of Greece, and Hebrew teachers will be sent to local schools and summer camps in Greece to preserve Hebrew instruction in the community.

For several months the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee has been assisting the Greek Jewish community, according to JDC CEO Steven Schwager, who visited Athens last month. The JDC has donated $330,000 for welfare and school scholarships to the Athens Jewish community, while other groups such as the Lauder Foundation and Leichtag Family Foundation, as well as the American Jewish Committee, have also provided funds, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Some 5,000 Jews live in Greece, including 3,500 in Athens and 1,000 in Thessaloniki, according to the Jewish Agency.

The Jewish community operates synagogues, a Jewish school, a museum and a soup kitchen. Community leaders told the Jewish Agency, as well as other Jewish groups, that the majority of Jewish communal institutions in the country are on the verge of closure due to the financial crisis gripping the country.

Many members of the Greek Jewish community are now unemployed and falling below the poverty line, and some 70 elderly members of the community require financial support to pay for basic necessities such as food and shelter.

New Archaeological Findings in Jerusalem Trace Back to the First Christians

Stella Tsolakidou
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New Archaeological Findings in Jerusalem Trace Back to the First Christians

Employing a remote control robotic camera to search inside an intact first century tomb in the south of the Old City of Jerusalem has brought new evidence to light that might change current assumptions about the first Christians.

The findings of the research include two limestone ossuaries, one with a Greek inscription asking God to raise up someone or rise up, and the other with iconography on it most probably depicting Jonah and the whale.

According to scholars, if the markings prove to be Christian, then these two findings will be the earliest archaeological examples of Christian art craft found to date.

If the archaeologists are correct in their assumptions, this would mean that the findings preceded the writing of the gospels and a new long discussion about the nearby Tomb of Jesus will be raised once again. However, there are many scholars who remain skeptical over such early findings due to lack of supportive contextual evidence.

The excavations were funded by Discovery Channel, Vision Television and Associated Producers.

Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa Inaugurates First Orthodox School in Sierra Leone

Stella Tsolakidou
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Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa Inaugurates First Orthodox School in Sierra Leone

Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa, Theodoros II, inaugurated the first Orthodox School in Sierra Leone, a country rising from the recent ashes of civil war. The School has been built in the courtyard of the Cathedral of St. Eleftherios, which is located in the country’s capital city, Freetown.

The Orthodox primate was warmly welcomed and applauded by 1,800 students that are currently visiting the School. During the inauguration ceremony, Patriarch Theodoros II thanked the Brotherhood of Orthodox External Mission of Thessaloniki, which undertook the project of building both the Cathedral and the School.

The Patriarch also congratulated the Principal and teachers of the School for their work and expressed his sincere hopes that this model school will mark the beginning of the Alexandrian Church’s contribution to the educational support of the young people in Sierra Leone.

The pupils and students of the School offered commemorative gifts to the Orthodox primate, who was obviously touched and in turn gave them stationery goods.

During his official visit to the West African country, Theodoros II also inaugurated the Educational Institute of the Diocese and the Journalists School, which is the first one to be established in the country. Moreover, he had a meeting with the Minister responsible for West Africa, issues and discussed regional problems and the plagues of AIDS and malaria.

During the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of St. Eleftherios, the Orthodox primate told the attending faithful to let go of the bitter civil war memories and look forward into a brighter future.

Cypriot Woman Celebrates 105th Birthday

Fani Toli
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Cypriot Woman Celebrates 105th Birthday

A Cypriot woman, Theorou Petrh Louppatziiti, is considered to be the longest-living Greek person in Cyprus, since she celebrated her 105th birthday this year.
She was born in 1907 in the small village of Achna and migrated during the Turkish invasion in 1974. According to the newspaper ‘Fileleftheros’, Theorou recently blew out the candles of her 105th birthday cake, a present from her 6 children, 18 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.
Theorou is following a diet of “thrifty” meals and never forgets to drink a glass of brandy, since her doctor recommended to do so because it can bring happiness.

Group Urban Guerrilla Claims Responsibility For Placing Bomb On Athens Metro

Fani Toli
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Group Urban Guerrilla Claims Responsibility For Placing Bomb On Athens Metro

On Monday, an obscure group – Urban Guerrilla (Antartiko Poleon) – claimed responsibility for placing a bomb on Athens metro.
In two calls to Skai and Mega television stations, the group said it had planted the device and members were planning more attacks. Police officials had no immediate comment on whether they considered the claim to be genuine.
The bomb and the device were randomly discovered by the railcar driver, while making the usual check of the wagons before starting his shift.
The device, which was not activated, contained two small gas canisters with about 1.5l of petrol, a timer, wires and batteries, police said on Sunday.

Clean Monday Celebrations In The City Of Thessaloniki

Fani Toli
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Clean Monday Celebrations In The City Of Thessaloniki

The Greeks in Thessaloniki celebrated the end of the carnival season on Monday and the start of Lent for Christian Easter, while a cold front was gripping most parts of the country, restricting travel.
Despite bad weather, traditional lagana, other fasting food products and kites were distributed to the people of Thessaloniki at ‘Kedrinos Hill’.
In the region of Toumpa in Thessaloniki, the Cultural Centre was packed with people who came to enjoy bean soup (fasolada) and other fasting products.
Clean Monday Celebrations in the region of Triandria included the consumption of fasolada and lagana, the construction of kites, as well as dance and songs.
In Kalamaria of Thessaloniki, people met at the former military camp Kodra as they do every year, in order to celebrate Clean Monday. Thousands of people lined up to get traditional meals for free. The celebrations also included a traditional music concert and the widespread custom of flying kites.

New Website Presented For Protection Of Children's Rights

Fani Toli
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New Website Presented For Protection Of Children's Rights

The Special Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education in Greece, Mr. Michalis Kontogiannis, has informed schools throughout Greece about the new site ‘www.0-18.gr/rotao’ concerning Children’s Rights, that will be launched online on the website of ‘the Greek Ombudsman’.
According to an announcement by the Greek Ministry of Education, the children are provided the opportunity to ask questions to experts and they will receive answers concerning how to resolve their problems.
Some of the questions and answers will be presented online in theme sections anonymously, in order to help children understand their rights and protect them.
When the Greek Ombudsman is deemed essential to intervene to protect a child’s rights, then the child will be informed in order to report the violation of his rights.

"OPA" is More Than Just a Word; It’s a Way of Life

Maria A. Karamitsos
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"OPA" is More Than Just a Word; It’s a Way of Life

Alex Pattakos, PhD has focused his work on helping people find meaning in their lives. One day, he had an “aha” moment, or rather an “OPA” moment: he determined that so much can be derived from Greek philosophy and traditional village customs; a search for meaning could be even more profound while embracing the passion and wisdom of the ancients, and applying it to our lives, our work. It could help us find purpose, channel our own inner Zorba, and lead us to the happiness and success we’re always seeking. We spoke to Alex about The OPA! Way.

Tell us about your Greek roots.

My family was one of the original five families of Sfakia, Crete. They hailed from a village they named Imbros, where they originated. My grandfather was born in the village of Monastiraki, near Mount Ida, near the cave where Zeus was reared. I was born and raised in Brooklyn. My father worked as an engineer. We moved around a lot; we got disconnected from the family. The idea of being ethnic wasn’t appreciated and tolerated. This was a big issue for me. Growing up, I often wondered why I didn’t have an American name and why we had these ‘strange’ rituals. Notions of diversity and tolerance weren’t widespread then; I felt lost when I was really young. For the last six years, I’ve been on a quest to reconnect with my family roots, and bigger-than-life heritage.

Tell us about the search for meaning.

Essentially, I took over where my mentor, Dr. Viktor Frankl, left off. Helping people discover deeper meaning is a manifestation of my own search for meaning in life; to understand my family, culture, heritage–-my DNA. In 2004, I published Prisoners of Our Thoughts,  expanding Frankl’s concepts to the workplace, guiding people to find meaning in their work, opening new opportunities personally and professionally. It’s an international bestseller and has been translated into 20 languages.

Tell us about Eleni.

My wife Elaine Dundon, PhD, has consulted with countless organizations and corporations developing marketing strategies and leading innovation. Her book, The Seeds of Innovation: Cultivating the Synergy That Fosters New Ideas, was one of the top 10 business books in 2002. She discovered that people spoke of innovation, but went back to the old way of doing things; that many efforts to innovate failed because they weren’t rooted in a strong sense of meaning. Many of the challenges we have with engagement and innovation stem from people not knowing what the bigger purpose of their work is, so instead they just focus on trying to complete their tasks or focus on getting a paycheck. If we focus on the meaning of the work, we can be much more interested in our work and more innovative.

What was the “OPA” moment?

We were thinking about how to meld our respective work together. The “OPA” moment came a few years ago in Greece. While going through our own meaning quest, we witnessed resiliency, spirit, zest for life. “OPA” came up and it just clicked. We thought about some things we were facing in the States, wishing we could handle it the way the Greek villagers do-–head on, with passion and exuberance. We have a passion for philosophy; we began to link to ancient traditions, going as far back as the Minoans, and it all started to come together.

Talk about the “Core Values of Greekness.”

It’s comprised of the OPA concept—O: connecting meaningfully with others; P: engaging with deeper purpose;  A: embracing life with attitude—along with the philosophies of the Ancient Greeks and the core values of the Greek villagers,  encompassing nine lessons. We teach seminars, and soon will publish, The OPA! Way: Ageless Wisdom for Living and Working with Meaning. We present complementary and alternate paths to grow personally and professionally, even spiritually. Applying the wisdom of the ancients in a modern-day context will help both Greeks and non-Greeks. We want to raise the profile of what is a Greek. We target non-Greeks-–people who don’t even know they are using the Greek language and concepts in their words and actions. We want to raise the consciousness of what Greece has brought to the planet and to our way and quality of life; it’s not something to be ignored. Greeks shouldn’t ignore it either.

 

Excerpted from an interview for The Greek Star.

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