Hawaii icon set for display at St. George Greek Orthodox Church

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Usually, we think of Hawaii as honeymoon central with its blue waters, sunny beaches, exotic wildlife and swaying palm trees. But the youngest state in the union has something that newlyweds or vacationers likely don’t expect to see there: a miraculous, myrrh-streaming icon of the Virgin Mary holding the Christ child.
The Hawaiian Myrrh-Streaming Icon of the Iveron Mother of God, usually housed in a small Orthodox Christian mission church in Honolulu, is making a trip to the mainland with a stop at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Bakersfield from Jan. 28 to 30.
Hawaii’s myrrh-streaming icon is actually a copy of the original housed for a millennium at the Iveron Orthodox Christian Monastery, located on the peninsula of Mount Athos in northeastern Greece. Tradition teaches that the prototype was painted by St. Luke the Apostle and Evangelist in the first century. Other copies have been produced in Moscow and Montreal and some of them also stream myrrh, sweet-smelling oil used by royalty in the ancient world for the best perfumes. It was also one of the three gifts presented by the Magi to the baby Jesus.

St. George’s pastor, Father Joseph Chaffee, explains that myrrh-flowing icons have been part of the Eastern Orthodox Church from antiquity.
“They are ‘windows to heaven,’ pictures of our exemplary brothers and sisters of the Church triumphant who are inspirations for the Christian life,” Father Joseph said. “The glorified saints depicted in these icons are given honor and a ‘holy kiss,’ but not ever shown worship because that is reserved for God alone. Miraculous icons are considered signs from heaven to strengthen the faithful, especially in difficult times.”
Hawaii’s icon began streaming in 2007, around the start of the financial crisis.
The icon’s guardian, Nectarios Yangston, said the icon filled his home with the scent of thousands of roses. He immediately made the sign of the cross and offered a prayer service in honor of the Virgin Mary. Yangston then called his parish priest who carefully inspected it and verified the myrrh to be genuine. The Orthodox Church has officially recognized the icon as miraculous.

The first person known to be healed through this holy icon was Yangston’s own sister, for whom he prayed at the first sight of myrrh. Her doctor said that her pancreas inexplicably had returned to its normal state and her diabetes was under control. Numerous healings from cancer, organ failure and other ailments have been documented. Recently, while the icon was in Tucson, Ariz., a young boy blinded in a tragic accident had his sight miraculously restored after being blessed by the icon.
Such a powerful item is actually quite small in stature. Made in Russia, the Hawaiian icon is a 7-inch-by-9-inch paper reproduction laminated on a board one inch thick. It is still big enough for all to come and receive a blessing. Father Joseph says everyone is welcome to visit the icon and be anointed with the myrrh.
(source: bakersfield)

Another Band Dissapointed with the Greek Eurovision 2011 Selection Process

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By Ginge Coldwell
Trying to submit a song for candidacy for the Eurovision in Greece, has remained a tough prospect with ERT not giving any explanations to the process and their “doors” have remained sealed.
Last Thursday local Greek band Zante Dilemma denounced to the Greek national media on the indifference of the state television channel towards the very successful Zakynthian Band.
Stella Laitmer, owner of LDR the record label that Zante Dilemma record’s with said “We have talked many times with ERT since the summer and a few days ago I even talked to Marisa Fakli head of The International Relations Department for ERT, she informed us orally that only a few major record companies can participate in Eurovision, and not us” she also stated “We just wanted ERT to hear the song before rejecting it”.
Zante Dilemma have surpassed Greek borders, having had great success not only in Greece but also Cyprus, Italy , Russia and Scandinavia . Their song “My Christina”, is their most famous single and last year in Kalamata they played to 15,000 people and had to have clearance from the highest level of the Greek church to perform in Meteoria.
Vocalist and Creator of Zante Dilemma Kostas Efepoulos,, who is considered one of Greece finest lyrist said on ERMIS Radio on Thursday.
“There is too much power from the major record companies in the Greek music scene, which is not good for the independent and smaller labels”
Mr Efepoulos, further went on to say, “I am not happy with the influence that the likes of reality imported talent shows such as X- Factor and Pop Idol have on Greek pop music and the way that it exploits young kids.”
Emily Greenslade, an English girl and new member of the band, recorded the vocals of Zante Dilemma’s Eurovision entry said to the Expresso newspaper “I am, now, in the company of a Greek band that knows and produces music and has such potential to be accepted by the most demanding listener.”
ERT Television has selected six artists for the Greek national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf.. All of them took part in talent shows such as X-Factor and Greek Idol: The Greek national final will be held in February. The exact date is not known yet.
It will consist of a professional jury and the tele-voting audience and they will determine 50% each of who’ll represent Greece in the semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf.

Why Greek-Americans Are so ‘Churchy’ . . .

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When visiting Greece, I am often asked by native-born Greeks why Greek-Americans are so ‘churchy’ – we sing in church choirs, attend church fairly regularly, wear our baptismal crosses, etc.  By the same token, I have always been puzzled about why, during my visits to Greece, the only people I see at church in both villages and cities are old folks, except, perhaps on church holidays — all this in a country where there is a church in every neighborhood and a shrine around every corner.  Few young families seem to attend and young people tell me they’d rather do anything than have to stand through an entire liturgy on a Sunday morning.

Granted, churches in Greece have few places to sit and most are small, forcing people to stand outside – not the most amenable circumstances for truly enjoying the beauty of a Greek Orthodox service.

In an attempt to explain why Greeks born in the U.S. place so much more value on the Greek Orthodox church as a center for Greeks to gather, I began to do some research online.  The most complete explanation I found was one called The Social Psychology of Immigration: the Greek-American Experience, a study done by Chicago State University’s Alexander Makedon in 1989.

In the study, Makedon admits that some Greek immigrants began to substitute ‘Greekness’ with membership in the Greek Orthodox Church. Even though church attendance is still strongest in the Greek countryside, it has never been as central in modern-day Greece as it has become in the Greek-American community in the United States.

Makedon explains that it was mostly a sign of the times. At a time when huge numbers of Greek immigrants came to the United States (mostly around the turn of the century), the Greek Orthodox Church was by far more important in their lives even in Greece than it is to modern Greeks living in Greece today. “This was particularly true for Greek immigrants coming to the U.S. directly from places still occupied by the Moslem Ottoman Turks, where historically the “enslaved” Greeks clung even closer to their churches to survive,” says Makedon. “As modern Greece became increasingly independent from Ottoman control, so were later Greek immigrants more likely to value other cultural institutions (such as universities) as much or even more than the Greek Orthodox Church.”

But much of the growth of the Greek Orthodox Church in the United States is the result of America’s systematic promotion of and penchant for religious pluralism. In fact, the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment addresses and guarantees freedom of religious belief. “This type of established religious pluralism made it easier for different religious groups to peacefully coexist and flourish than it did for different ethnic groups to keep their secular cultures in an Anglo-dominated society,” says Makedon. “Consequently, many Greek immigrants found it much easier to maintain their religion than to preserve their secular ethnic culture.

So they turned to their religion with a vengeance, building Greek churches everywhere  — in places where there were just enough employed Greeks to finance them. “The Greek church came to symbolize for Greek Americans the sense of belonging, which Greek society as a whole did for the Greeks living in Greece,” adds Makedon.

So how did all this pan out in the 21stcentury?  We now have a seemingly unexplainable (if not contradictory) phenomenon of completely anglicized third and fourth generation Greeks zealously supporting the Greek Orthodox Church, according to Makedon. It defines them as deeply as does one’s place of birth, or even country of origin. We took ancient, modal liturgical music and formed choirs to sing the minor-chord  hymns in four-part harmony.  But unlike the ‘old country’ churches, we made sure there were pews in which which congregants could sit and kneel for parts of the service, ‘cry rooms’ for mothers with young babies to run to, church halls to hold luncheons and have fundraisers,  and Sunday schools to teach our little ones about their ancient Christian faith.

It is also within the context of church that Greek lessons are offered, dance groups are formed (which now compete fiercely for both talent and authenticity), and recipes from generations back are memorialized and perpetuated by immense church food festivals – usually each Greek Orthodox church’s biggest fundraiser of the year.  Non-Greeks come to these festivals in droves, looking to eat our pastitsio and koulourakia, dance the Kalamatiano and to shout ‘Opa’ with us until they drop. Perhaps it’s because so many Americans have to look too far back to find a culture from which their own families identified that they have such an interest in ours.

Whatever it is, it is the American Greek Orthodox Church that continues to be the entity that heralds the joys of being Greek in America. And we like that just fine.

Greece to Investigate Ministers in Siemens Contracts Scandal

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A Greek parliamentary committee decided on Friday to continue investigations into the dealings of more than thirteen former or serving ministers in the Siemens cash-for-contracts scandal.
The committee recommended that some thirteen ministers, some from the Socialist government under the leadership of former prime minister Costas Simitis, should be investigated in connection with the purchase of Siemens equipment by state-run telecoms company OTE at inflated prices.
Other ministers under investigation include those responsible for their part in the purchase of a security system for the 2004 Athens Olympics and arms procurement.
Several politicians, including former Greek transport minister Anastasios Mantelis, have already admitted to accepting bribes from the Greek branch of the German electronics and engineering giant, which wanted to secure lucrative contracts.
Munich-based Siemens has since agreed to pay huge penalties to the U.S. and German authorities for corruption and purged its management to make a fresh start.
(source: DPA)

Olympic Sprinters Kenderis' & Thanou's Doping Trial Begins

The trial of disgraced Greek sprinters Costas Kenderis and Katerina Thanou finally began on Friday, after being postponed seven times. At the 2004 Games in Athens, Kenderis and Thanou caused one of the the biggest Olympic doping scandals. The two sprinters were accused of missing a doping test and staging a motorcycle accident to avoid being tested on the night of the 2004 opening ceremony.
Kenderis, who won a gold medal in the 200 metres and Thanou, a silver Olympic medallist in the 100 metres at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, were Greece’s biggest medal hopes for the Athens Games.
They both face misdemeanor charges of perjury over the motorcycle accident, along with ten other people including their coach, doctors and alleged witnesses of the accident. If found guilty they face a penalty of up to two years in prison.

 

Fitch Ratings Claims Greece Must Access Markets by end of 2011

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Fitch Ratings said on Friday that there is a continuing risk that euro-region nations will have their credit ratings downgraded, according to Bloomberg.
David Riley, head of sovereign ratings at Fitch said that while the risk of a break-up of the euro area remains “small,” there will be periodic episodes of market turmoil in the region until fiscal consolidation is secured and the economic recovery is broad-based.
Regarding Greece, an absence of economic recovery in the second half of 2011 and new official lending if markets stay closed, may trigger a rating downgrade, he said.
Riley noted that ratings triggers for Portugal include a failure to meet fiscal targets, an absence of sustained economic rebalancing and a loss of access to the market, says the news agency.
Spain’s rating may be lowered if the cost of recapitalizing the banks is larger than expected, there is slippage against fiscal targets or the economic recovery is weaker than projected, he concluded.

Greek Independance Day Parade Set for March 27th, NYC

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This year’s Greek parade on Manhattan’s 5th Avenue for the celebration of Greek Independence day on March 25th, will be held on Sunday, March 27th.  Every year, a parliamentary delegation from Greece, and the Greek presidential guards, also known as Evzones will be attending.
Many prominent figures from the U.S. and Greece have been proposed for the Master of Ceremonies.  These figures include Mikis Theodorakis, Senator Charles Shumer, Vassileios Merkezinis, Greek – American actress Tina Fey, former CIA director George Tenet, and his twin brother, cardiologist Basil Tenet.
The themes to be presented at this year’s parade include Greek tourism, the return of the Parthenon Marbles and the heroic sacrifice of the women in Souli will be the issues of focus.

Greece Recalls 34 Detached Teachers Working in Australia

The Greeks of Australia face serious problems, as the Greek Ministry of Culture, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs decided to recall detached teachers from Greece. Due to financial austerity measures, the Greek government has recalled almost half of the detached Greek teachers.  The teachers used to work in schools for expatriate Greeks, in public schools, in Greek language departments at Universities, and in the Ministries of Education of Australia. Thirty-four detached teachers who work in Australia must return to Greece, according to the Ministry’s decision. The Greeks of Australia consider this decision unacceptable and extremely offensive, as there are only 45 teachers left for 45,000 students. The Greek teachers argue that the recall of detached teachers will weaken efforts of the Greeks of the Diaspora to teach Greek in Australian schools. This desicion may weaken relations between the Greek Ministry of Culture and the Ministries of Australia, which are the links between the central service and the state governments.

Crete Plans 38-Megawatt Solar Plant with California Co. BrightSource

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The Greek island of Crete is planning for a 38-megawatt solar plant.  BrightSource has been tapped to help build it.
Oakland, California-based BrightSource has signed a deal with Nur Energie which is a U.K. company developing a solar project, to use its LPT 550 energy system, the solar manufacturer announced today.
When complete and running at full capacity, the plant is expected to generate enough electricity for 13,000 homes.
BrightSource is known for its signature solar “power tower” technology that employs hundreds of sun-worshipping heliostats. The solar-tracking mirrors reflect solar rays on a common tower containing a boiler. The liquid inside the tower’s boiler is heated to produce a high temperature steam. The steam power is used to drive a turbine-powered generator to make electricity.

German Vice Chairman Wants Greece to Exit the EU

After Germany criticized Greece for its decision to place a border fence in Evros to keep out illegal immigrants, the nation now proposes that Greece should exit the Schengen Agreement.  According to Germany, Greece is unable to control its borders. Günter Krings, CDU-Fraction Vice Chairman, urged Greece to exit the EU Schengen Agreement. “The Greeks should have the decency to leave the Schengen area better today than tomorrow, if they are not willing or are not able to control their borders, ” Krings stated to German daily Rheinische Post on Thursday. The Schengen Agreement signed in 1985 created the border-less Europe, with no border controls among the EU-member states. Also the European Union should not longer just watch, “how the Greeks trample the procedures laws with their feet, ” demanded the CDU politician. CDU stands for conservative Christian Democrat Union, the party of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Krings’ call comes a day after German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere from the same CDU-party decided to temporarily stop sending illegal immigrants that have entered the European Union via Greece, back to the country.