Hospital Transplants Pig Kidney Into Human for First Time

Matthew Norman
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Hospital Transplants Pig Kidney Into Human for First Time
doctor surgery transplant
Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital have managed to perform the first transplant of a kidney from a pig into a human. Credit : flickr / ophthalmology muh. Public Domain

In a four-hour surgery undertaken at Massachusetts General Hospital on Saturday, March 16th, doctors have managed to perform the first transplant of a genetically modified kidney from a pig into a living human, they announced on Thursday.

In the hospital, which was also where the first kidney transplant was performed in 1954, patient Rick Slayman, a 62-year-old manager with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation who had been diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease, is reportedly recovering well and is expected to be discharged from the practice soon.

Doctors announced Thursday that they believed his new kidney could last years. However, they also noted that there are a number of unknowns when it comes to animal-to-human transplants. In a written statement from the hospital, Slayman said he had been a patient in the hospital’s transplant program for eleven years.

Prior to the pig transplant, he had received a kidney from a human donor after living with diabetes and high blood pressure for several years. That organ began showing signs of failure just five years later, and Slayman resumed his dialysis a few years later in 2023.

At the point he was diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease last year, he told CNN, his doctors suggested he try a pig kidney.

“I saw it not only as a way to help me, but a way to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive,” Slayman said in the statement. Medical professionals who were not involved in the case said the operation represented a significant milestone in medicine.

“To finally see this come to fruition after years of work and collaboration is really a huge step forward and a great moment for transplant,” Dr Parsia Vagefi, chief of surgical transplantation at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, told CNN.

Dr. Tatsuo Kawai, director of the Legorreta Center for Clinical Transplant Tolerance and the surgeon who performed the operation, reportedly said the pig organ was exactly the same size as a human kidney.

When they stitched it in, connecting its blood vessels to Slayman’s, Kawai told CNN, it immediately “pinked up” and began producing urine. The fifteen-member transplant team in the operating room burst into applause, he said.

“It was truly the most beautiful kidney I have ever seen,” Kawai said Thursday in a news briefing that was emotional for the doctors involved, some of whom have worked on this research for their entire careers.

How pig and other animal organs can help in the future

The need for organs far outweighs the number that are readily available, with seventeen people dying on a daily basis in the US while waiting for an organ. Kidneys are the organ in shortest supply. According to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, around 27,000 kidneys were transplanted in 2023, but nearly 89,000 people were on the waiting list for those organs.

It has been claimed by experts that xenotransplants, which involve the transplantation of animal organs into humans, are key to solving the organ shortage issue.

“It also could be a potential breakthrough in solving one of the more intractable problems in our field, that being an unequal access for ethnic minority patients to the opportunity for kidney transplantation,” said Dr Winfred Williams, associate chief of the Department of Nephrology at Mass General, in the news briefing.

This is the third transplant of a pig organ into a living human. The first two were hearts transplanted into living people who had nowhere left to turn in terms of transplant options. The organs were transplanted under special rules that allow compassionate employment of experimental therapies for people in desperate medical situations. Both patients died soon after receiving the transplants.

The research team at Mass General Brigham said that although this latest transplant was significant, more research is still needed. This would ideally involve a large study at many hospitals to fully understand the efficacy of pig kidney transplants.

“Our hope is that dialysis will become obsolete,” Dr Leonardo Riella, medical director of kidney transplantation at Mass General told CNN. “Dialysis will be like a ventilator for a patient with respiratory failure. You use it for a period of time, and hopefully if they’re healthy enough, they could have a more permanent solution, which could be a human transplant or a xenotransplant.”

Dozens of Amphorae Recovered From Ancient Byzantine Shipwreck in Greece

Tasos Kokkinidis
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Dozens of Amphorae Recovered From Ancient Byzantine Shipwreck in Greece
ancient Byzantine shipwreck
An amphora was brought to the surface from the shipwreck near the Greek island of Fournoi. Credit: Ministry of Culture

Excavations of an ancient Byzantine shipwreck off the coast of Fournoi near Samos, Greece are bringing new finds onto the surface.

The wreck has been systematically excavated since 2021 and has been selected for intensive investigation due to the extremely interesting cargo it carries.

The amphorae found in the sand near the wreck, along with the wooden skeleton of the ship itself, were in remarkably good condition. Experts believe that the ship’s wooden framing survived throughout the centuries because it was crushed under the rest of the ship and oxygen couldn’t reach it, stalling the process of decay.

So far eight different amphora types have been recorded, originating from Crimea, Sinope of the Pontus region in the Black Sea, as well as from the Aegean islands and the Phocaean region of Asia Minor.

ancient Byzantine shipwreck
Eight different amphora types have been recorded. Credit: Ministry of Culture

Pottery recovered at the ancient Byzantine shipwreck

The Ministry of Culture says 170 group dives were carried out during the latest excavations carried out in September 2023. Archaeologists worked throughout the period to clear sand and debris from the wreck to provide access for experts to conduct studies of the site.

The scattering of the finds on the seabed seems to indicate a partial loss of cargo before the ship sank.

The recovered pottery was particularly enlightening, in terms of the more precise chronological inclusion of the wreck, which can now be safely dated between 480 and 520 AD, probably during the years of Emperor Anastasios I (491 – 518 AD), says a press release by the Greek Ministry of Culture.

Byzantine Emperor Anastasios I is known for his fiscal and monetary reforms, which strengthened the Empire’s coffers and enabled the expansionist policy of the emperors of the 6th century.

ancient Byzantine shipwreck
The finds are scattered on the seabed near the shipwreck. Credit: Ministry of Culture

In parallel with the excavation of the wreck, findings from three more wrecks at the Fournoi archipelago were recovered, which are intended to be exhibited at the local archeological museum which is under construction. Among these finds are a giant archaic anchor obelisk and amphorae from shipwrecks of the 6th to 8th centuries A.D.

Countless ancient shipwrecks off Greece

There are many ancient shipwrecks across the Greek seas, and archaeologists have found countless historic treasures in these sunken archaeological sites.

Earlier in March, the Ministry of Culture announced that scientists have discovered several shipwrecks and other important ancient finds in the underwater, near Greece’s island of Kasos.

These date back indicatively from prehistory (3000 BC), the Classical period (460 BC), the Hellenistic (100 BC to 100 AD), and the Roman years (200 BC – 300 AD) to the medieval and Ottoman periods.

Four stunning ancient shipwrecks filled with artifacts from antiquity and the Roman and Byzantine eras off central Greece can now be explored by amateur divers.

“We plan to highlight our marine cultural heritage,” Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said.

“We have responded to this great challenge by opening to the public a total of four underwater archaeological sites in the prefecture of Magnesia, which will allow Greece to join the world map of diving tourism.”

Gold Wreath Still Adorns 2,500 Year-Old Skull in Crete, Greece

Tasos Kokkinidis
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Gold Wreath Still Adorns 2,500 Year-Old Skull in Crete, Greece
skull gold wreath
The skull of the athlete is still adorned by the golden wreath. Credit: Archaeological Museum of Agios Nikolaos, Crete

The skull of a crowned athlete with a gold wreath in the shape of a laurel branch still attached to it is perhaps one of the most impressive exhibits in Greece.

The flesh disintegrated after 2,500 years, but the wreath stuck and remained on the skull. Inside the mouth, a silver coin was found as a token to Charon, who in Greek mythology was the ferryman of Hades who carried the souls of the newly deceased to the underworld.

The skull was found in the cemetery of the ancient city of Lato and was one of the most spectacular exhibits at Agios Nikolaos museum in Crete.

Skull with gold wreath discovered in the ruins of the ancient city of Lato

Lato was an ancient city of Crete, the ruins of which are located approximately 3 km from the village of Kritsa, among the oldest and most picturesque villages in Crete which was built amphitheatrically on a rock hill called Kastellos. This hill is surrounded by olive groves at an altitude of 375m.

The Dorian city-state was built in a defensible position overlooking Mirabello Bay between two peaks, both of which became acropolises to the city.

Although the city probably predates the arrival of the Dorians, the ruins date mainly from the Dorian period (5th and 4th centuries BCE). The city was destroyed c. 200 BCE, but its port (Lato Etera, or Lato pros Kamara), located near Agios Nikolaos was in use during Roman rule.

This has led to the confusion, repeated by Stephanus of Byzantium quoting Xenion, a Cretan historian, that Kamara and Lato were one and the same. Modern scholarship distinguishes the two.

The city was most likely named after the goddess Leto (of which Lato is the usual Doric form) and may be mentioned in Linear B tablets as RA-TO. Lato also minted coins in antiquity, bearing the likeness of the goddess Eileithyia, who appears to have been the one particularly worshipped at Lato.

Nearchus, admiral of Alexander the Great, was born at Lato.

Skull exhibited at the Archaeological Museum of Agios Nikolaos

The Archaeological Museum of Agios Nikolaos opened in 1969 and was considered one of the most significant in Crete. It has a rich collection of archaeological treasures ranging from the pre-Minoan (3000 BC) to the Roman (2nd century AD) period.

The museum housed collections of vital archaeological findings from the entire region of eastern Crete, extending from Malia to the distant Zakros. Its showcases included more than 1,500 pots, as well as the oldest gold and bronze findings in Crete.

Among the exhibits of the museum were the findings from the seaside cemetery of Agia Fotia, the largest Minoan cemetery that has been excavated, the terracotta figurine of the Goddess of Myrtos, the golden pin, the stone pyxidio, and the stone Rhyton in shape of a triton shell.

Unfortunately, the museum is currently closed. All exhibits have been moved to other museums in Crete.

The Village That Defies the Demographic Crisis in Greece

Tasos Kokkinidis
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The Village That Defies the Demographic Crisis in Greece
Demographic Crisis in Greece
The village of Chrysomilia in Central Greece is renowned for families with many children. Credit: Facebook/Freinds of Chrysomilia

A village in Central Greece defies the demographic crisis in the country by boasting extended families with many children.

In the small mountain village of Chrysomilia near Kalambaka in Thessaly, dozens of children can be seen playing, going to school and church, and living within extended families.

The village is a community of about 500 inhabitants, perched at an altitude of 900 meters, and is referred to as the “village of many children.” At least 80 families have more than three children, according to a report on Skai TV.

The village, thanks to its location and inhabitants, was a vibrant and self-sufficient village that relied on many different sources of income: livestock, agriculture, and timber.

The president of the local council, Nikos Stephopoulos, explained the historical reason that the village defies the Greek demographic trend.

According to the local priest, “The legend says that in 1800 the village had suffered subsidence. Families had been killed. The stories say that half the village was lost. Then the inhabitants decided to regenerate it by having many children.”

The priest adds that perhaps there is nowhere else in Greece where up to thirty grade school children attend liturgies. Kids also help their parents in agricultural work.

Greece’s demographic crisis

Greece is facing a demographic crisis with the country experiencing the lowest population reproduction rate in Europe. The situation has reached alarming proportions with more deaths occurring than births.

In 2010, Greece recorded 114,766 births compared to 109,084 deaths. However, over the course of a decade, the numbers have shifted dramatically. In 2020, Greece reported only 84,717 births but a staggering 131,084 deaths. This trend has led to a significant population decline.

The reproduction rate in Greece is now one of the lowest in the world, standing at 1.3 children per woman. This is well below the stability limit of 2.1 children per woman.

This specific demographic problem has been observed for many decades in Greece. Faye Makandasis, diaNEOSis’ research director, noted declining fertility indicators since 1940 stemming from past generations.

He expressed concern, saying that if current conditions and factors remain unchanged, “We will talk about a reduction of the population in Greece by half.”

Among the factors contributing to the decline in fertility and Greece’s demographic crisis, Makandasis identified the delay of childbearing. He stated that Greek women give birth to their first child at an average age of 30.3 years.

Earlier this year, Greece announced a package of measures for new parents aimed at helping families cope with the rising cost of living and tackling the demographic problem facing the country.

Among the measures was an increase in the birth allowance from 400 to 1,500 euros. This increase will have a retroactive effect, as it will also apply to births from 2023.

Dionysios Solomos: The Greek Poet of Liberty

Tasos Kokkinidis
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Dionysios Solomos: The Greek Poet of Liberty
Dionysios Solomos
Dionysios Solomos, the creator of The Hymn to Liberty, Greece’s National Anthem. Credit: Public domain.

Dionysios Solomos, born on the island of Zakynthos in 1798, is rightly regarded as the National Poet of Greece for writing “Imnos eis tin Eleftherían,” (“Hymn to Liberty”), the first two stanzas of which became the national anthem of Greece.

His work had a monumental influence in uniting Greeks and creating a common national identity following the 1821 War of Independence and the establishment of a free state.

Dionysios Solomos, the creator of the Hymn to Liberty

The Hymn to Liberty, which was written in 1823, consists of 158 stanzas, and combines elements of romanticism and classicism. It is made up of tetrastic stanzas, in which octosyllabic and heptasyllabic verses alternate.

The Corfiot musician Nicolaos Mantzaros composed a melody for the words in 1828. Based on popular rhythms, it was originally written as a four-part harmony choral work. After that the anthem was regularly played on national holidays and in the houses of Corfu merchants, coming to be considered the unofficial hymn of the Heptanese.

Mantzaros modified his original melody several times – the second in 1837, the third between 1839 and 1840, and the fourth in December 1844 – before he presented it to King Otto I.

In 1865, the first three stanzas (and later the first two) officially became the national anthem of Greece; in 1966, this was also adopted as the national anthem of the Republic of Cyprus.

The first publishing of “Hymn to Liberty”, the Greek National Anthem. Public Domain
The first publishing of “Hymn to Liberty”, the Greek National Anthem. Public Domain.

Solomos wrote the hymn to honor the courageous struggle of the Greeks for independence after centuries of Ottoman rule.

The poem recounts the misery of the Greeks under the Ottomans and their desperate hope for freedom. He describes several events of the War, including the execution of Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople, the reaction of the Great Powers, the Siege of Tripolitsa and the Christian character of the struggle.

The Greek National Anthem

Σε γνωρίζω από την κόψη
Του σπαθιού την τρομερή,
Σε γνωρίζω από την όψη
Που με βιά μετράει τη γη.
Απ’ τα κόκκαλα βγαλμένη
Των Ελλήνων τα ιερά
Και σαν πρώτα ανδρειωμένη
Χαίρε, ω χαίρε Ελευθεριά!
Και σαν πρώτα ανδρειωμένη
Χαίρε, ω χαίρε Ελευθεριά!
Και σαν πρώτα ανδρειωμένη
Χαίρε, ω χαίρε Ελευθεριά!

English translation:

I know you by the dreadful
edge of the sword,
I know you by the gaze
that measures the land with force.

Born from the sacred
bones of the Greeks
and brave as in the old times

Hail, oh hail, Liberty!
And brave as in the old times
Hail, oh hail, Liberty!
And brave as in the old times
Hail, oh hail, Liberty!

 The Greek poet of liberty

Solomos, who was the central figure of the Heptanese School of poetry, is considered to be the national poet of Greece — not only because he wrote the national anthem, but also because he contributed to the preservation of an earlier poetic tradition and highlighted its usefulness to modern literature.

After completing The Hymn to Liberty, Solomos continued to write impressive poetry, but never fully completed another work, and very few of his works were published in his lifetime. He had moved to Corfu and also established a literary circle there.

Solomos suffered a series of strokes toward the end of his life and passed away on February 9, 1857. His remains were returned to his native island of Zakynthos in 1865.

Fastest Improving Business Environment Globally Is in Greece, Report Says

Tasos Kokkinidis
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Fastest Improving Business Environment Globally Is in Greece, Report Says
Business environment Greece
Bank of Greece. Credit: Greek Reporter

Greece has climbed 28 spots to the top of a list of 10 countries making the fastest progress in improving business environment, according to an Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report released on Wednesday.

Plowing ahead of Argentina and India, which hold second and third place respectively, “Greece has witnessed the most significant improvement, showing the country’s pro-business government, which has implemented reforms, cut taxes and initiatives to enhance business confidence,” the report said.

EIU’s business environment index measures the attractiveness of the business environment in 82 countries and territories, examining 91 indicators spread across 11 different categories.

Greece business environment

The findings, based on a vector autoregression (VAR) model which measured two decades’ worth of data in 82 countries and territories, predict which are “on the verge of notable economic growth,” and, therefore, “favorable destinations to direct future investment spending.”

The VAR model used by the EIU “suggests that these improvements may result in an uptick in real GDP per capita growth, investment spending and foreign direct investment,” it was said.

The latest rankings by the EIU also reveal that Singapore, Denmark, and the US are projected to have the best business environments over the next five years, with Singapore expected to maintain its position at the top for the sixteenth consecutive year.

Several West European economies, alongside Canada, Hong Kong, and New Zealand, make up the remaining top ten best places in the world to conduct business.

Greece business environment

In December 2023, The Economist magazine ranked Greece’s economic performance for 2023 in the top spot in the list of 35 countries around the globe.

According to the analysis based on five economic and financial indicators (inflation, “inflation breadth”, GDP, jobs and stock market performance), Greece has the best economic marks among 35 mainly rich countries this year.

Greece is above South Korea and the United States in the relevant table.

Greece’s business environment is boosted by investment-grade status

Greece approved its 2024 budget in December, forecasting a rise in economic growth to 2.9 percent from 2.4 percent this year as a result of robust tourist revenues and EU funds helping investment.

Greece regained its investment-grade status in 2023 after thirteen years. Fitch Ratings upgraded Greece’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to BBB- from BB+.

Characterized by Greek finance experts as the strictest and most robust rating agency, Fitch rewards the Greek economy’s efforts by giving the country a vote of confidence.

Fitch was the second of the big three US rating agencies after S&P to give Greece a higher investment grade. This will allow more institutional investors to buy Greek bonds, thus increasing capital inflows and further helping to contain borrowing costs for the Greek government and businesses.

Maria Karystianou, the ‘Mother of Tempe’, Upends Greek Politics

Tasos Kokkinidis
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Maria Karystianou, the ‘Mother of Tempe’, Upends Greek Politics
Maria Karystianou Tempe
Maria Karystianou has kept the tragic accident of Tempe in the limelight. Credit: Facebook/ Maria Karystianou

If it were not for Maria Karystianou the railway tragedy at Tempe in 2023 that claimed the lives of 53 people would perhaps been forgotten.

Karystianou, dubbed the “mother of Tempe”, has been fighting for the last 12 months in Greece and abroad to seek justice for the victims and punishment for those responsible irrespective of their place in politics.

The Thessaloniki-born pediatrician who represents the families of the 57 victims of the train accident in Tempe lost her 20-year-old daughter Marti Psaropoulou at the train crash.

In emotional speeches at the Greek Parliament, the European Parliament and other national and international fora she almost single-handedly forced the conservative government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis into a defensive mode.

In social media networks, her name leads the trends. Her speeches are not just moving; they are thought-provoking and make you think. People see in her a person who manages to control her pain of losing her child and fights for a right to know that is not hers alone.

Maria Karystianou leads call for the lifting of immunity after Tempe

Almost one and a half million Greek citizens signed a resolution calling for the lifting of parliamentary immunity for the political figures involved in the case.

Questions she has been raising about a possible cover-up after the tragic accident and the parliamentary immunity of former ministers have kept the issue open: Who was responsible and why they are not punished?

Speaking at the European Parliament earlier in the week she said that the Greek government “initiated a sequence of bad manipulations and methods, which insults the memory of our dead and the dignity of the victims who survived.”

Karystianou noted the government through the Parliament provides the competent minister at the time and current MP Kostas Karamanlis full immunity.

“It doesn’t even refer him to face justice,” she said.

“In the first 24 hours after the fatal collision, a government cover-up was ordered for which to this day no one has taken responsibility, even though it has been publicly acknowledged,” she said.

“During the collision, flammable and illegal substances caused a huge explosion that incinerated most of them. This cargo was not even declared. Within 5 days they moved the debris and filled the area. Crucial evidence of guilt was lost,” she added.

Party politics

Some have been trying to use her for petty political purposes. Social media users wonder whether she is on the left of the political spectrum and wants to topple the conservative government with her elaborate interventions.

“No opposition party has asked me or even hinted that I may join them [in the run-up to the European elections]. I only hear these rumors from supporters of the ruling party,” she said.

Most agree that Karystianou doesn’t belong to anyone. It belongs to herself, who is going through the hell of a terrible loss. She was driven to the center stage by pain and tragedy, but also by the insecurity she feels towards the institutions, like most Greek citizens.

Related: Greek Railway Disaster Expert Speaks of Crucial Omissions in Tempe Probe

The Heroines of the Greek War of Independence

Kerry Kolasa-Sikiaridi
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The Heroines of the Greek War of Independence
heroines greek war of independence
Greece personified as a woman in the painting “Grateful Hellas” by Theodoros Vryzakis, 1858. Credit: Public Domain

The role that Greek women played in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire is not to be overlooked, as these heroines helped shape the course of Greece’s fight for freedom.

Several women stand out as having influenced the Greek War of Independence, while others– who are nameless — will always be remembered in the hearts and stories of the Greek people for their bravery and as revered martyrs.

Let’s take a look at some of the most memorable among these women:

Laskarina Bouboulina: renowned heroine of the Greek War of Independence

heroines greek war of independence
Laskarina Bouboulina. Credit: Public Domain

One of the most renowned heroines of the Greek War of Independence, Bouboulina was a patriot to her last breath.

She was born in May of 1771 in a prison in Constantinople and led a most unconventional life for her times.

Laskarina was married twice and inherited a fortune due to her marriages. There are reports that in 1819 Bouboulina joined the “Filiki Etaireia” (Society of Friends), the underground organization preparing to facilitate a revolution against Ottoman rule to liberate Greece.

Bouboulina went on to become a Greek naval commander in the Greek War of Independence. On March 13, 1821 she raised the Greek flag, which was based on the flag of the Comnenus dynasty of Byzantine emperors, on the mast of her ship, and led her fleet of eight ships to Nafplio, where she started a naval blockade.

Her wealth and fortune were a great asset, and she spent most of her riches on supplying ammunition and food for the sailors and soldiers under her command. She would go on to participate in other naval blockades and the capture of Monemvasia and Pylos. In 1825, however, she was killed by an unknown assassin on the balcony of her house on Spetses during a family feud.

Manto Mavrogenous, a fighter for the cause of Greek freedom

heroines greek war of independence
Portrait of Mavrogenous by Adam Friedel. Credit: Public Domain

Born in 1796 in Trieste, Italy, which was at the time part of the Austrian Empire, Mavrogenous moved to Paros with her family in 1809 and joined the Filiki Etaireia in 1820 when she learned from her father, who was already a member of the organization, that they were preparing a revolution.

She was wealthy and well-educated, and convinced her friends to donate their money in efforts to increase the weaponry for the Greeks fighting in the revolution, appealingto wealthy women as far away as Paris to side with the Greeks.

Mavrogenous first went to Mykonos to invite leaders to join in the revolution.

Soon afterward, she left her family in 1823 and moved to Nafplio to fight at the center of the conflict. She stayed in Nafplion after the war concluded, and was granted the rank of Lieutenant General by Kapodistrias. After Kapodistrias’ assassination, Mavrogenous returned to Mykonos and lost her life to typhoid fever in July of 1848.

Rallou Karatza was a princess, actress, and revolutionary

Born a princess in 1799, Karatza became an actress, theater director and translator. She was a participant in the Greek War of Independence, as it is rumored that she too became a member of the Filiki Etaireia, using her influence as a stage actress to help the revolution.

Karatza translated and performed plays from Western Europe in the “Cişmeaua Roşie” in Bucharest, where she became a valuable weapon of propaganda for the revolution. Reports say that she died in 1870.

delacroix
“Greece on the Ruins of Messolonghi,” Eugene Delcroix, 1826. Credit: Public Domain

The “Mesolongitisses,” heroines who defended Greece in the War of Independence

The women of Messolonghi, or “Mesolongitisses” are remembered as the brave heroines who, during the Greek War of Independence, helped in the efforts to liberate Greece from the Turks in many ways.

They not only defended western Greece throughout the long siege of the area, they also helped the soldiers by transporting materials to build forts, such as wood and tools, and helped the wounded to recover. During the exodus, many of the women of Missolonghi perished alongside the soldiers, as they were massacred, captured or committed suicide to escape torture or enslavement at the hands of their enemy.

zalongo
Monument to the women at Zalongo. Credit: Ha Te/ Wikimedia Commons/ CC BY-SA 4.0

The “Souliotisses” chose death over capture

The women of Souli, called “Souliotisses” are known for their bravery in fighting as well as for being martyrs. They took part in the military operations of northern Greece and even threw boulders from high cliffs onto the Turks below during battles.

In December of 1803, at the “Dance of Zalongo” these women threw themselves off the high cliffs where they once had thrown rocks.They chose to commit suicide rather than be captured by the Turks.

George Karlaftis Is the Grand Master of the Greek New York Parade

Tasos Kokkinidis
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George Karlaftis Is the Grand Master of the Greek New York Parade
Karlaftis Greek New York Parade
New York Greek Independence Day Parade 2023. Credit: GreekReporter

George Karlaftis, who just won his second Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs, will be the Grand Master of the New York Parade to honor Greek independence, organizers announced on Thursday.

The 2024 Greek Independence Parade Weekend will consist of the Flag Raising at Bowling Green on Friday, April 12th, the Gala on April 13th, and the Parade on Fifth Avenue in New York City on April 14th.

Karlaftis and the New York Greek parade

Thousands of Greek-Americans and others are expected to descend onto Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue to watch the traditional parade and participate in the festivities to mark the anniversary of the Greek revolution against the Ottoman Turks.

The annual event, a celebration of Hellenic identity, culture, and achievements in the world, is organized and hosted by the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, a non-profit organization committed to fostering an appreciation of Greek-American heritage and achievement.

Last year, George M. Logothetis, Executive Chairman of Libra Group, was the Grand Marshal of the parade, and he walked along Archibishop Elpidophoros, Greek Ambassador to the US Alexandra Papadopoulou, and other dignitaries.

“As a proud Greek-American, it is an honor to be named a Grand Marshal for New York’s Greek Independence Day Parade,” said Logothetis.

Karlaftis’ rise to the top

Karlaftis, a proud Greek American, was instrumental in the Chiefs’ win against the San Francisco 49ers with a score of 25-22 in February. Karlaftis’ impact was felt immediately, recovering a Christian McCaffrey fumble to end San Francisco’s first drive.

Karlaftis has started 33 regular season games in his first two seasons and has 16.5 career sacks in addition to two Super Bowl wins.

He is 6’4″ and weighs 263 pounds. He is indeed huge compared to most humans, but perhaps his abnormality in American football is that he may be a bit undersized. Some questioned if he could compete against the many top players of the NFL. It turns out observers find him relentless.

George Karlaftis’ father, Matt, a javelin thrower, was a star in track and field at the University of Miami. His father, while attending graduate school, met his mother Amy at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue has an unsung relationship with Greece and Greek-Americans.

George’s parents returned to Athens, where his father became a professor. The family had four children. Everything changed, however, when their father died of a heart attack while traveling for work at age forty-four. Within days, their mother, Amy, moved the children back to Indiana, where she had more support.

It was in Indiana that George, who played many sports in Greece, fell in love with American football.

Related: George Karlaftis: The Greek Freak of American Football?

Impressive Greece Edges Closer to Euro 2024

Tasos Kokkinidis
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Impressive Greece Edges Closer to Euro 2024
Greece Euro 2024
Credit: Players of the Greek National team celebrate one of the five goals against Kazakhstan on Thursday night. Credit: AMNA

Greece thrashed Kazakhstan 5-0 in their Euro 2024 play-off semi-final on Thursday and has one final hurdle to clear on its way to the finals.

If Greece beats Georgia in Tbilisi on Tuesday it will qualify to the finals of a major international competition after a 12-year wait.

A truly imposing performance by the players of coach Gus Poyet at the OPAP Arena on Thursday night led to an unexpectedly comfortable victory in the division’s semifinal.

The Greeks opened the score in the first five minutes, as Dimitris Pelkas earned a penalty that captain Tasos Bakasetas converted into the first goal.

The second came just eight minutes later, this time with Pelkas translating into a goal the delightful cross from the right by Giorgos Massouras.

Massouras was also the provider for the third goal that Fotis Ioannidis scored on the 37th, three minutes before Dimitris Kourbelis headed home another cross from the right, this time by Kostas Tsimikas, for 4-0 at half-time.

The Greeks dropped a gear in the second half, as victory was already assured, but a fifth goal arrived five minutes from the end by the Kazakhs themselves: Yerkin Tapalov scored an own goal from a corner kick Greece took, once again, from the right.

Repeat performance on Tuesday could see Greece in Euro 2024

Overall it was an impressive performance by the Greek National team. A repeat performance on Tuesday will surely guarantee a place in Euro 2024, a competition it won so unexpectedly in 2004.

Euro 2024 is taking place next summer, with 23 teams joining the hosts in the finals. Germany will host the tournament, which is scheduled to take place from 14 June to 14 July 2024.

It will be the third time that European Championship matches are played on German territory and the second time in reunified Germany, as the former West Germany hosted the tournament’s 1988 edition.

Greece has transformed itself under the guidance of Gus Poyet since February 2022. He guided the team to four victories from their four opening fixtures in League C of the 2022 UEFA Nations League, helping Greece earn promotion to League B for the following campaign. Now he is set to lead the team to the finals of Euro 2024.

It has been a great few weeks for Greek soccer as soccer giants Olympiacos and PAOK triumphed advancing to the last 8 of Europa Conference League and dreaming of a place in the final of the UEFA competition that will be held in Athens.

PAOK and Olympiacos are also contenders for the title in Greece’s Super League, along with AEK Athens and Panathinaikos.

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