Santa Barbara AHEPA Chapter 243

Join Chris Spheeris and the Hellenic Greek Dancers to Help Benefit Higher Education for Hellenic Youth.

Friday, November 7, 2008
7:30 pm
Tickets $27 - $32

Mesa Arts Center, Arizona

Flyer attached

Box Office (480) 644-6500

Telis (480) 899-3443


To Purchase Tickets On Line - Click Here
Chris Spheeris Music Samples, Click Here

Paul G. Poulos
AHEPA District 20 Treasurer
paulgp@cox.net

Hellenism Today
The immortal British poet Percy B. Shelley stated,
“We are all Greeks, our laws, our literature, our religion, our arts, have their roots in Greece.”
These words expressed the views of most intellectual and educated Europeans and Americans for hundreds of years, before the recent “trends” of the last 20-30 years.
Indeed even many Greek-Americans are not aware of the fact that:
Democracy
Consensual/Constitutional Government
Separation of Church and State
Civilian Control of the Military
Equality Under the Law
Modern Science
The Rational Pursuit of Knowledge, and
Organized Sports Competition

ALL BEGAN IN ANCIENT GREECE
-from Hellenic Project Web Site
http://www.hellenicproject.com

FM Bakoyannis on US visa waiver program

Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis touched on a handful of foreign policy issues in a published interview on Sunday, including the recently resurfaced issue of Greece's inclusion in the US visa waiver program -- a development that has still not been pushed forth by the Bush administration despite previous assurances to the Greek government.

Touching on the timely FYROM "name dispute" only days after the latest proposals for a solution by a UN mediator, Bakoyannis noted that "we are negotiating with seriousness, goodwill and a productive stance.

"From there on, of course, it takes two to tango," the Greek FM said, in a clear reference to what Athens considers a lack of political volition by the leadership in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

"Our positions are crystal clear. We will continue our efforts until we arrive at an honorable and dignified agreement".

Regarding the visa waiver issue, Bakoyannis referred to a "decision by the US administration this is wrong...

"Greece follows a foreign policy that defends its national interests, within the framework of the country's international obligations, and as defined by its relations with its partners, alliances and International Law. We are not a people that fail to honor our traditional friendships," she added.

Asked about the domestic political situation, Bakoyannis said any government reshuffle must follow a rationale of renewal, while dismissing the possibility of early elections.

Finally, in response to the latest batch of opinion polls, Bakoyannis said it was entirely premature to cite an "reversal" in the political situation, "there was an alarm bell, but we (ruling New Democracy party) took notice and we have already reacted."

Beijing trumps Athens … and then some
By Martin Rogers, Yahoo! Sports Aug 24, 2008 11:29 am EDT
BEIJING – It is the biggest buzz word in Olympic circles, and the promise of it can dramatically sway the bidding process for future Games.
Legacy.
These days, any hopeful city with Olympic aspirations must not only show its ability to provide venues and infrastructure of the highest standard, but also prove there will be a lasting positive effect on the local community.
The 2004 Olympics in Athens showed how to get it embarrassingly and disgracefully wrong. Over the past 16 days, Beijing has shown the world how to get it magnificently right.
Four years since the Athens Games, a Greek tragedy is taking place. Incredibly, 21 out of the 22 Olympic venues now lie abandoned and in various states of ruin.
Gypsy camps have sprung up in the shadow of stadiums where the world’s finest athletes once battled for gold. Graffiti is scrawled over the outer walls of many sites, and it has been reported in Greece that upward of $1 billion has been spent simply to maintain these ugly wrecks.
That is Athens’ legacy.
Sixteen days of glory, but at what price? The Olympics are now almost a dirty word in Athens, most regularly used by politicians who use the issue of decay as a powerful campaigning point.
There was an element of tokenism in awarding the Olympics to Athens in the first place, a symbolic gesture intended as a nod to Ancient Olympia.
The Games will never return there. They will not be allowed to, if for no other reason than that the level of public outrage at the grotesque waste of money on oversized venues with no future is extreme.
Beijing is not going to let that happen. For a start, the Chinese capital has several huge advantages over Athens.
“The reason why some countries have been challenged with economic downturns after hosting an Olympics is that hosting cities are often very small,” said Chen Jian, executive president of the Beijing Economy Research Association. “Their investments in infrastructure construction were excessive. Fluctuations arose in the economic growth when no new hotspot for investment occurred after the Olympics.”
Beijing is a city that deeply loves its sports, even more so now given the host nation’s extraordinary success over the past fortnight.
The Bird’s Nest will be used for major international events, concerts and domestic soccer matches.
The Water Cube aquatic center was built to a sensible size, and will mainly be used for international diving competitions and exhibitions. Diving’s popularity in China should ensure that it is often filled to near capacity.
The luminescent light show on the glowing exterior of the stadium will be turned off soon after the Games, but will be put back on whenever there is a major event taking place in Beijing.
Other sites such as Workers’ Stadium and Workers’ Gymnasium were already in place. The Olympic Park Tennis Center has been tabbed to host an ATP event next year.
Whereas the list of Athens’ failures goes on, so too does the depth of Beijing’s successes.
The Games have sparked economic growth, and experts predict a continued surge in tourism as many fans who traveled to the Olympics are expected to return for a second look.
Here, there is a legacy of pride, and a spectacular standard of responsible spending for future hosts to uphold.
Whether you agree with China’s foreign policies or political ideals, no one can deny this has been a truly superb Olympic Games.
Congratulations, Beijing.

Odyssey's End? The Search for Ancient Ithaca
A British researcher believes he has at last pinpointed the island to which Homer's wanderer returned and a new wealth of data supports his thesis
• By Fergus M. Bordewich
• Photographs by Jeffrey Aaronson
• Smithsonian magazine, April 2006

Odyssey's End? The Search for Ancient Ithaca
Editor's Note, Sept. 3, 2008: For more than 2,000 years, scholars have been mystified—and intrigued—by a question central to our understanding of the ancient world: where is the Ithaca described in Homer’s Odyssey? The descriptions in the epic poem do not coincide with the geography of the modern island of Ithaca, one of the Ionian islands off the western coast of Greece.
Since 2003, an interdisciplinary team of geologists, classicists and archaeologists has proposed a paradigm-shifting answer to that longstanding mystery. Their breakthrough thesis—that the peninsula of Paliki on the Ionian island of Cephalonia is the site of ancient Ithaca—was revealed in Odysseus Unbound: The Search for Ancient Ithaca, published to acclaim by Cambridge University Press in 2006.
Today, in the journal Geoscientist, the team of pioneering scholars releases detailed results and photographs from research conducted during the first year of sponsorship by FUGRO, the global geotechnical, survey and geoscientific service company. The wealth of new data provides dramatic support for the thesis that Paliki is indeed the site of ancient Ithaca.
According to the Odysseus Unbound project, “The new research shows that [Paliki], this 6 kilometre-long and up to 2 kilometre-wide isthmus contains no solid limestone down to at least 90 metres below today’s surface. The fill is loose material, some of which originated through catastrophic rockfall from the earthquake-prone mountain range to the east.”
The newly released data provide significant support for the theory that the peninsula of Paliki, today connected to the island of Cephalonia by an isthmus, was once separate, low-lying island of Homer’s Ithaca. As scholar Gregory Nagy of the Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, D.C., told Smithsonian Magazine in 2006: “We’ll never read the Odyssey in the same way again."
Robert Bittlestone is standing above the village of Petrikata, looking over red-tile roofs down upon a narrow isthmus that connects the two parts of the island of Cephalonia, off Greece’s western coast. In the valley below, farmers in overalls are harvesting olives. A light breeze carries the scent of oregano and thyme. “This looks like solid ground that we’re standing on,” Bittlestone says. “But everything under us is rockfall. Across that valley was the ancient island of Ithaca.”
Bittlestone, a management consultant by profession, believes he has solved a mystery that has bedeviled scholars for more than 2,000 years. In Odysseus Unbound, published this past October by Cambridge University Press, he argues that a peninsula on the island of Cephalonia was once a separate island—Ithaca, the kingdom of Homer’s Odysseus some 3,000 years ago. He believes that the sea channel dividing the two islands was filled in by successive earthquakes and landslides, creating the peninsula of Paliki, as it is known today.
Like Heinrich Schliemann, the businessman who discovered the site of ancient Troy in the 1870s, and Michael Ventris, the architect who deciphered the written language of Minoan Crete in the 1950s, the 54-year-old Bittlestone is part of an honorable tradition of inspired amateurs who have made extraordinary discoveries outside the confines of conventional scholarship. “Bittlestone’s insight is brilliant,” says Gregory Nagy, director of the Center for Hellenic Studies, in Washington, D.C. “He has done something very important. This is a real breakthrough convergence of oral poetry and geology, and the most plausible explanation I’ve seen of what Ithaca was in the second millennium B.C. We’ll never read the Odyssey in the same way again.”

Chapter 243-General information
Ahepa Chapter243 general information
ORDER OF AHEPA SANTA BARBARA CHAPTER #243 Established October 17, 1929 “Promoting the Harmony of Greek Culture, Service, and Community” “Keeping the Spirit Alive” http://www.ahepa20.org/~ chapter243/ or www.ahepa20.org/chapters (easier for some)** E-mail: ahepa243@gmail.com **“Let’s Do Something Great in 2008." General mailing address: Ahepa Chapter #243, c/o Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, 1205 San Antonio Creek Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93111. (805) 683-4492, Fax (805) 964-2774 http://www.saintbarbara.net/ (please note our e-mail address above). 2008-2009 officers: Pres. James Arger, Vice. Pres. George Papazacharioudakis, Treasurers- Steve & Chris Compogiannis, Sec'y & immediatePast President James Brown, Past District Governor Costandino Frangos. Meetings held on the third Monday of the month (12) @ Harry's Plaza Cafe' in the Lorretto Plaza at the corner of State St. and Las Positas Rd, 6:30-6:45 start time. We have a wide range of vision and activity. We welcome your visitation.

ΔΙΑΤΑΓΗ AHEPA
ΚΕΦΆΛΑΙΟ SANTA BARBARA #243
Καθιερωμένου 17 Οκτωβρίου, 1929
«Προωθώντας την αρμονία του ελληνικής πολιτισμού, της υπηρεσίας, και της Κοινότητας»
«Κρατώντας το πνεύμα ζωντανό»
http://www.ahepa20.org/ `chapter243/
www.ahepa20.org/chapters (ευκολότερος για μερικούς)
** Ηλεκτρονικό ταχυδρομείο: ahepa243@gmail.com **
«Κάνετε κάτι μεγάλο το 2008»
ΠΡΑΚΤΙΚΑ ΤΗΣ 18ΗΣ ΑΥΓΟΎΣΤΟΥ, 2008
** ΠΡΟΣΦΑΤΕΣ ΣΠΑΖΟΝΤΑΣ ΕΙΔΗΣΕΙΣ **
ΕΧΕΤΕ ΕΠΙΣΚΕΦΤΕΊ ΤΟΝ ΙΣΤΟΧΩΡΟ ΜΑΣ ΠΡΟΣΦΑΤΑ;
Jim Editions
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Ο Πρόεδρος Arger κάλεσε τη συνεδρίασή μας στη διαταγή στον ΠΡΩΘΥΠΟΥΡΓΟ 6:45
Συμμετοχή: Bill Poulis, George Alexiades, Jim Arger, Greg Pantages, Alex Chucas George Fakinos, Chris Compogiannis, James Brown, πλευρά Frangos, Thanasi Batalas, Bill Pertsulakis, και George Papazacharioudakis.
Ανοίγοντας προσευχή προσφέρθηκε από Bill Poulis
Υποδοχή και εισαγωγές: Κανένας
Τον περασμένο μήνα πρακτικά Εγκεκριμένος από Bill Pertsulakis και δεύτερος από Bill Poulis.
Ευτυχή δολάρια: Οι περισσότερες εκτιμήσεις κεντροθετήθηκαν πίσω στο σχολείο, πίσω στην εκκλησία και τους νέους ελθόντες στο κεφάλαιο AHEPA μας. Ο Chris Compogiannis ανήγγειλε ότι εργάζεται τώρα για μια μικρότερη εταιρία επένδυσης με τις μεγαλύτερες ευκαιρίες. Ο Alex Chucas συζήτησε δικών του ξεπερνά τα σχέδια για τους νέους ενηλίκους και τους νέους επαγγελματίες.
Glendi: Jim Arger υπέβαλε έκθεση σχετικά με τα σχέδια Glendi του Νοεμβρίου. Καθένας ενθαρρύνεται για να βοηθήσει με την οργάνωση την Παρασκευή απόγευμα. Callas Connie θα διευθύνουν την οργάνωση κουζινών με την ίδια μισθωμένη βοήθεια με πέρυσι. George Papazacharioudakis θα πάρει την άδεια ποτού. Οι διακοσμήσεις και οι τοποθετήσεις από την οικογένεια Arger θα είναι όπως τον περασμένο χρόνο (ενδύματα και κεριά εγγράφου). Τα εισιτήρια λοταρίας θα πωληθούν με 50-50 διασπάσεις νίκης. Το Comps θα περιοριστεί στον κυβερνήτη περιοχής AHEPA, η οικογένεια του ιερέα και στο μας εξυπηρετεί το χορηγό John Demourkas και την οικογένεια. Βοήθεια ανάγκης για να καθαρίσει επάνω και να τακτοποιήσει τις καρέκλες και τους πίνακες μετά από το γεγονός.
.
Συμβαλλόμενο μέρος Χριστουγέννων: Είμαστε σταδιακά προγραμματισμού για να οργανώσουμε το συμβαλλόμενο μέρος Χριστουγέννων με το DOP. Bill Pertsulakis θα είναι ο σύνδεσμος κεφαλαίου μας για να επιλύσει τα σχέδια λεπτομέρειας με το DOP και AHEPA.
Αλληλογραφία κεφαλαίου: Η πλευρά Frangos ανέφερε ότι η ελληνική κοινωνία κληρονομιάς έχει περιλάβει το κεφάλαιο Sb στο ντοκιμαντέρ τους. Ο Chris Compogiannis θα έρθει σε επαφή με την κοινωνία για περισσότερες λεπτομέρειες προτού να εξετάσουμε μια δωρεά. Ventura AHEPA το κεφάλαιο ζήτησε τη συμμετοχή και την υποστήριξή μας raiser κεφαλαίων υποτροφιών τους, όλες που μπορείτε να φάτε το γεγονός στις 27 του Σεπτεμβρίου. Το Thanasi Batalas προσφέρθηκε εθελοντικά να καλέσει τα άτομα και να οργανώσει τη συμμετοχή.
Ταμίας, Ο Chris Compogiannis εξέθεσε $9308.70 στην αποταμίευση με $306 ευτυχή δολάρια συμπεριλαμβανόμενη. Στάσεις απολογισμού ελέγχου $1344.16. Ο Chris Compogiannis πρότεινε να κινήσει τα προτερήματα προς έναν εναλλάσσομαι απολογισμό επένδυσης με τις υψηλότερες επιστροφές. Η πλευρά Frangos έκανε μια κίνηση, δεύτερη από James Brown.
Αγαθό της διαταγής: Οι σκοποί και οι στόχοι κεφαλαίου πρέπει να παρασχεθούν στα νέα μέλη και επίσης για τον επαναπροσανατολισμό του κεφαλαίου. Κρατήστε τις συνεδριάσεις πιό σύντομες και στράφηκε.
Η συνεδρίαση διακόπηκε με μια προσευχή κλεισίματος από Bill Poulis.
ΧΡΌΝΙΑ ΠΟΛΛΆ .....
Με σεβασμό υποβληθείς,
George Papazacharioudakis και James Brown.

ORDER OF AHEPA
SANTA BARBARA CHAPTER #243
Established October 17, 1929
“Promoting the Harmony of Greek Culture, Service, and Community”
“Keeping the Spirit Alive”
http://www.ahepa20.org/`chapter243/
www.ahepa20.org/chapters (easier for some)
** E-mail: ahepa243@gmail.com **
“Let’s Do Something Great in 2008”

MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 15, 2008

**LATE BREAKING NEWS*
September is the ninth month of the year but is month four of our chapter year. September marks the beginning of the ecclesiastical year in the Eastern Orthodox Church.[citation needed] September begins on the same day of the week as December every year, because there are 91 days separating September and December, which is a multiple of seven (the amount of days in the week). September 11 is Patriot Day, in remembrance of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001
From “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”-Most people have—The Scarcity Mentality—That is why it is essential to have The Abundance Mentality—the paradigm that there is plenty out there for everybody in place for the win-win to take place”
According to the evening bartender (who knows these things) the remodeling of the Plaza should be done by Thanksgiving-(probably Easter)- and there will be a fountain in front of Harry’s Café’ Hopefully we won’t lose too many of members when they exit the café”
Again these minutes were compiled by our Chapter V.P. George Papazcharioudakis. Again I thank him. “He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River”
Our next meeting is scheduled for November 17, 2008 at Harry’s Plaza Café’. Look out for the fountain.
HAVE YOU VISITED OUR WEB SITE RECENTLY?
President Arger called our meeting to order at 6:45 PM

Attendance: Bill Poulis, George Alexiades, Jim Arger, Greg Pantages,, Alex Chucas George Fakinos, Chris Compogiannis, James Brown, Costa Frangos, Thanasi Batalas, Bill Pertsulakis, and George Papazacharioudakis.




(2)
Opening prayer was offered by Bill Poulis
Welcome and Introductions: None
Last month’s minutes Approved by Bill Pertsulakis and second by Bill Poulis.

Happy Dollars: Most appreciations were centered on back to school, back to Church and new comers to our AHEPA chapter. Chris Compogiannis announced that he now works for a smaller investment firm with greater opportunities. Alex Chucas discussed his outreach plans for the young adults and young professionals.

Glendi: Jim Arger reported on the Nov Glendi plans. Every one is encouraged to help with setup on Friday afternoon. Connie Callas will run the kitchen organization with the same hired help as last year. George Papazacharioudakis will get the liquor license. Decorations and settings by the Arger family will be like last year (paper table clothes and candles). Raffle tickets will be sold with 50-50 winning splits. Comps will be limited to AHEPA District Governor, Priest’s family and to our cater donor John Demourkas and family. Need help to clean up and put the chairs and tables away following the event.
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Christmas Party: We are in planning stages to organize the Christmas party with DOP. Bill Pertsulakis will be our chapter liaison to work out detail plans with DOP and AHEPA.

Chapter Correspondence: Costa Frangos reported that the Greek Heritage Society has included SB chapter in their documentary. Chris Compogiannis will contact the society for more details before we consider a donation. Ventura AHEPA chapter requested our attendance and support to their scholarship fund raiser, all you can eat event on Sept 27. Thanasi Batalas volunteered to call individuals and organize the attendance.

Treasurer, Chris Compogiannis reported $9308.70 in the savings with $306 Happy Dollars included. Checking account stands at $1344.16. Chris Compogiannis proposed to move the assets to an alternate investment account with higher returns. Costa Frangos made a motion, second by James Brown.

Good of the Order: Chapter goals and objectives should be made available to new members and also to reevaluate our Chapter’s course. Keep meetings shorter and more focused.

Meeting was adjourned with a closing prayer by Bill Poulis.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Fr. Simon’s daughter Eplineki (10/12), James Angelos ((11/30), Thanasis Batalas (11/05), Stephen Compogiannis (11/08), Anthony Kallas Ph.D. (11/17), Paul Tziouvaras (11/13)
See you at Harry”s on November 17, 2008.
Respectfully Submitted,
George Papazacharioudakis and James Brown.

U.S. communities with highest percentage of those born in Greece
Top 101 U.S. communities with the most residents born in Greece are:[12]


Heaven, WA (Horse Heaven Hills AVA: Horse Heaven Hills) 3.8%
Tarpon Springs, FL 3.2%
Palos Hills, IL 3.1%
Harbor Isle, NY 3.1%
Campbell, OH 3.1%
Lincolnwood, IL 2.7%
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 2.5%
Bedford Park, IL 2.3%
Twin Lakes, FL 2.3%
Holiday, FL 2.1%
And the list goes on-very lengthy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek-American
Greek settlements in the US

[edit] US communities with high percentages of people of Greek ancestry
The top US communities with the highest percentage of people claiming Greek ancestry are:[11]


Tarpon Springs, Florida 10.40%
Campbell, Ohio 9.30%
Lincolnwood, Illinois 7.60%
Plandome Manor, New York 7.50%
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 7.20%
Allenwood, New Jersey 6.60%
South Barrington, Illinois 6.00%
Palos Hills, Illinois 5.40%
Nahant, Massachusetts 5.30%
Holiday, Florida, Munsey Park, New York and Alpine, New Jersey 5.20%

And the list goes on-it is very long

BLACK SEPTEMBER

By: Theodoros Georgiou Karakostas

The month of September brings with it the end of summer, the beginning of a new year on the Orthodox calendar, and the anniversaries of dates that have ravaged Hellenic civilization and culture. On September 14, we commemorate the Hellenic Genocide. We remember once again the Hellenes of Asia Minor who were systematically murdered by the governments of the Young Turks and Mustafa Kemal Pasha.

The destruction of Asia Minor Hellenism began in 1071 when the Byzantine armies were defeated by the Seljuk Turks. In this historical event lies the origin of the Hellenic Holocaust which continues up to the present day. In 1453, Constantinopoulis fell to the Turks. The great, honorable, and brave Constantinos Palaiologos led 5,000 brave Greek soldiers against 80,000 Ottoman Turkish soldiers. The fall of Constantinopoulis, and the fall of the Empire of Trebizond eight years later extended the Hellenic holocaust to all Hellenic regions.

The Ottoman Empire brought with it massacres, torture, slavery, the kidnapping of boys for the Janissaries, the enslavement of women into the harems, and intolerable political and economic pressure that resulted in the further decimation of Hellenism. For even when Hellenes were not massacred, the destruction of Hellenism occurred with the loss of national identity. Conversions to Islam and Turkification contributed to the nightmare of the loss of independence and national sovereignty.

In May 1919, the armies of a free and independent Greece entered the glorious and long suffering city of Smyrna. For a brief time it appeared that the extermination of the Hellenic race had ceased. During the First World War, the Young Turks began to murder the Hellenic populations in Asia Minor , along with the
Armenians and the Assyrians.

Ultimately, Mustafa Kemal Pasha became an instrument of western imperialism and as such Turkish racism earned the unconditional assistance of the United States, Great Britain, France, and Italy. The murderous psychopath Mustafa Kemal was aided by the western powers while the Greek Army in Asia Minor was cut off by an embargo imposed by the western powers. In September 1922, beautiful Smyrna was conquered by the20Kemalists and burned. Over 100,000 Greeks and 30,000 Armenians were slaughtered.

Special mention must be made of Metropolitan Chrysostom of Smyrna. This brave and noble Greek Orthodox Cleric supported the Greek liberators in 1919, and was a voice for the aspirations of a nation that had been enslaved, humiliated, massacred, and denigrated for centuries. When the news broke that the Kemalist
Aggressors would retake Smyrna; it became apparent that the Greeks and the Armenians would not survive.

Metropolitan Chrysostom was offered refuge by the French Consulate. This Saint refused the offer of safety and chose to share the fate of his flock. Metropolitan Chrysostom was handed over to a fanatical Muslim mob by the crazed and sadistic Kemalist General Noureddin Pasha. He was humiliated by having his beard cut off, and then his eyes, ears, nose, and hands were cut off. Metropolitan Chrysostom was canonized as a Saint by the Orthodox Church of Greece in 1992. (He is very much AXIOS and deserves to be remembered and prayed for).

When the Kemalist-Young Turks murder machines ceased-over 1,500,000 Armenians, 1,000,000 Greeks, and 800,000 Assyrians had lost their lives. The decimation of Hellenism continued when the west supported Kemal's plan to ethnically cleanse Asia Minor and Eastern Thraki of well over 1,000,000 Hellenes. In this day and age, we are inundated with stories of ethnic cleansing throughout the world, but there is still no recognition of the horrors that have been perpetrated against Hellenism.
Over 1,000,000 Hellenes were forced to abandon the land and homes where their ancestors and descendants had lived for over 3,000 years. This ethnic cleansing and Genocide was supported by the "civilized" powers in the west and legitimized by the Treaty of Lausanne. Today the world commemorates Auschwitz and the crimes of Stalin, but there are no memorials for the dead of Smyrna and Pontus in those ancient Hellenic lands.

On September 6, 1955 crimes against humanity took place in a country that was a member of the NATO alliance. The Turkish government of Adnan Menderes (of the so called "democratic" party) incited terrorism against the Hellenes of Constantinopoulis and Imbros. First, the Turks bombed their own consulate in Thessaloniki and then blamed the Greeks. Then they organized the fanatics, the criminals, and the parasites, and encouraged them to attack the Greek population, the Churches, homes, and businesses.

In Smyrna, Greek Army officers serving with NATO were assaulted and their wives violated. Throughout these terrorist attacks, the police did not interfere. On September 6 we remember the end of Hellenism in Constantinopoulis and Imbros. In the 1960's, the Turkish authorities proceeded to finish the job by ethnically cleansing the last remnants of Hellenism.

During these attacks in Constantinopoulis, Imbros, and Smyrna, there were absolutely no condemnations, protests, or sanctions coming from Washington (that universal protector of "human rights" and "democracy") . Following the September 6 pog roms, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles wrote identical letters to Greek Prime Minister Alexander Papagos and Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes urging the "allies" to consider NATO. There was no sympathy for Greece expressed, nor was there any condemnation of Turkey’s blatant aggression.

Hellenism is today being eradicated in Cyprus. Over 200,000 Greeks have been ethnically cleansed in the occupied territories. In 1996, Turkish death squads murdered Cypriots Tasos Isaac and Solomos Solomou. As in Asia Minor in 1922, and Constantinopoulis in 1955, there is not a single protest emanating from the "civilized powers."

Black September, a month to commemorate and recall our losses, and to reevaluate where Hellenism stands today in Cyprus, Macedonia, the Aegean Sea, and Northern Epirus; the losses of Hellenism have been numerous in terms of lives lost, and in terms of territory that has been conquered. Let us remember, commemorate, and mourn all that has been lost in Asia Minor and Constantinopoulis. Remember Smyrna and Pontus, and the victims of the Hellenic Genocide.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Two airplanes were forced to circle an airport on a Greek island for 30 minutes Monday because an air traffic controller failed to show up for an early morning shift, authorities said.

Only one controller was on duty and ordered the two flights, one from Athens and one from Slovakia, to remain in a holding pattern over the island of Lesvos until airport officials found a replacement.

The aircraft had been due to land at Mytilene International Airport on Lesvos at 6:30 a.m (0330 GMT), an hour after the airport opened.

After the delay, they both landed safely, a Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority statement said. The agency said it was investigating.

The incident came to light when a passenger on the Olympic Airlines' flight 570 from Athens reported it to a private radio station, saying the captain announced to passengers that there was no controller at the airport.

A spokeswoman at Slovakia's main Bratislava Airport identified the second flight as Air Slovakia flight 2050.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report