Meet the New President

Costa T. Brown was elected as the next President of the George Polos Chapter 505, and will assume the position on July 1, 2000. Brother Costa is a native of Peoria, Illinois and moved to San Diego in 1987. Prior to coming to San Diego, Costa served as a Naval Pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps. His Marine Corps career included services in Viet Nam.

After the Marine Corps, Costa Took advantage if his experience and worked in Defense-oriented businesses. Since his arrival in California, Costa has been a general contractor, a real estate company owner and is presently in commercial real estate sales.

Please join me in congratulating him and wishing him much success in the administration of his new duties.

As we move forward into a new year in AHEPA, I can not help but look at the previous years, which we experienced under the leadership of Art Pathe as our president. Art did a magnificent job as our President. The Foundation experienced strong growth. Our objective of achieving 501(c)(3) status gained significant momentum. The Greek Independence Day celebrations got better and better, and our drive for more scholarships received more attention. Thank you Art.

In the coming year we will continue our outstanding performance. The strong care of leadership that exists in this Chapter will permit nothing less. To build upon this strength, I would like to emphasize certain areas for our attention:

1. Aggressive pursuit of full 501 (c) (3) status.

2. Development and implementation of a "business plan" for growth of the Foundation through the 501 ( c) (3) conduit.

3. Make Business Meetings more business-like and General Meetings more social-like.

4. Continuation of our successful annual events but add one or two more social get-togethers.

Our next several meetings are very critical to the Chapter. The Chapter Spending Plan will be developed and our basic format for the year will be laid out. We need as much participation from every one as possible. Your contribution of ideas is critical to our success.

Costa

WASHINGTON -- The ten-day excursion of AHEPA family leaders to Greece, Cyprus and the Patriarchate concluded with several meetings with high officials of the Greek government to discuss projects and programs that will strengthen bilateral relations between the United States and Greece, announced Supreme President George J. Dariotis.

"The role the AHEPA family can play in strengthening relations between our two nations was emphasized by every Cabinet member with whom we met during the excursion," said Dariotis.

According to Dariotis, Foreign Minister George Papandreou stated Ahepa can be a bridge in strengthening relations and it can also serve as a vehicle to support the ongoing rapprochement between Greece and Turkey.

Papandreou briefed the delegation on the warming relations between Greece and Turkey and the status of the upcoming talks on Cyprus to be held July 5.

U.S. Amb. R. Nicholas Burns reiterated the important role of Ahepa during a reception he hosted for the Ahepa family delegation.

"The Ahepa family is extremely relevant as we enter this new millennium," said Amb. Burns, citing that Supreme President Dariotis and Ahepa members were present and met with President Bill Clinton during his visit to Athens in November 1999.

According to Dariotis, growth of bilateral relations can be achieved through Ahepa family projects and programs currently in development.

"Ahepa presented one program to each Cabinet member we met with that can assist in the strengthening of bilateral relations," said Dariotis. "I am pleased to announce that each program was met with enthusiasm and support by the Greek government."

The Ahepa family leaders met with Deputy Foreign Minister Angeliki Laiou to discuss the reestablishment of the Ahepa Journey to Greece program for the youth.

"Taking our youth back annually to Greece must be accomplished through a viable Journey to Greece program," said Dariotis. "Ahepa must be the vehicle whereby our youth can learn about their ancestry, heritage and roots, and in turn, bring this newfound enthusiasm, energy and love of Hellenism back to Americ and Canada where it will spread to their peers."

According to Dariotis, the goal is to reestablish the program by 2001. Ahepa will prepare the guidelines for the program for presentation to Deputy Minister Laiou so implementation can begin.

At the reception held by Amb. Burns, Laiou commented about Ahepa, "In our meeting earlier today, I expressed to you how grateful the Greek government is for the contributions of your organization."

During the reception, Amb. Burns seized the opportunity to thank Ahepa for its plans to erect a statue of George C. Marshall on the grounds of the U.S. Embassy in Athens.

"I want to say thank you for one more reason," said Amb. Burns. "We all know that we have been trying for a long time to honor Secretary of State George Marshall, who I think more than any other American helped Greece in the last century and I am very pleased to tell you that an Ahepa project sponsoring the commission for a statue of General Marshall for the embassy grounds is taking full bloom."

According to Dariotis, the project, slated for unveiling in October 2000, is another example of how Ahepa is fulfilling its role of being the bridge for better relations between the United States and Greece.

In a meeting with Health and Welfare Minister Alexandros Papadopoulos, the minister stressed the need for hospital administrators to participate in medical exchange programs between the United States and Greece in addition to doctors and nurses, said Dariotis.

"In our past, Ahepa has excelled in establishing medical exchange programs," said Dariotis. "We must continue to expedite these exchange programs as a way to help improve hospital administration and medical care in Greece."

In continuing with its history of contributing to medical centers and clinics, the delegation visited the Ahepa Wing of Evangelismos Hospital, a section built by Ahepa in the late 1940s and currently being renovated by the local Ahepa family chapters in Athens.

In addition, numerous projects were discussed with newly appointed Culture Minister Theodoros Pangalos, including the return of the Parthenon Marbles and the Kyklos Cycle of Glory, an Ahepa national project to honor the spirit of the Olympic Games to be displayed at the new Athens airport.

With the Athens Olympic Games fast approaching, the delegation met with Costas Bakouris, managing director for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, to discuss areas where the Ahepa family can lend its support to the Games.

"Ahepa, being the largest Hellenic heritage organization, is an excellent resource to provide volunteers to assist with the Olympic Games in Athens," said Dariotis.

Ahepa plans to establish a volunteer program where our youth will be able to spend a month in Athens to assist the Olympic organizing committee in completing its tasks, said Dariotis.

"We want to do our part to insure the Olympics will be a success and the best way to do it is by providing volunteer assistance," said Dariotis. "In return, our youth will gain the personal fulfillment that comes with helping pull-off such a big event while spending time in Athens, appreciating their heritage and the culture of Greece."

According to Dariotis, the delegation researched the possibility of having an Ahepa Supreme Convention in Greece, an idea enthusiastically received by many of the Cabinet members, including Culture Minister Pangalos, Deputy Foreign Minister Laiou, Minister of State Miltiades Papaioannou, who will issue a report on his meeting with Ahepa directly to Prime Minister Costas Simitis and Mayor of Athens Dimitris Avramopoulos.

"An Ahepa Supreme Convention in Athens would bring added tourism and other economic benefits during a relatively off-peak time of the year," said Dariotis. "It is also meaningful for our members to return to Greece for such an event, one that hasn't taken place in Greece for close to 30 years."

The Ahepa Supreme Convention occurs in late July or early August, a time when people and tourists in Greece flee the cities for the islands.

"We received a positive response so we will continue our research into this project," added Dariotis.

Members of the delegation met with Olga Monachou, Greek Red Cross and received assistance from the Mayor of Menidi, Dimitrios Papanikas, to assess projects stricken by the September 7, 1999 earthquake.

"Currently, three projects have been identifred, each to receive portions of the $218,000 raised in earthquake relief by the Ahepa family, said Dariotis. "We are awaiting a final proposal this week from a third project and once received, we will present all three projects to our national lodge and board of directors for approval."

Also in Athens, the Ahepa family delegation participated in two wreath-laying ceremonies at the Tombs of the Unknown Soldiers and at the Tnunan Statue, a monument originally erected by Ahepa.

Finally, the Ahepa family delegation made a courtesy call upon Minister of Defense Akis Tsohatzopoulos, who warmly greeted the delegation.

During its two-day stay in Cyprus, the Ahepa family delegation visited Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides right before his release from the hospital to wish him a speedy recovery.

The delegation took an emotional trip to the Green Line and witnessed first-hand how the island is divided.

"The visit to Cyprus puts in perspective what Ahepa must do as a leading organization," said Dariotis. "As long as Ahepa is alive, we will not stand until Cyprus is once again reunited. "

The delegation also met with Michalis Papapetrou, spokesman for the government of Cyprus and Tasos Tzionis, officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both of whom were impressed with the Ahepa family's ability to utilize the Ahepa family website and E-mail lists to disseminate news and information.

According to Dariotis, Papapetrou has placed Ahepa on his E-mail list so that it can receive information directly from the Cypriot government.

The Ahepa family delegation was received warmly by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who expressed optimism toward the reopening of the Halki Theological School in light of the recent rapprochement between Greece and Turkey.

In assessing the excursion, Dariotis stated, "We look forward to starting new projects that will help bilateral relations and completing the ones at hand.

"We are also pleased with our progress in identifying projects for allocation of our earthquake relief funds.

"The Ahepa family is thankful to all of the government offrcials of Greece and Cyprus, as well as His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, for taking time out of their busy schedules to meet with us to discuss the promotion of Hellenism and the fulfillment of the Ahepa family mission."

Best Wishes and CRONIA POLLA to the following Brothers who are celebrating birthdays:

Charley Kakos 7/1

Samuel Brown 7/2

Angelo Mylonas 7/3

Mehran Aram 7/4

K. C. Nicolaou 7/5

John Frangos 7/8

John Hrissikopoulos 7/16

Marino Drakos 7/17

Harry Anthony 7/28

D. A. George 7/29

Happy Anniversary!!! to the following Brothers and their lovely brides who are celebrating wedding anniversaries:

Mike & Marianne Pekos 7/2

Louis & Nancy Regas 7/7

Jim & Elizabeth Cappos 7/10

Nick & Annette Aivaliotis 7/12

K.C. & Georgette Nicolaou 7/15

Paul & Ketty Anest 7/18

Kim & Lenore Trigonis 7/21

Peter & Connie Fellios 7/27

Jim & Marianne Rigopoulos 7/28

D.A. & Vasilia George 7/28

Meeting Agenda - The following is the meeting agenda for the next Social/General Chapter Meeting, being held at SS. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church's Senior Citizen Center, Tuesday, June 6, 2000:

District Convention Report

Investment Committee Report

Golf Tournament Committee Report

Scholarship Committee Report

Old Business

New Business

Good of the Order

General Business Meetings - General Business Meetings are held every third Thursday of the month. The next meeting will be Thursday, July 21, 2000, at SS. Constantine and Helen Senior Citizen Center at 7:00 p.m. All Officers and appointed officers are expected to attend. Any interested members may attend. Come and see your administrative board at work planning and coordinating for better functions and best events for the membership.

Election Results - The results of the Chapter elections which occurred Tuesday, June 6^th were as follows:

Costa T. Brown - Chapter President

George J. Pappas - 1^st Vice President

James A. Rigopoulos - 2^nd Vice President

Demetrios A. George - Corresponding Secretary

Michael T. Merica - Recording Secretary

Nicholas M. Gines - Chapter Treasurer

Costas Lyrintzis Memorial Scholarship Fund -

Brothers, we of the Hellenic Community of San Diego must keep Costas' memory alive, and we can do this by instituting a memorial scholarship in Costas' name. Please send your tax deductible contributions, in any amount to: Order of AHEPA, c/o George Polos Chapter 505, P.O. Box 2682, Del Mar, CA 92014.

We need TA NEA Advertisers! - This newsletter is budgeted to be funded and made possible by those that place advertisements into the publication. We have run some issues without Ads and we must not allow this to continue to happen! If we wish to continue this publication we must encourage more advertiser submissions.

Illness - If you know of anyone hospitalized or with illness, please let us know. Please call: (858) 273-2868.

Newsletter Entries - Please direct all newsletter announcements for "TA NEA" to the editor: Brother D. A. George, (619) 273-2868, FAX (619) 273-0416 or e-mail: dageo@worldnet.att.net. All entries must be received by the 20th of each month.

Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday School.

"Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. He used his walkie-talkie to radio headquarters and call in an air strike. They sent in bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved."

"Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?" his mother asked.

"Well, no, Mom, but if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!"

(The presentation of these most interesting diary accounts will be provided in two installments. This installment covers the period from December, 1940 to mid-April, 1941. The month of April, 1941 was the most devestating period for Greece as these pages will reveal. The conclusion of this series will be provided in the very next issue of TA NEA.)

Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, served the Fuhrer from the time of "the Seizure of Power" in 1933 until his suicide in the Reich Chancellery bunker late in April 1945. An indefatigable diarist and energetic media hound, Goebbels was made Nazi Gauleiter of Berlin in 1926, was elected deputy to the Reichstag in 1928 and immersed himself into praising the cause and values of the Nazis with radio broadcasts, newspaper articles and fiery public speeches. Concurrent with all these propaganda activities, Goebbels was tireless in adding fairly long daily reports in his diaries. Having kept his stenographer continuously occupied for years, he made sure before his suicide to safeguard the thousands of pages of diaries for posterity. They were copied in miniature photographic plates and buried in a forest near Berlin where they were finally recovered (though not completely) by the Red Army.

As one would expect from diaries, Goebbels is as truthful as he knows how to be in his entries. Here we can discern the inner workings of the manipulator of the news, the deceiver and distorter close up and personal. Occasionally he even intimates - like Shakespeare's lago - the nature of his tricks and schemes as Propaganda Minister. The prejudices, distortions and subjectivity are chilling and thought provoking.

Of the 2,000 or so pages that constitute the complete diaries of Joseph Goebbels, no more than about 18 to 25 pages are devoted to the Reich's interest in Greece and to the invasion of the country in April 1941.

The comments he makes, however, are revealing, interesting and worthy of citation (Goebbels Diaries, 1939-1941, translated by Fred Taylor, G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1983). The excerpts below begin after the humiliating defeat of Mussolini, a defeat that disturbed Goebbels, it being the first real setback of the Axis alliance.

19 December 1940 (Friday): England is wilting under the force of the German blockade. Her shipping losses are absolutely irreplaceable... Feeling in Greece: exaggeratedly pro-German. But this is purely tactical.

20 December 1940: Things have consolidated in Albania. We are flying 1,000 Italians over there every day in our transport aircraft. And from 1 January our offensive will start to move. Then the Greeks will start to feel the pinch.

22 December 1940: Italy has made a bad start wherever she has fought: first Abyssinia, then France...Matchless amateurism. The Fuhrer has some harsh words to say on the subject. After Greece, the Italians have brought the entire military prestige of the Axis crashing down in ruins. This is why the other Balkan states are being so obstinate. The Italians are after all a Romance race. Now we shall have to attack. Not to help them but to chase them out the English who have now established themselves in Crete. They must be thrown out of there. The Fuhrer would prefer to see peace between Rome and Athens. But he can hardly tell them

so. Mussolini is now completely stuck fast in this imbroglio. He has serious domestic difficulties to contend with: the priests are stirring up trouble, as are the Jews and the nobility. If only he had occupied Crete at the onset, as the Fuhrer advised him to do...

Goebbels makes no comment of any praise for the Greeks in these December entries. He prefers to blame the defeat of the Italians to their own ineptitude rather on the courage of the outnumbered, ill-equipped Greeks. In late entries, after discussions with the Fuhrer perhaps or after further assessment, he gives more credit where it is due.

17 February 1941: In Bulgaria, an ultra-reactionary clique is at the helm people of whom we can expect nothing. And in Greece there is actually no feeling against us at all. The Italians alone are the objects of general hatred. The Italian prisoners of war who have been brought back to Greece are totally in rags and demoralized. This is the result of inadequate fascist education.

1 April 1941: Troop movements against Greece and Yugoslavia more or less complete. The enemy suspects something but knows nothing for certain. Italians lose their heavy cruisers in the aftermath of the sea battle in Crete. A very painful loss. The English are overjoyed. Bad road conditions and communications will cause problems in Yugoslavia and particularly in Greece... The Greeks desire for a fight with us just about zero.

Early on the morning of April 6, Field Marshall Lists' 12th Army launches its assault in northern Greece.

Goebbels is certain of the German victory, but he appears concerned about the length of time that the German divisions will be needed in Greece, since they can be used in the assault against Stalin's Soviet Union.

marching with us. The entire plan of campaign is based on their participation. Only as far as Salonica at first in Greece. Report from Turkey: trembling at the knees. All she wants is to stay out of things.

8 April 1941: Belgrade bombed twice, with devastating effect. The radio station is silent. Not a word from the city. Eerie. We are advancing slowly in Yugoslavia, as in Greece. The mountainous terrain is well-suited to defense. And the Serbs, like the Greeks, are brave fighters. Worthy of the greatest respect. The Greeks especially are exploiting the ideal defensive terrain well. The captured dugouts are filled with nothing but corpses... London is publicly admitting her long prepared infiltration of Greece. A very good starting point for our propaganda. ...The Fuhrer admires the courage of the Greeks in particular. Perhaps there is a streak of the old Hellenic strain in them... Piraeus has been mined. The Fuhrer forbids the bombing of Athens. This is right and noble of him. Rome and Athens are his Meccas. He greatly regrets having to fight the Greeks. If the English had not established themselves there, he would never have gone to the Italians' aid. It was their affair, and they should have been able to settle it alone. The Fuhrer is a man totally attuned to antiquity. He hates Christianity, because it has crippled all that is noble in humanity. According to Schopenhauer, Christianity and syphilis have made humanity unhappy and unfree. What a difference between the benevolent, smiling Zeus and the pain-whacked crucified Christ.

By this time, the onslaught of the Wehmacht had captured Thessaloniki and continued bombing Patras until the city was devastated. EAM and other underground resistance groups begin to organize in resistance to the German occupation, both in the cities and the countryside. The Nazi reprisals are taking a heavy toll on innocent Greeks. Goebbels, at least in his diaries, seems to either take such events for granted or is simply oblivious to them. He praises the Greek soldiers but, it seems at least partly, so as to further extol the German soldiers who could defeat such "brave and stubborn" fighters.

10 April 1941: Salonica is in our hands. The Greek Army of Macedonia surrenders after brave and stubborn resistance. Breakthrough on the Metaxas line completely successful. An unimaginable success. What a magnificent army we have!

15 April 1941: Report from Fuhrer Headquarters: the English are already embarking to leave Greece. A pity, because we would like to give them a dose of our medicine. Our Stukas sink 30,000 tons and damage another 80,000 in Piraeus harbor. We intend to make the Tommies farewell as painful as possible.

To be continued in next months issue of TA NEA ­

A long editorial in the Dallas Morning News of May 8 examines the arguments for and against the restitution to Greece of the Parthenon Marbles, removed from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin 200 years ago and since displayed in the British Museum where, in the view of experts, they suffered serious damage from cleaning processes in the 1930s.

After summarizing the case for returning the sculptures (a "special case" - "stolen property" - "should be viewed in con- text") and against ("open a Pandora's Box of repatriation claims" -- "good title conveyed by Turkey's sovereignty at the time" - "Britain can take better care"), the editorial calls for the return of the Marbles by making the following argument:

"The marbles were sawn off the Parthenon, a 2,400-year-old temple that still stands... They and the Parthenon should be reunited in Athens so that art lovers may see them as an integral whole. A museum that Greece is planning to build near the Parthenon could be an appropriate site to house the marbles. The British Museum could keep and display cast replicas... A key consideration is whether artwork formed an integral part of an extant structure... With rare exceptions, art should remain where it is. The marbles are one such exception. Britain did the world a great favor by housing them for nearly 200 years. It's time for it to let go."

A lesson in "heart" is my little l0-year-old daughter, Sarah, who was born with a muscle missing in her foot and wears a brace all the time.

She came home one beautiful spring day to tell me she had competed in "field day" - that's where they have lots of races and other competitive events. Because of her leg support, my mind raced as I tried to think of encouragement for my Sarah, things I could say to her about not letting this get her down - but before I could get a word out, she said "Daddy, I won two of the races!" I couldn't believe it! And then Sarah said, "I had an advantage." Ah. I knew it. I thought she must have been given a heard start...some kind of physical advantage. But again, before I could say anything, she said, "Daddy, I didn't get a head start...My advantage was I had to try harder!"

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with the ingenuity.

Dear Sisters,

There will be no Daughters of Penelope meetings during July and August. We will meet again Tuesday, September 5, 2000. Keep tuned to this page during the summer for interesting Daughters news and upcoming events.

The results of the elections for the Daughter's 2000 - 2001 administration were, the return of the present administration, the same officers were re-elected. Congratulations to all of the incumbents!

Have fun and be safe during the summer and we will see you again in September.

Yours in Theta Pi,

Joanne Pathe

Butter 1/2 cup

Onion 1 chopped

Ground Beef 1 lb.

Tomato Sauce 1 cup

Hilopittes (square noodles) 1 lb.

Kefalotiri Cheese 1 1/2 cups grated

Melt 1/4 cup butter and add onion. Cook until onion is tender but not browned. Add meat and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup tomato sauce and 1/2 cup water. Simmer, covered, for about 1/2 hour.

Cook noodles in boiling salted water. Drain well. Put 1/2 of cooked noodles in bottom of greased baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Place meat mixture over top. Cover with rest of noodles. Cover with rest of cheese. Bake in a moderate oven for about 15 minutes.

Kali Orexi!