What's in it (or not in it) For Us?

If you keep up with global news or financial trends at all, then you are most likely well aware of the devastating financial situation Greece is currently in. They have bottomed out and much like many of our car companies are being bailed out.

You may be thinking, “sucks for them” but really, it potentially could suck for all of us. Greek Prime Minister, George Papandreou came to the United states with a message, "If the European crisis metastasizes, it could create a new global financial crisis with implications as grave as the U.S.-originated crisis two years ago."

Though the European Union is hopeful that they will be able to keep the financial strain from spreading to other countries around the world, the threat is there. Where Americans will feel the effect the most in in exports. Matthew Bandyk pointed out in his article that when Obama gave his State of the Union Address, he had stated that he wanted to double exports over the next five years, that might be hard to achieve if we feel the repercussions of Greece’s financial shortcomings.

Excitement Builds as Kritsa Awaits Internet Access

The gap of internet access grows smaller once again as a new region In Greece is not allowed access. The residents of Kritsa will have access for free spring 2010. Lassithi Chamber and its Chairman, Mr. Nikos Tzanopoulos, made the decision along with computer networks official, Manolis Spiridakis. As of now, the antenna most of the equipment have been installed and are ready to go.

This will be a great development in the area and will allow for fast broadband access. The hope is to just make Greeks more dialed in and allow them access to information. One of the fears of the community was that the actual antenna perched atop a mountain would attract lethal lightning to the area, they have since then been reassured of the safely of the device.

The Kritsa community shows a lot of gratitude towards all who contributed to the project; they are excited and eager to be a part of the online world. This a a huge advancement for the country of Greece as well as the rest of the online world. It is so important to make sure that all people have access to the internet and it is great to see that happen one step at a time.

Special thanks to the Crete Gazette.

Arrests Made on Suspected Terrorists

Six people have been arrested in Athens Greece after being suspected of affiliations with the Revolutionary Struggle which is an urban guerilla group that is known for attacks on Greek government buildings and the American Embassy. The Greek government and media consider the Revolutionary Struggle to be a terrorist group.

Due to the terrible financial state of the country, it is no surprise that an anti government group would somehow act out. Police say they found multiple counts of evidence such as hard disks containing pamphlets claiming attacks by Revolutionary Struggle as well as handwritten texts about past and intended attacks.

The police have really been cracking down and claim that they have raided several suspected homes and have found no weapons or explosives. While officials were conducting their searches, they were forced with an angry mob throwing bottles and stones. The police reacted by using tear gas to subdue the crowd.

Thanks to: Dina Kyriakidou, Renee Maltezou, Ingrid Melander and Ghetty Images

Celeb Drama Yields Unexpected Relief

An unexpected distraction has made its way through Greek media outlets. While the country has been dismayed with the massive debt they are dealing with, along with the repercussions of that debt, 23-year-old Greek pop star Julia Alexandratou has found herself diverting away from her role of pop princess and into one that is a little more mature. In 2007, Alexandratou released her hit single, “The Target is Cash.” The song was accompanied by a racy music video. As the title suggests, the song is basically about gold digging.

Currently Alexandratou has veered from her career as a musical and has turned to the adult entertainment industry. As Iason Athanasiadis said, “Instead of focusing on the state deficit, the public has welcomed the distraction of a bout of soul-searching over the nation's morals. The DVD has sold 240,000 copies in ten days.”

Though this may not seem like a big deal to us Americans, it was the first scandal of its time in Greece and to add more drama into the mix, Alexandratou plans to marry an unidentified business man who will not be revealed until the wedding day.

College Degrees Go to the Fishes

Graduating in a recession is tough, thats a fact, but the account of one Greek college graduate helps put everything into perspective. It really could be so much worse. Europe is facing economic hardships just as we are. One element that Greece is dealing with that we are not, is the return of emigration. The country was hopeful that things would turn around and the young well educated college grads would no longer feel they had to move away from Greece to be successful and find opportunity.

Filippos Katampouris is a living example of why this is. He has a degree from a University in Greece as well as a Masters Degree in Technology Management from the UK. What is he doing now with all of his newfound knowledge? Katampouris works in the fish market in Athens as an assistant fishmonger. Though Katampouris had opportunity in Britain, he wanted to return to his country.

Katampouris admits now that the decision was a poor one. He was able to maintain a position at a Market Research Agency, but when the economy took a turn for the worse, he was left with his job at the fish market."It's a very dark future for me," he adds gloomily. "I'm thinking of going back to the UK, but my wife won't come with me so I'm going to stay here and hope for the best."

Young professionals are fleeing the country in hope of finding opportunity else where but when you think of the sacrifices you would have to make, such as leaving your family, friends and home behind, it really makes us Americans value so much more the opportunities (though they may not seem like much right now) that we have.

Thanks to: Chris Bowlby

New York Gears Up for Greek Independence

What could be better than a parade? A Greek parade! April 18, 2010 will be the day of the 72nd annual Greek Independence Day Parade in New York City. The actual celebration last for an entire month, sort of like a Greek History Month. "Dinners, a White House gathering, a beauty pageant, City Hall celebrations, a ceremonial flag raising and numerous other activities all lead up to the Parade on Fifth Ave, commencing from the Pierre Hotel."

Not only are American Greeks going to be attending the event, but 8 members of Parliament as well as vice minister of Foreign Affairs Spyros Kouvelis. In addition, many hight profile Greeks will be honored at the event including popular American Greek news anchor, Ernie Anastos. The Boy Scouts of America will also be present as Grand Marshall due to their upstanding role in society.

John Catsimatidis, Parade Chairman Emeritus, stated, “The Parade just keeps getting bigger and better every year. Estimates are well over 250,000 spectators watched the parade from street level last year and we used every available float in the tri-state New York area. One of the most heartening things about the Parade progress is the number of children’s groups who have joined the march. Their day will always remain a fond memory and ensure Greek Independence Day Parades far into the future.”

I don't know about you, but if I was in New York this weekend I would make a point of checking out the Greek Independence Day Parade!

Special thanks to Greek News

Greeks Sing the iPad Blues

April 3, 2010 was an infamous day for early adapters. It was the Christmas Day to all Apple enthusiasts, the day the iPad was released. While many people ran out to buy them and even waited in ridiculously long lines filled with anticipation of getting their hands on the life changing device, others were not quite as fortunate.

I suppose Greece is not at the top of Apples list for distribution. One really can't blame them however considering, like Evans pointed out, it took Greeks a while to come around to the iPhone so Apple must have learned their lesson.

Michael Evans wrote an article about his friend Kostas’s venture for the iPad. Kostas’s morning started out like all other iPad groupies, he woke up early in hopes of soon enough becoming the proud owner of the tablet. Once he entered the store he was heartbroken to see one iPad for display only, none in stock, and worse yet, Kostas was told they would not be selling the iPad until the end of summer.

Sorry Greek Apple lovers, if it’s any consolation, it’s not that great.

The Euro Rises

While Americans are well aware of the financial burdens we face today, we seldom think about what is going on in other parts of the world. On April 13, an article was written by Yasuhiko Seki and Ben Levisohn detailing the rise of the Euro for the fourth day. The reasoning is that Greece’s debt will recover as the government sells bills.

Greece is being given a hand out from the European Union, "The financial aid will reduce the imminent risk of default by Greece, the euro will see a relief rally," said Norihiro Tsuruta, chief strategist in Tokyo at Shinko Research Institute Ltd.

Because Greece is the European Union’s biggest budget deficit, “Euro-region finance ministers said on April 11 they would offer Greece as much as 30 billion euros in three-year loans in 2010 at about 5 percent. “ This is in hopes to stimulate the troubles economy. “Another 15 billion euros would be provided by the International Monetary Fund. The yield of the ten-year Greek bond fell 0.48 percentage point to 6.67 percent yesterday.”

An interview with Angela Lekos

Greece is a country that is just as rich and abundant in beauty as it is in history and culture. With a population of a little more than 11 million, the country is comprised of a cluster of rugged mountainous islands. What drew my fascination to the country was the utter beauty of the terrain, and the eclectic culture of the Greek people.

I was fortunate enough to be able to ask some questions to native Greek, Angela Lekos, and gain insight into the life of a Greek girl, as well as the push to live out the American Dream. The first question I felt I should ask was why she came to America. “I was growing up in a small village where opportunities were limited at that time especially for girls. Education was not so important and a girl was to get married by 18 -19 years old. My parents were told that it would be easy for me to get married in the States so they decided to let me come,” she added, “let me note that things have change drastically since then.”

Lekos’s journey to America started with a detour in Montreal Canada to visit relatives; from there she made the journey to Florida and lived with her mother’s brother and his family for thirteen years. Before coming to the States, she did not know much about where she was going but she, “thought that life was easier and there was an abundance of things and opportunities.”

I am always interested in knowing how people from other countries view the United States, so I asked,” What was your impression of the United States after you spend time here?” “I realized that life was like any other place. People had to work hard to earn a living, but there were definitely more opportunities than back home, such as getting an education,” responded Lekos.

Because the reason for many immigrants coming into the U.S. is to live and achieve the American Dream, “I was curious as to what exactly the dream was for a native Greek. I asked, “What do you view as the American Dream? Lekos replied, “For me, the American dream is the chance to get an education, and then to apply that knowledge towards your field of study. In Greece, even today, there are many graduates who cannot find a job in their field so they are forced to work elsewhere.” Hearing such an emphasis on the importance of an education is refreshing seeing as how many Americans take education and opportunity for granted.

I went on to ask if she thought her idea of the American Dream was possible anymore. “Although it is much harder to become an American citizen now, the dream is still possible for those who are willing to work hard to reach their goals.”

Facing such an extreme change as a young child seemed terrifying to me so I asked If Lekos was excited to come to the United States. She said that although she did not know what the future had in store for her, she was excited. Now that she has been here and been able to establish a life, I was curious, was she still happy to be an American? “I am very happy to be here. It was not easy, but I completed my education, I graduated with the highest honors, I got a job which I love, and I have been blessed with a wonderful family,” said Lekos. That to me sounds like the epitome of the American Dream.

Knowing that Lekos had succeeded in so many facets of her life, I couldn’t help but wonder, did she ever have any plans to return to Greece permanently, were she still has family? “No,” she responded, “Maybe in the future, after my husband and I retire, we can split our time between Greece and the States, but not permanently.”

Greece is such an amazing country and I wanted to know what a native Greek wished Americans knew about the beautiful country to which Lekos suggested, its history and culture. I asked her if she felt that in general, Americans were well informed about Greece. Her response was similar to what I had assumed, “No. I have met many Americans who did not even know where Greece is located on the map,” sad, but true.

I wanted to know what Lekos viewed as some of the major differences between the United States and Greece. Size, power, the people’s attitude, politics, and corruption were all on her list. I could not help but ask what she missed most about Greece, “My family, the music, the food, and the beach.” All elements of a Greek culture that I would love to experience one day.

”Being away from my family was and still is the most difficult part of my journey. At one point, I had not seen them for 13 years. Once I came to the States, I went from being a teenager to becoming an adult over night, “Lekos said in response to the biggest change she had to adapt to.

There is no doubt that it takes courage and strength to go through as intense a life change and Angela Lekos did. In the end, she was able to achieve her own version of the American Dream. I would like to thank her whole heartedly for giving me a view into her culture and her journey to America.