International Population Day7/11/2015 - Παγκόσμια Ημέρα Πληθυσμών 11/7/2015

Homeowners Activism in Upholding Their Rights Expressed at Barbecue By Catherine Tsounis

Board of Directors

On Saturday, June 20^th 2015, The Hellenic American Taxpayers and Civic Association of Southold Town (HATCAST) held a barbecue picnic on Saturday afternoon at the South Harbor View Park in Southold. Souvlakis of all varieties were barbecued along with hamburgers and hotdogs, overlooking the scenic Picnic Bay. Rev. Constantine Makrinos of the Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in Mattituck and homeowners from Jamesport to Orient, Long Island attended.

            “Our organization is being revived to meet our economic crisis,” said Andreas Markakis, Chairman of the Board and Emeritus President. “I have been a member of HATCAST for thirty years. HATCAST is and will be a collective effort of people with homes. We have a young membership that is performing great projects.”

            On August 11, 1994, a large turnout of homeowners attended this barbecue, according to a rare photo from the Traveler-Watchman. HATCAST gave a generous donation to the Transfiguration Church, Mattituck, during the 2^nd groundbreaking after a catastrophic fire on May 1, 1988. The 1984Transfiguration of Christ Church Dinner Dance Journal stated “We thank and are grateful to all our Journal subscribers, especially those who subscribe continuously every year…Angie Megdanis, Kostas Roustas, Estelle Voula Georges and John Nicholas of HATCAST our sincere appreciation for their support of our dance,” according to Cleo P. Tsounis, Dinner Dance and Journal Chairman). The 1984 Journal book showed a full page ad of HATCAST with officers.

            “In 1979, the first Greek Long Island homeowners’ civic organization HATCAST was formed through Angelo’s Panagopoulos’ encouragement and hard work. He insisted “Greeks will only be heard out here (E.L.I.), if we are recognized as a group. Before the Church (Transfiguration Church of Mattituck) was built, we were considered foreigners from the West and outsiders in Southold town…,” (Proini, Thursday, June 12, 1980).

            “An evening Anthology of Greek Song with Grigoris Maninakis and the Mikrokosmos Ensemble” sponsored by the Hellenic Greek Foundation in cooperation with the Greek Orthodox communities of the Transfiguration of Christ Mattituck and SS. Anargyroi Taxiarchis & Gerasimos Greenport churches & HATCAST. A free Greek concert hosted by HATCAST will be held on Saturday evening, September 5, 2015 at Mitchell Park in the Village of Greenport, Long Island (located at the Carousel). 

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References/Sources

For more information contact hellenicamericanli@gmail.com

Links:  https://picasaweb.google.com/105743188183721570894/HatcastJune302015   - documents and photos

( https://picasaweb.google.com/105743188183721570894/HatcastJune302015#6166547869436035154 1984 Journal

( https://picasaweb.google.com/105743188183721570894/HatcastJune302015#6166213228416125346) – 1984 journal page.

( https://picasaweb.google.com/105743188183721570894/HatcastJune302015#6166215370723695218). – Traveler-Watchman article.

Παγκόσμια Ημέρα Μουσικής - International Music Day

Happy Father's Day!

International Day against Drought and Desertification: 6-17 - Παγκόσμια Ημέρα κατά της Ξηρασίας και της Ερμημοποιήσης: 17 Ιουνίου.

"Little Bombay" prays for the poor souls of the earthquake victims in Nepal. Our hearts and prayers are with them.

Since the dreadful earthquake in Nepal, my colorful diverse neighbourhood in the so called "Little Bombay", the most exotic corner of Queens, NY and in particular in Jackson Heights has been flooded with news vans, people bringing candles and leaving them in the Diversity Plaza and a part of the facing wall has squeezed coloful notes of comments, thoughts, feelings and prayers among the doors, windows, and signs of local stores.  There are corners of the paved road and the sidewalk filled with huge boxes and plastic bags with supplies to be sent to the victims of the Earthquke.

Although it is called "Little Bombay", the area is full of stores and people passing by not only from India, but especially from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, and other South Asian countries. So it was not an accident they all responded immediately to the tragedy.  We were used to see street signs with Indian hard-to-pronounce names and even harder to remmber names.  We were used to hear the high-pitched female Indian singers' voices and see posters of music and video stores with Bolywood stars.  We were used to smell the mesmerizing spices, such as curry and grilled meats coming from every corner of the streets.  We were used to witness protests and awareness campaigns for the salvation of Tibet and other topics in human rights activism.  We used to watch peaceful and well-educated Muslims protesting against fanatic Talibans and enjoyed the variety of different religions and philosophies represented by local temples and mosques and street vendors and solicitors around us accompanied by ancient symbols of Far Eastern cultures. Sikhs were wearing turbans in different colors soliciting store flyers, hindu women in sharis corwding the sidewalks with their children and their men wearing traditional atire and having a red spot on their foreheads.  Imams and musezins prayed openly, prostrated and celebrated Ramadan and other muslim holidays.  South Asian Christians celebrated their religious holidays not only Christmas, but also the Easter with Christian prayers and songs in Bengali, Hindi and Urdu, Easter eggs and bunnies.  Buddhist monks were also walking next to them all, and sometimes prayed, chanted, meditated and used candles and insencers to offer the passerby a mental trip to their spititual world. It was a trip to the Far East without paying a ticket for us the locals and only $2.25 MTA Metrocard fare for all the others!

After the mysterious explosion of a bomb in a local store over a year ago and after the great fire of the Plaza College building a few months ago, now we have this incident that shook the world. Now people of all cultural and racial backgrounds and especially South Asians pass by and stop, taking pictures and go and some others stay there longer.  I tried to take some pics too, but photography is not my forte, so I chose some pics from the huge pool of the Internet and here they are.  So let's all say our prayers for Nepal, because earthquake knows no time and location: it hits when and where you don't expect it...

Recent Pictures of "Little Bombay" in Queens, NY after the Earthquake in Nepal

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/images/International/AP_nepal_earthquake_aftermath_03_jef_150427.jpg


Source: https://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_1484w/2010-2019/Wires/Online/2015-04-30/AP/Images/NepalEarthquakeUS-03db5.jpg?uuid=GD3iHu-DEeSAUIOekjSzAw


Diversity Plaza over the years

http://assets.dnainfo.com/generated/photo/2013/10/diversity-plaza-1381752048.jpg/larger.jpg


https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT8r0em7kKbx9puqJOfDFcA9hyHJgO1EiQQ7v_LHam-n9JVVQjS



http://assets.dnainfo.com/generated/photo/2014/10/jackson-heights-food-court-2--1413231804.jpg/larger.jpg

"Walkin Thru The Park" Song To Save The Carriage Horses Campaign. Let's save the Carriage Horses of Central Park that Mayor Di Blassio wants to ban!!!

Source: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/walkinthruthepark-song-to-save-the-carriagehorses

Help save the Carriage Horses of Central Park, a historical sightseeing that attracts millions of tourists and is a landmark of NYC.  Mayor Di Blassio however seems to ignore all that and aims to obliterate not only a piece and parcel of NYC history, but also an industry of tourism and entertainment. That will cause unemployment as many people will lose their jobs.  Besides, tourism and the economy of local Central Park area may be affected.  Di Blassio justifies his move by speaking of animal cruelty with no evidence whatsover.  It seems rather that animal cruelty may result in the future because of his policy if those carriage horses and their owners lose their jobs and go home!  In fact, those horses will have no home and their owners will starve because of Di Blassio's "humanism" and "Animal Love"...  People like Di Blassio may place other "values" and priorities on the top of their agenda instead of "humanism" and "animal rights".  Who knows...  Maybe, it's all about an under-the-table secret deal with developers or other interest groups for changing the face of the park only for the worse, but for his best financial interest after all...  Another conspiracy theory or an insight of what most of our policians usually are all about?  Time will show...  But before this happens, let's all unite our voices and our individual powers and advocate to stop this before it's too late!!! 

Trade Unfair: Queens Supermarket Workers Protest Sudden Closing - Global Supermarket, as it is now renamed, is even worse based on a comment on the video by a local consumer. This is NOT a supermarket! It's a BIOHAZARD BOMB!!!