THE NATIONAL HERALD, JANUARY 4-10, 2014 COMMUNITY 3 … · THE NATIONAL HERALD, JANUARY 4-10, 2014...
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COMMUNITY THE NATIONAL HERALD, JANUARY 4-10, 2014 3 By Constantine S. Sirigos TNH Staff Writer NEW YORK – Singer Lina Or- fanos and composer Dimitris Maramis gave musical expres- sion to the truth that the Mediterranean Sea may be the world’s greatest cultural incuba- tor during the concert titled AY AMOR in the Metropolitan Room on December 28. The vessels on the musical journey included love poems by Federico Garc a Lorca, Pablo Neruda, Rubén Dar o and C. P. Cavafy sung in Spanish, Greek, and English as set to brand new music by Maramis. The music and the poetry in- spired passionate moments by the singer and the instrumen- talists alike, who were, as al- ways, graciously introduced by Orfanos and included Sophia Anastasia on flute, Megan Gould on violin and Nicholas Tzavaras on Cello. The combination of intellec- tual depth and passion common to many of the poems was illus- trated by Orfanos’ third song, sung in Spanish, of Lorca's “Casida de la Rosa.” The rose was not intent on the dawn: almost eternal on its stem, it was intent on something else. The rose was not after knowledge or shadows: the confines of flesh and dreams, it was after something else. The rose was not intent on the rose. Unmoving, against the sky, it was intent on something else. (Translation by Paul Archer.) The evening’s highlight was the world premiere of Maramis’ setting of Constantine Cavafy’s poem Ithaca. Orfanos’ expres- sive soprano voice was matched by the haunting Arabic strains of Sophia Anastasia’s flute. Orfanos was both excited and felt privileged to sing it, telling the audience, “The first time you do a song is awesome.” The poem, whose essence is a paean to humble origins that launch us on a rich life journey, concludes: “Ithaka gave you the mar- velous journey. Without her you would not have set out. She has nothing left to give you now. And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you. Wise as you will have be- come, so full of experience, you will have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.” (Translated by Edmund Kee- ley/Philip Sherrard.) Passions old and new turned up in the delightful banter and commentary to which Orfanos’ fans look forward. The songs evoked memories of boyfriends past, but the artist transformed the pain into humorous riffs and poignant music. El Amour by Pablo Neruda, which includes the line “I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where…” is one of 100 love poems for his wife Matilda – his third wife as Or- fanos informed the guests. who laughed heartily.” She explained that the poem “Amo, Amas - I Love, You Love ” by the Nicaraguan poet Ruben Dario “is about universal har- mony combined with burning desire,” and quipped: “That’s a nice trick,” as she referred to her Nicaraguan boyfriend. Maramis followed with a dazzling improvisation that al- ternated playful and dramatic moments leading to a spectacu- lar climax. Throughout the night he thrilled the audience with fu- rious passages on the Yamaha. Orfanos spoke of her appre- ciation for Lorca, whom she called “an amazing poet who thirsted for a deep song that goes to the soul things,” before singing his “La Noche – The Night,” which begins “A full moon, the night above the two of us/I began to cry and you were laughing.” The Metropolitan Room dark and moody with black ceilings and walls, was the perfect set- ting for the songs. The acoustics and the sound engineering were excellent. A CD is now available con- taining of much of the music that was performed. Greek and Latin Passions Prevalent in Music of Orfanos and Maramis also in charge of the IVF clinic of the Athens Medical Group. His research affiliations, through which he continues his pioneering work, include Monash University in Australia and have led to breakthroughs in being able to determine which healthy embryos are most likely to be successfully im- planted, but he also offers a more humble reason for being so successful at bringing chil- dren in to the world: they re- spect the uniqueness of each hopeful couple. After enumerating cases where he and his colleagues suc- ceeded after American doctors failed, he said “in my opinion it is because they put everyone in the same box, and offer the same protocol and treatment… what we do is individualize each case. “Each couple has its own rea- sons and problems and causes for failure. We have to identify them and help them get through this and make sure all the right things are in place before we do IVF.” The doctor/patient relation- ship and the information ex- change can begin in the United States through tools such as skype conferences. “They can even begin the protocols there and come to Greece only for the end process.” A typical protocol, which en- tails giving women medication that stimulates their ovaries to produce eggs, requires 20-25 days and half of it can begin in America. The follow up by ultrasound can be done in Greece. When a couple desperately wants a child, money is no ob- ject, but the savings from going to Greece are substantial. In New York the cost for one treat- ment in 15,000 euro ($21,000) and in Greece it costs one third or less of that price. Pantos explained that when a couple cannot conceive, 40 perfect of the time the woman has the problem (things like en- dometriosis), 40 percent it is the man – low sperm count or po- tential, and 20 percent of the time the particular couple is the issue – the husband and wife are able to conceive with others. The eggs of most women in their mid-40s are not healthy, although they can become preg- nant through the implantation of eggs – donated by others or their own previously frozen eggs. The mean age for menopause is 45. After 40 the pregnancy rate drops substan- tially. There are now tests, how- ever, that can show whether the eggs of older women are healthy. Pantos was drawn to the IVF field where he could do pioneer- ing work because “I am at- tracted to the unknown… and we were able to open new path- ways.” Among the worldwide “firsts” and other successes at the Genesis Athens Clinic are: the births of the first baby worldwide following the appli- cation of blastocyst biopsy pre- implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) of beta thalassemia in 2004 and of the biopsy coupled with HLA typing for chronic Granulomatous disease in 2005; the application of PGD for rare genetic diseases and the first birth in Greece following PGD applying Array-CGH for chro- mosome screening in 2010. These are powerful tools that save lives and make families possible. With PGD, before the embryo is implanted cells are taken on days three or five. The genetic constitution of the embryo is then checked, and only healthy ones are implanted. . With PGD, couples who are carriers for Thalassemia can have healthy children. They have also saved the life of a child sick from Thalassemia. After a healthy child was deliv- ered through PGD, HLA typing showed the two siblings were compatible, and the healthy child was able to give a transfu- sion to his sick brother. Similar miracles were per- formed with leukemia and other diseases. Andrew Tsunis, a New York- based attorney who accompa- nied Pantos to TNH headquar- ters asked him if there were any serious legal issues obstacles to couples from America seeking treatment. Pantos said there were none, thanks to the law that was passed in Greece in 2005. Pantos emphasized that counseling is an important com- ponent in the services he pro- vides. He also said they take the ethical element very seriously, especially the temptation to practice eugenics. He said their aim is to help infertile couples and eliminate diseases, not cre- ate ideal children. “We are bound by laws and our own ethics.” Fertility Expert Pantos Talks about IVF, Wider Realm of Medical Tourism People can donate to the en- deavor through the site and their contributions are acknowl- edged on their Partners Page. ONE STONE, MANY BIRDS Koutsomitis is also pleased with the ethical and philan- thropic dimensions. “The idea from the beginning was for it not to be a free lunch, to create an atmosphere and culture among Greek youth of giving back,” but the volunteer com- ponent simultaneously makes it possible for the mentors to do more than give advice. “The person who is helping the young professional find a job is also facilitating assistance for even more vulnerable groups,” in Greece, she said. The contribution require- ment for the candidates is also a filtering mechanism, ensuring a high level of commitment. They decided, however, not to drive applicants to specific charities. People can contribute to registered charities in Greece of their choice. Staff will be hired beyond the web developers to fill out the personalized dimension – the di- rect human to human contact. Kasselakis said similar past at- tempts did go beyond the web- site, which is just an anonymous bridge. A lot thought has been put into fostering and monitoring the mentoring, and they already have interns who are working as “mentor coordinators.” Each one is assigned to five profes- sionals and will follow up with the young candidates to make sure they are also responding. There is now a head of men- torship who oversees mentor feedback on a general basis to insure its high quality, and he coordinates with people work- ing on a sectoral/industry basis. They are especially pleased with the interest expressed by non-Greek potential mentors, who will enable young Greeks to develop cultural breadth and a more global and cosmopolitan and less parochial perspective. SOMETHING WAS NEEDED The amount of time Kasse- lakis spent living, working and studying both in Greece and the United States provided him with perspective that his peers value, and since the crisis his Athens College high school classmates were asking more and more for advice about working or apply- ing to graduate programs in America, and he helped them informally. Kasselakis and others then made the startling realization that if graduates of an elite school “were having that much trouble figuring things out, just imagine the rest of the country,” he said, and the seeds for CVfromGreece were planted. It was also born of their con- cern that if Greek youth is not able to gain education, training and experience in Greece or abroad “they are going to be marginalized in the global econ- omy – permanently.” Ideally, they should not have to leave Greece, but until the structural reforms are imple- mented and the crisis is over- come, there won’t be enough jobs for that generation. They also believe CVfrom- Greece can become a vehicle for talent repatriation among those who go abroad and pick up valuable experience and knowl- edge. “We will have 50,000 CVs, and five years later we know what 50,000 people have been doing,” Koutsomitis said, adding that Greek companies could reach out to them to fuel their expansion plans. It is also hoped that as Greek- Americans sign up to advise youth in Greece, the two com- munities will become closer. Helping Greeks Attain Promising Careers Australian-born Dr. Konstantinos Pantos is one of Greece’s leading practitioners of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). During his visit to TNH he discussed medical tourism and IVF. Continued from page 1 Continued from page 1 Greek-American Vana Koutsomitis works in London. In a Star- bucks, where people can connect with the entire world, she spoke to TNH about helping young Greek through CVfromGreece. TNH/COSTAS BEJ Singer Lina Orfanos and composer/pianist Dimitris Maramis and their colleagues sailed the Mediterranean at the Metro- politan Room on Dec. 28 with music set to poetry of Federico Garc a Lorca, Pablo Neruda, Rubén Dar o, and C. P. Cavafy. TNH/COSTAS BEJ ΙΔΙΟΚΤΗΤΑ ΓΡΑΦΕΙΑ 23-35A Steinway Street, Astoria, NY 11105 • Tel.: (718) 728-6000 We wish all our members, their families and our friends a happy and healthy New Year
Transcript of THE NATIONAL HERALD, JANUARY 4-10, 2014 COMMUNITY 3 … · THE NATIONAL HERALD, JANUARY 4-10, 2014...
COMMUNITYTHE NATIONAL HERALD, JANUARY 4-10, 2014 3
By Constantine S. SirigosTNH Staff Writer
NEW YORK – Singer Lina Or-fanos and composer DimitrisMaramis gave musical expres-sion to the truth that theMediterranean Sea may be theworld’s greatest cultural incuba-tor during the concert titled AYAMOR in the MetropolitanRoom on December 28.
The vessels on the musicaljourney included love poems byFederico Garc�a Lorca, PabloNeruda, Rubén Dar�o and C. P.Cavafy sung in Spanish, Greek,and English as set to brand newmusic by Maramis.
The music and the poetry in-spired passionate moments bythe singer and the instrumen-talists alike, who were, as al-ways, graciously introduced byOrfanos and included SophiaAnastasia on flute, Megan Gouldon violin and Nicholas Tzavarason Cello.
The combination of intellec-tual depth and passion commonto many of the poems was illus-trated by Orfanos’ third song,sung in
Spanish, of Lorca's “Casidade la Rosa.”The rosewas not intent on the dawn:almost eternal on its stem,it was intent on something else.The rosewas not after knowledge orshadows:the confines of flesh and dreams,it was after something else.The rosewas not intent on the rose.
Unmoving, against the sky,it was intent on something else.
(Translation by Paul Archer.)The evening’s highlight was
the world premiere of Maramis’setting of Constantine Cavafy’spoem Ithaca. Orfanos’ expres-sive soprano voice was matchedby the haunting Arabic strains
of Sophia Anastasia’s flute. Orfanos was both excited
and felt privileged to sing it,telling the audience, “The firsttime you do a song is awesome.”
The poem, whose essence isa paean to humble origins thatlaunch us on a rich life journey,concludes:
“Ithaka gave you the mar-velous journey.
Without her you would nothave set out.
She has nothing left to giveyou now.
And if you find her poor,Ithaka won’t have fooled you.
Wise as you will have be-
come, so full of experience,you will have understood by
then what these Ithakas mean.”(Translated by Edmund Kee-
ley/Philip Sherrard.)Passions old and new turned
up in the delightful banter andcommentary to which Orfanos’fans look forward. The songs
evoked memories of boyfriendspast, but the artist transformedthe pain into humorous riffs andpoignant music.
El Amour by Pablo Neruda,which includes the line “I loveyou without knowing how, orwhen, or from where…” is oneof 100 love poems for his wifeMatilda – his third wife as Or-fanos informed the guests. wholaughed heartily.”
She explained that the poem“Amo, Amas - I Love, You Love” by the Nicaraguan poet RubenDario “is about universal har-mony combined with burningdesire,” and quipped: “That’s anice trick,” as she referred to herNicaraguan boyfriend.
Maramis followed with adazzling improvisation that al-ternated playful and dramaticmoments leading to a spectacu-lar climax. Throughout the nighthe thrilled the audience with fu-rious passages on the Yamaha.
Orfanos spoke of her appre-ciation for Lorca, whom shecalled “an amazing poet whothirsted for a deep song thatgoes to the soul things,” beforesinging his “La Noche – TheNight,” which begins “A fullmoon, the night above the twoof us/I began to cry and youwere laughing.”
The Metropolitan Room darkand moody with black ceilingsand walls, was the perfect set-ting for the songs. The acousticsand the sound engineering wereexcellent.
A CD is now available con-taining of much of the musicthat was performed.
Greek and Latin Passions Prevalent in Music of Orfanos and Maramis
also in charge of the IVF clinicof the Athens Medical Group.
His research affiliations,through which he continues hispioneering work, includeMonash University in Australiaand have led to breakthroughsin being able to determinewhich healthy embryos are mostlikely to be successfully im-planted, but he also offers amore humble reason for beingso successful at bringing chil-dren in to the world: they re-spect the uniqueness of eachhopeful couple.
After enumerating caseswhere he and his colleagues suc-ceeded after American doctorsfailed, he said “in my opinion itis because they put everyone inthe same box, and offer thesame protocol and treatment…what we do is individualize eachcase.
“Each couple has its own rea-sons and problems and causesfor failure. We have to identifythem and help them get throughthis and make sure all the rightthings are in place before we doIVF.”
The doctor/patient relation-ship and the information ex-
change can begin in the UnitedStates through tools such asskype conferences. “They caneven begin the protocols thereand come to Greece only for theend process.”
A typical protocol, which en-tails giving women medicationthat stimulates their ovaries toproduce eggs, requires 20-25days and half of it can begin inAmerica.
The follow up by ultrasoundcan be done in Greece.
When a couple desperatelywants a child, money is no ob-ject, but the savings from goingto Greece are substantial. InNew York the cost for one treat-ment in 15,000 euro ($21,000)and in Greece it costs one thirdor less of that price.
Pantos explained that whena couple cannot conceive, 40perfect of the time the womanhas the problem (things like en-dometriosis), 40 percent it is theman – low sperm count or po-tential, and 20 percent of thetime the particular couple is theissue – the husband and wifeare able to conceive with others.
The eggs of most women intheir mid-40s are not healthy,although they can become preg-nant through the implantation
of eggs – donated by others ortheir own previously frozeneggs. The mean age for
menopause is 45. After 40 thepregnancy rate drops substan-tially.
There are now tests, how-ever, that can show whether theeggs of older women arehealthy.
Pantos was drawn to the IVFfield where he could do pioneer-ing work because “I am at-tracted to the unknown… andwe were able to open new path-ways.”
Among the worldwide“firsts” and other successes atthe Genesis Athens Clinic are:the births of the first babyworldwide following the appli-cation of blastocyst biopsy pre-implantation genetic diagnosis(PGD) of beta thalassemia in2004 and of the biopsy coupledwith HLA typing for chronicGranulomatous disease in 2005;the application of PGD for raregenetic diseases and the firstbirth in Greece following PGDapplying Array-CGH for chro-mosome screening in 2010.
These are powerful tools thatsave lives and make familiespossible.
With PGD, before the embryois implanted cells are taken ondays three or five. The geneticconstitution of the embryo isthen checked, and only healthyones are implanted. .
With PGD, couples who are
carriers for Thalassemia canhave healthy children.
They have also saved the lifeof a child sick from Thalassemia.After a healthy child was deliv-ered through PGD, HLA typingshowed the two siblings werecompatible, and the healthychild was able to give a transfu-sion to his sick brother.
Similar miracles were per-formed with leukemia and otherdiseases.
Andrew Tsunis, a New York-based attorney who accompa-nied Pantos to TNH headquar-ters asked him if there were anyserious legal issues obstacles tocouples from America seekingtreatment. Pantos said therewere none, thanks to the lawthat was passed in Greece in2005.
Pantos emphasized thatcounseling is an important com-ponent in the services he pro-vides.
He also said they take theethical element very seriously,especially the temptation topractice eugenics. He said theiraim is to help infertile couplesand eliminate diseases, not cre-ate ideal children. “We arebound by laws and our ownethics.”
Fertility Expert Pantos Talks about IVF, Wider Realm of Medical Tourism
People can donate to the en-deavor through the site andtheir contributions are acknowl-edged on their Partners Page. ONE STONE, MANY BIRDSKoutsomitis is also pleased
with the ethical and philan-thropic dimensions. “The ideafrom the beginning was for itnot to be a free lunch, to createan atmosphere and cultureamong Greek youth of givingback,” but the volunteer com-ponent simultaneously makes itpossible for the mentors to domore than give advice.
“The person who is helpingthe young professional find ajob is also facilitating assistancefor even more vulnerablegroups,” in Greece, she said.
The contribution require-ment for the candidates is alsoa filtering mechanism, ensuringa high level of commitment.
They decided, however, notto drive applicants to specific
charities. People can contributeto registered charities in Greeceof their choice.
Staff will be hired beyond theweb developers to fill out thepersonalized dimension – the di-rect human to human contact.Kasselakis said similar past at-tempts did go beyond the web-site, which is just an anonymousbridge.
A lot thought has been putinto fostering and monitoringthe mentoring, and they alreadyhave interns who are workingas “mentor coordinators.” Eachone is assigned to five profes-sionals and will follow up withthe young candidates to makesure they are also responding.
There is now a head of men-torship who oversees mentorfeedback on a general basis toinsure its high quality, and hecoordinates with people work-ing on a sectoral/industry basis.
They are especially pleasedwith the interest expressed bynon-Greek potential mentors,
who will enable young Greeksto develop cultural breadth anda more global and cosmopolitanand less parochial perspective. SOMETHING WAS NEEDEDThe amount of time Kasse-
lakis spent living, working andstudying both in Greece and theUnited States provided him withperspective that his peers value,and since the crisis his AthensCollege high school classmateswere asking more and more foradvice about working or apply-ing to graduate programs inAmerica, and he helped theminformally.
Kasselakis and others thenmade the startling realizationthat if graduates of an eliteschool “were having that muchtrouble figuring things out, justimagine the rest of the country,”he said, and the seeds forCVfromGreece were planted.
It was also born of their con-cern that if Greek youth is notable to gain education, trainingand experience in Greece orabroad “they are going to bemarginalized in the global econ-omy – permanently.”
Ideally, they should not haveto leave Greece, but until thestructural reforms are imple-mented and the crisis is over-come, there won’t be enoughjobs for that generation.
They also believe CVfrom-Greece can become a vehicle fortalent repatriation among thosewho go abroad and pick upvaluable experience and knowl-edge.
“We will have 50,000 CVs,and five years later we knowwhat 50,000 people have beendoing,” Koutsomitis said, addingthat Greek companies couldreach out to them to fuel theirexpansion plans.
It is also hoped that as Greek-Americans sign up to adviseyouth in Greece, the two com-munities will become closer.
Helping Greeks Attain Promising Careers
Australian-born Dr. Konstantinos Pantos is one of Greece’sleading practitioners of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). During hisvisit to TNH he discussed medical tourism and IVF.
Continued from page 1
Continued from page 1
Greek-American Vana Koutsomitis works in London. In a Star-bucks, where people can connect with the entire world, shespoke to TNH about helping young Greek through CVfromGreece.
TNH/COSTAS BEJ
Singer Lina Orfanos and composer/pianist Dimitris Maramisand their colleagues sailed the Mediterranean at the Metro-
politan Room on Dec. 28 with music set to poetry of FedericoGarc�a Lorca, Pablo Neruda, Rubén Dar�o, and C. P. Cavafy.
TNH/COSTAS BEJ
ΙΔΙΟΚΤΗΤΑ ΓΡΑΦΕΙΑ 23-35A Steinway Street, Astoria, NY 11105 • Tel.: (718) 728-6000
We wish all our members, their families and our friends
a happy and healthy
New Year
