Tarpon Springs
or why the Turkish Cypriots should be worried
Lets begin with a series of brain teasers?
How many of you know where Tarpon Springs is?
How many of you know the Greek connection to Tarpon Springs?
How many of you know what role Tarpon Springs plays in internationa; relations?
On The Spit has to admit it has had fun confounding friends and foes with the brain teasers because none of them have known about the Tarpon Springs and its crucial role in international relations.
None of them realised that Tarpon Springs was up there with the United Nations in New York when it came to foreign affairs.
However Tarpon Springs, a city with a 21,003 people, 9,067 households, and 5,947 families residing there made its mark on international relations this week.
This city with its longstanding Greek connection going back to the 1880s and with Greek sponge divers from from the Dodecanese Islands of Greece, in particular Kalymnos, Symi and Halki leading came out with a statement condemning the Turkish occupation of Cyprus.
According to a Cyprus News agency report last week, The Board of Commissioners of the city of Tarpon Springs, in Florida, has approved a resolution opposing the continuing illegal occupation of the Republic of Cyprus’ northern part by Turkey.
Now On The Spit understand that Greeks in the USA are a patriotic and parochial mob who think Australia is in northern Europe but we never believed that a city the size of Tarpon Springs could ever come out and take on The Cypriot issue.
We understand that Tarpon Springs enjoys Sister City relationships with Larnaca but do they really think theirs is a useful contribution?
On The Spit expect the Turkish Cypriot community will feel suitabley admonished and will bow their heads and accept all the demands put by the Greek Cypriots in the current discussions between Christofias and Talat.
On The Spit hears a rumour that their next statements will be on on the Iraq. We wish them well.
PS – Is it true that if the Turkish Cypriots don’t respond appropriately, a posse of Tarpon Springians will head to Cyprus and pelt and pummell all offenders with theirs city’s most important product – sponges? Or was that hubris?
Are we too early or too late?
On The Spit was flicking through the newspapers endeavouring to discover where all the action was in terms of the Greek community.
In amongst the photos of The Festival of the Sardine, Greek kids at Monash celebrating the start of the academic year dressed as tsoliades and the day trip to Rye by the PanCorinthian Association, was a photo from the carnival night organised by the Australian Greek Welfare Society as a fundraiser.
While there were two photos of revellers in fancy dress it was the third one that had us beguiled.
The photo featured a number of recently retired GOCMV board members – six to be precise – in plain dress.
Our ‘good natured’ side commends them for showing their support for AGWS and the great work they do to assist our community.
However our ‘nasty’ side could not resist the temptation to be bad.
The first question that came to mind was ‘Do they realise that the elections are over?’
Or are they caught in a wierd Foundian time warp and its still December 2008?
Nor can we resist the temptation to indulge in some scurrulous gossip and ask ‘Is this the beginning of the 2011 election campaign for the Dikeos camp?”
Is what the Greek scallywags saying over their bougatsa and frappe true?
That this is the beginning of a long term positioning of the Dikeos camp vis a viz the Papastergiadis camp?
That the former are looking to position themselves as the people of the ‘people’ with strong links into and supporters of the community, thus allowing them to portray the Papastergiadis camp as being dominated by a posse of yuppies?
Time will tell. Two years are a very long time in politics.