Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Gezuar Festa e Fiter Bajramit from Jane and Van Christo!

My wife Jane and I wish to extend to all of our Albanian sisters and brothers

GEZUAR FESTA E FITER BAJRAMIT

My mother, Frosina, who was brought up in the Christian Orthodox faith in Drenova, Albania, once informed me that, as a little girl, she used to bring red Easter eggs to the home of Albanian Muslim friends during Ramadan, and that they, in turn, brought little treats to my mother's home at Easter. A wonderful tradition apo jo?

Monday, August 29, 2011

FREE Boston / Acquire new computer & professional skills

Boston Neighborhood Network would like to share a FREE upcoming workforce development program available to you and your constituents.

Online Learning Readiness Program (OLLR)

Dates: September 19 – Dec 15, Monday – Thursday

Time: 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM

Fee: FREE

The Online Learning Readiness Program at BNN is a FREE training program geared at helping enhance and acquire new computer and professional skills. OLLR participants are looking to become more attractive to prospective employers, improve computer skills, create effective resumes, cover letters and more.

Interested participants should contact: 617-708-3241 or training@timothysmithnetwork.org

Nia Grace
Director of Marketing and Community Outreach
Office: 617-708-3244
Mobile: 617-780-0912dddddddid
www.bnntv.org
Boston Neighborhood Network
Charles J. Beard II Media Center
3025 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02119

100 Volunteers Needed to Register 3000 New Americans to Vote!

We invite you to be part of this campaign to strengthen the power of our immigrant community through voter registration and civic engagement.

WHEN: This Wednesday August 31, from 12:00 PM to 3:00PM+

WHERE: TD Garden, Boston*

DIRECTIONS: The best way to get there is by train. Take the MBTA Green or Orange line to North Station, exit the station and walk towards the corner of Legends Hwy. and Causeway St. where all the volunteers will meet from 12 to 12:30pm for a brief training and then divide in smaller teams to cover all the exits.
Join us on August 31st to register 3000 New American Voters!

This summer MIRA members and volunteers have already registered hundreds of new Americans to vote, this is a moment of celebration and accomplishment for all. We have seen people becoming naturalized U.S. citizens from every corner of the world, all ages, some waited for over 30 years for this moment, a couple even got engaged right after their ceremony.

On August 31, the TD Garden will welcome over 3000 foreign-born residents to become new Americans. We will be at this naturalization ceremony, ready to register them to vote.

If you have friends, family, coworkers, or a group interested in volunteering feel free to register online or contact Filipe Zamborlini (Field Organizing Consultant) at fzamborlini@miracoalition.org or 617-350-5480 ext. 200

Source: miracoalition.org

SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR PUBLIC MANAGEMENT & LATIN AMERICAN HEALTH INSTITUTE

2011 Certificate in Health and Human
Services Management

Classes starting September 22nd
Now accepting students!

• ALL classes 1 day a week: Thursdays, 9 am to 4 pm
• Up to 15 Graduate Credit waivers
• $3,000 Non Profit Rate for the entire Certificate

CONTACT for information or an application:
Nmetayer@gmail.com or 617-283-2080
Eduardo.aguilu@lhi.org or 617-350-6900 X115

• Non Profit Laws
and Ethics

Nov 3rd-Dec 8, 2011
Sept 22- Oct 20, 2011
Jan 19-Feb 16, 2012
March 15-April 4, 2012
May 10-May 31, 2012

July 2012
• Human Resources
Management
• Program Evaluation
and Outcome Measurement
Systems
• Fund Raising and
Financial Management
• Human Services Management
• Graduation

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Coppola To Honour Albanian Film Festival

The famed US director will be a special guest at the Fourth International Film Festival in Durres, which is from August 27 to September 2.

Besar Likmeta

Tirana

Francis Ford Coppola is expected to attend one of the premiers of two of his recent films, Tetro and Youth Without Youth, and will be awarded the Golden Gladiator Award for his work.

One of Hollywood’s most innovative directors, producers and screenwriters, Coppola is best known for his Godfather trilogy and for the Vietnam War drama, Apocalypse Now.

Another notable special guest at the Durres festival will be the Italian-Tunisian actress Claudio Cardinale.

Meanwhile, Albanian actor Vangjush Fruxhi will be honoured with the festival’s career award.

The competition this year at the festival will be around two major themes, “Balkan World’ and “Contemporary Visions.”

Screenings will be held in the Aleksander Moisiu Theatre and at the 2,000-year-old Durres Roman amphitheatre. This year’s screenings will concentrate on American and Turkish cinematography.

The opening ceremony will see the screening of Semih Kaplanouglu’s Honey, which won the best film award at the Berlin Film Festival.



Source: BalkanInsight.com

Roman wreck full of wine jars found off Albania

August 22, 2011 10:46 AM

(AP) TIRANA, Albania — A U.S.-Albanian archaeological mission said Monday it has found the well-preserved wreck of a Roman cargo ship off Albania's coast, complete with some 300 wine jars — all empty, alas.

The 30-meter long (yard) wreck dates to the 1st century B.C. and its cargo is believed to have been the produce of southern Albanian vineyards en route to western European markets, including France.

A statement from the Key West, Florida-based RPM Nautical Foundation said the find was made 50 meters (yards) deep near the port city of Vlora, 90 miles (140 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Tirana, early this month.

The foundation, in cooperation with Albanian archaeologists, has been surveying a swathe of Albania's previously unexplored coastal waters for the past five years. So far, experts have located 20 shipwrecks — including several relatively modern ones.

"Taking into consideration the date and also the depth — which is well suited for excavation — I would include it among the top 10 most scientifically interesting wrecks found in the Mediterranean,"
said Albanian archaeologist Adrian Anastasi, who participated in the project.

Officials said most of the jars, known by their Greek name of amphoras and used to transport wine and oil, were unbroken despite the shipwreck. However, the stoppers used to seal them had gone, allowing their contents to leak out into the saltwater.

Mission leader George Robb said the ship could have been part of a flourishing trade in local wine.

"Ancient Illyria, which includes present day Albania, was a major source of supply for the western Mediterranean, including present day France and Spain,'
Robb said.

Team members retrieved one amphora for examination, before restoring it to the wreck. The site, whose precise location is being kept secret, will be left unexplored until the Albanian archaeological service is in a position to do so.

The monthlong mission ended last week and will be resumed next year. According to Albanian coordinator Auron Tare, it will eventually cover the whole Albanian coastline.

"These five years have shown how rich the Albanian underwater coastline is, and how interesting it could be for international tourists," he said.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

BOSTON Free Immigration Advice

Thomas M. Menino
Mayor of Boston

FREE
Immigration Advice at Boston City Hall
(2011 Schedule)

July 6 & 20
August 3 & 17
September 7 & 21
October 5 & 19
November 2 & 16
December 7 & 21

Room 804 in Boston City Hall
12:00 (noon) - 2:00 PM

For more information, please contact the
Mayor's Office of New Bostonians

Boston City Hall Room 803
617-635-2980

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Baba Rexheb / Albanian Bektashi Leader

A Frosina infobit

Baba Rexheb / Albanian Bektashi Leader

Frances Trix *

"...the two most important human attributes are knowledge and kindness. Knowledge and learning pave the road leading to God. Kindness enables one to endure sufferings and insults inflicted by the populace / ...you would think it exaggerated that I insist ceaselessly that man must do his outmost to fight his egoism. Believe me, egoism is like a high mountain before our eyes and God is behind this mountain. If we cannot conquer this mountain, we will never see God Almighty." – Baba Rexhep

His American neighbors knew Baba Rexheb as the "monk" who regularly walked several miles to market from his "monastery" that had been established on a farm on the outskirts of Detroit in 1953. But they had no idea that he was a scholar, a poet, a patriot and religious leader who had been forced to leave his native Albania during World War II. Nor did they realize that the Bektashi Order, of which Baba was an internationally recognized cleric, was a 700-year old Muslim Sufi or mystic Order, long known for its tolerance and respect for all religions, for the participation of women, and for the support of Albanian independence from the Ottomans.

Baba Rexheb was born in 1901 in Gjirokaster in southern Albania. At age sixteen he entered the Bektashi Teqe i Zallit near Gjirokaster and completed studies in Islamic theology, law, and literature with private tutors, notably Ragip Effendi of Delvina. By the time he was twenty he was fluent in Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Greek, and Italian besides his native Albanian. He took his vows as a celibate Bektashi dervish at age twenty-one and served the community until World War II. Forced to flee his homeland in 1944 because of his public stand against communism, he went first to a Displaced Persons Camp in Italy, then to a Bektashi Teqe in Egypt, and finally to America where he established the First Albanian-American Teqe Bektashiane.

In the last summer of his long life, when asked of what he was most proud, Baba responded, "Only to try to teach people about Bektashism." This Baba did through his courage and community leadership, his writings, most notably Misticizma Islame dhe Bektashisme ("Islamic Mysticism and Bektashism," Waldon: New York, 1970), and the way he lived and listened and prayed for people -- Albanian and American, Muslim and Christian. He passed from this life in August, 1995, and is buried on Teqe grounds in Michigan.

*Frances Trix, a student of Baba Rexheb for 25 years, is the author of Spiritual Discourse: Learning with an Islamic Master (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1993).

Special thanks also to Mergim Korcha for his assistance

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Boston: Albanian-American Chess Tournament

Good morning,

Seems like this event has spurred a lot of interest in our community, so
I am following up with more details:

WHAT: Albanian-American Chess Tournament

WHEN: Saturday, September 10, 10 AM-5 PM

WHERE: Saint George Cathedral, South Boston

WHO: Anyone who wants to play chess, novice or expert

A luncheon of Pizza and soft drinks will be provided free of charge for
the players. The activity will consist in a simultaneous play where one
of the chess experts will play against all the novices and 2 mini-
tournaments of active chess (one game no longer than 1 hour duration)
one among the novices and the other with the expert chess players. The
winner of each plays against the other in the big finally (the expert
will have only 1 minute per move while the novice finalist up to 15
min). There is room for about 30 players and I already have 12 signed
up since yesterday so hurry up if you want to participate!

Free play, free food, what can be better? (Albanians like free play,
Americans like free food, Albanian-Americans should love having both of
it at the same time;-)

Thanks,

send questions to:
Agron Gjerasi
agjerasi@ptc.com
Agron Gjerasi

Monday, August 8, 2011

27th World Mountain Running Championships in Albania

Latest news

27th World Mountain Running Championships in Albania

1/24/2011


For the first time in Albanians sports history there will be an international event which will occur this fall. The world championship of mountain running will visit Albania and this won't be enough! It also will take place in Albania, in the capital city Tirana, the 27th World Mountain Running Championships. Event date will be September 11th 2011.

It was Tuesday, 22nd June 2010, in Tirana, in the presence of Sergey Bubka (IAAF Vice President, IOC member and President of Council Ukrainian Olympic Committee), Bruno Gozzelino (WMRA President), Gjergji Ruli (President of the Albanian Athletic Federation) and Nikolin Dionisi (General Secretary of AAF) when Albania officially announced its interest for sending the application in way to organize the 27th World Mountain Running Championships on September 11th 2011 in the capital city of Albania in Tirana.

Bamir Topi (Albania’s President), Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha (Albania’s Prime Minister), Mr. Agim Fagu (President of Albanian National Olympic Committee) and Mr. Stavri Bello (General Secretary of Albanian National Olympic Committee) supported this declaration of interest, ensuring full support for the nomination in every respect.
At the organizational and technical level, the 27th World Mountain Running Championships in 2011 will take place in the capital Tirana, running in the National Park starting and finishing in the national stadium “Qemal Stafa” of Tirana. The city also offers other possible solutions for tracks.

The meeting in Albania was made possible thanks to the IAAF General Secretary Pierre Weiss, who is always extremely cooperative with the WMRA for the development of the discipline of mountain running. After the visit to Tirana, the WMRA is now awaiting the official application by AAF, which would certainly be an important application.




With a tip of th Frosina hat to Father Arthur E. Liolin who originally posted this interesting development in Albania's sports history!

Friday, August 5, 2011

BOSTON: Two distinguished visitors from Kosova to visit Saint George Cathedral

Two distinguished visitors from Kosova shall visit Saint George Cathedral
on Sunday, August 14th. Divine Liturgy is commemorated at 10 AM.

Dr. Agim Ceku, Minister of the Republic of Kosova heads an high-level delegation to the United States from August 9-19.

For further information on the official aspects and purposes of the visit to the U.S., inquiries may be directed to: Minister Counsellor Jetish Jashari in Washington at: embassy.usa@ks.gov.net

Dr. Christopher Hall, president of the American University in Prishtina is in the U.S. meeting with educational and community leaders to outline the current developments and progress made at the AUK since its founding less than a decade ago.

Both visitors will be available to meet informally with members of the community.