The Frosina Information Network Blog

Hats off to Don Leka!

2012-01-17T12:28:00.004-05:00

Donald Leka is the accomplished son of my dear friend of over 50 years, Dr. Agim Leka, so I'm pleased to post this latest recognition of his talented son, Don.

***

Albanian-American Donald Leka Selected Among 300 of the World's Most Respected Innovators to Participate in "The Intersection" Event at Pixar Animation Studios On January 14, 2012

Albanian-American Entrepreneur and Technology Innovator, Donald Leka, was among 300 of the most respected innovators in the world hand selected to participate in the prestigious, "The Intersection" Event on January 14, 2012 at Pixar Animation Studios just outside of San Francisco. Each innovator was carefully selected by The Intersection Event Committee to apply his or her talents to tackle the most pressing issues of our time. The venue for the event, Pixar Animation Studios is an incredible facility created by Steve Jobs and the Pixar team to stimulate the creation of the most innovative animation films in history.

Leka is one of only 300 carefully selected innovators in the world in the areas of technology, science, business, education, venture capital, faith, activism and charity. The President of Pixar, Ed Catmull, Oscar winning actress Susan Sarandon and AOL founder Steve Case are among the key leaders attending the event to share thoughts about leading trends/ideas in personal creativity, team and organizational innovation and social impact.

The focus of the Intersection Event is not entertainment or profit or policy. It is social change and how innovation can improve the world we live in.

Here is some additional information.
Donald Leka
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Leka

Glide OS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glide_OS

Van Christo's Commentary about Albanian elections

2012-01-13T12:13:00.004-05:00

Because visitors to the Frosina Blog have responded favorably to my initial Commentary in 1991 about the then-upcoming elections in Albania, I am posting it once again because I believe it continues to be so timely.

xxx

Pavlov's Reflexes of Freedom/Obedience
(and how they may possibly relate to the upcoming elections in Albania)

Through one of the characters in his novel "RED SQUARE," author Martin Cruz Smith discusses a phenomenon observed by Pavlov -- a reflex of freedom. Pavlov said that this reflex was the reason he was unable to produce a conditioned response in some of the dogs he studied, and he proposed that the reflex also existed in human populations. As the character in Smith's novel puts it:

"In Western societies the reflex of freedom was pronounced. In Russian societies, however, (Pavlov) said there was a dominant reflex of obedience. 'This was not a moral judgement, only a scientific observation. And since the October Revolution and seventy years of communism. you can imagine how complete that reflex of obedience has become...so that expectations of any genuine democracy should be realistic."

It is my strong hope that the reflex of freedom will prevail in the upcoming Albanian elections. I trust that the country will persist in its drive toward complete democratization, and that it will eventually free itself completely of almost fifty years of Hoxha mind-set by enacting those reforms that would make Albania the inspirational example of true democracy in the Balkan nations.

History has been unkind to Albania since the Great Powers of 1878 reconfigured the map of Eastern Europe by ceding the major portions of the four vilayets that comprised Ethnic Albania to Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia, and Greece.

By adhering to the noblest principles of democracy, and by making disparaging examples of those who do not, Albania can show Europe and the rest of the world just who the Albanians are and why they are worthy of an honored position in the community of free nations.

***

Reflekset e Pavllovit Per Lirine dhe Bindjen

Me ane te njeri prej personazheve te romanit te tij "Sheshi i Kuq," autori Martin Cruz Smith shqyrton nje fenomen te verejtur nga Pavllovi te quatur "refleksi i lirise." Pavllovi shrehet se ky refleks ishte arsyeja qe ai nuk mundi te gjente reagimin perkates ne disa nga qente qe ai studioi, dhe Pavllovi arriti ne perfundimin se ky refleks gjendej edhe tek njerezit. Personazhi ne romanin e Smithit shprehet lidhur me kete:

"Ne shoqerite Perendimore refleksi i lirise eshte i dukshem. Ne shoqerine Ruse, megjithate, shprehet Pavllovi, dominon "refleksi i peruljes." Ky nuk ishte nje gjykim moral, po nje vezhgim shkencor. Dhe qe nga Revolucion i Tetorit e gjate 70 vjeteve te sundimit kommunist, mund te imagjinohet se sa i plote eshte bere refleksi i peruljes...aq sa shpresat per nje demokraci te vertete duhet te jene realiste."

Kam shpresa re medha se refleksi i lirise do te mbizoteroje ne zgjedhjet e ardhshme ne Shqiperi. Kam besim se vendi do te vazhdoje me kembengulije ecen drejte demokratizimit te plote, dhe do te zhvishet plotesist nga mentaliteti pothuajse pesedhjetvjecar i Hoxhes duke vene ne jete ato reforma qe do ta benin Shiperine shembull frymezimi te demokracise se vertete ne gjirin e kombeve te Ballkanit. Historia ka qene e padrejte me Shqiperine qe nga viti 1878 kur Fuqite e Medha rikrijuan harten e Evropes Lindore duke shkeputur pjese te medha nga te kater vilajetet qe perbenin Shqiperine Ethnike e duke ua dhene ato Malit te Zi, Serbise, Maqedonise, dhe Greqise, Duke iu permbatjtur parimeve me te larta te demokracise, e duke u bere shembull per ato qe nuk i permbahen ketre parimeve, Shqiperia mund ti tregoje Evropes dhe gjithe botes se kush jane Shqipetaret dhe perse ata meritojne nje vend nderi ne komunitetin e kombeve te lira.

posted by Van Christo @ 2:41

BOSTON: Immigration Advice

2012-01-09T16:39:00.002-05:00

Immigration Advice
MONB Immigration Clinics

The Mayor’s Office of New Bostonians offers free immigration clinics where constituents meet privately with immigration attorneys to discuss their concerns regarding any aspect of the immigration process.

Location & Times
First and third Wednesdays of every month from 12-2pm
Boston City Hall, Room 804 (8th floor)
2012 Immigration Advice Schedule

Please note: Our volunteer attorneys can only offer advice. If an individual needs legal representation after having attended the consultation, the attorneys have been asked to provide a 15%-30% discount based on the constituent's income.
Referrals

The U.S. Department of Justice publishes this list of legal service providers that provide free and low-cost immigration legal services in Massachusetts.

World Bank to Help Albania Mitigate Effects of Crisis

2012-01-06T16:52:00.002-05:00

Here's another way for me to call attention to the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) - www.birn. com - to find little-known or unusual news about Albania and Kosova.

***

World Bank to Help Albania Mitigate Effects of Crisis

The World Bank will expand its funding of Western Balkan countries to help them respond to the impact of the Euro zone debt crisis.

Besar Likmeta
BIRN
Tirana

“The main objective of the increased lending envelope for Western Balkan countries, including Albania, is to help them prepare for and effectively respond to external shocks, while at the same time preserving focus on structural reforms and social safety nets which are essential for maintaining sustainable growth,” the bank said in a statement on Friday.

The Albanian government is expected to use the additional World Bank assistance to reduce its fiscal vulnerability and help safeguard economic and financial stability for continued growth and job creation.

According to the Bank, global growth slowed in 2011 and the economic outlook for Europe has deteriorated considerably in the wake of the deepening Euro area crisis.

The Western Balkans region is very sensitive to overall economic growth in the European Union, its largest trade partner.

“It is further vulnerable to changes in monetary and financial conditions in European countries whose banks are the dominant asset holders in Western Balkan countries,” the global lender said.

“Remittances flows into Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina are equivalent to about 10 percent of GDP and these flows have been already affected by a slowdown in Euro-zone economic growth,” it added.

xxx

Nga Van dhe Jane Christo "Vitin e Ri 2012 Gezuar!"

2011-12-30T16:36:00.005-05:00

Paqe per ju,
Per ata qe doni,
Edhe
Per Boten
ne Vitin e Ri
2012!

Shume Vjet Gezuar

***

Van (Sotiraq) dhe Jane (Xhejn) Christo (Kristo)
Boston

Gezuar Krishtlindjen /Merry Christmas nga Van and Jane Christo

2011-12-22T15:17:00.004-05:00

To all of our Albanian friends in America and elsewhere

Gezuar Krishtlindjen dhe Vitin e Ri 2012

And to our non-Albanian friends everywhere

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2012

Van and Jane Christo
Boston

BRAVO! Prof. Sami Repishti

2011-12-21T16:07:00.011-05:00

Jane and I first met Sami Repishti more than 40 years ago who was introduced to us by our good friend, Agim Leka. Over the years, I have noted how Sami was often the sole voice in the Albanian community at large to cite the brutal treatment of the citizens of Kosova by Serbia. Indeed, Sami, for many years, and at his own expense, published an informative Kosova newsletter that brought the plight of Kosovar Albanians to the attention of both the Albanian community at large and the broader non-Albanian community.

More recently, Sami has had several honors heaped upon him including the naming of a street after him in Shkodra, Albania, where he was born. Because I am intent on spreading the word about this most distinguished Albanian-American, below is Sami's biography that I am pleased to post to the Frosina Blog that is visited by as many as 40 and/or as few as 15 different foreign counties each day.

For those of you who do not know him, permit me to introduce Prof. Sami Repishti, the recent recipient below of a Certificate of Outstanding Contributions from the City of New York.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Office of the President - Borough of Manhattan
City of New York

Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer
is honored to award this

CERTFICATE FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS
TO THE ALBANIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY

to

SAMI REPISHTI, PH.D.

For contributions to the success of his birth country, Albania, and
to his adopted country, the United States and for helping to foster good relations
between the two countries.

SEAL

signature: Scott M. Stringer
Manhattan Borough President

***

A brief biography : Sami Repishti, Ph.D. (1925- )

Sami Repishti, a U.S. citizen of Albanian extraction, received his
Ph.D.(French,‘77) from the Graduate Center of the C.U.N.Y. after prior studies
in Florence (Italy) and the Sorbonne (French Govt. scholarship). His doctoral
thesis analyzes The Theme of the Revolution in the Novels of Andre Malraux. In
the U.S., for 25 years he taught French and Italian in high schools (department
chair) and at Adelphi Univ. (N.Y.) as adjunct faculty.

Dr. Repishti was born in Shkoder, Albania, in 1925. After the Italian occupation in Albania
in 1939, as a student he joined the resistance groups. With the Communist
takeover, November 1944, revolted by the terror of the new regime, he opposed
the Communist-installed government. Arrested, and tortured, he was sentenced to
15 years in jail, of which he spent ten as a political prisoner.

WW2 was cruel to him and his family. His father, H. Ibrahim Repishti a
religious leader and a congressman,(1923-24) perished as a victim of fascist
terror (1943), and his 17 year old cousin, Zyhdi Repishti, was executed at the
Mauthausen Nazi camp (1944) His mother, Hava, of the nobility family Bushati,
his young sister and brother spent years in communist concentration camps of
Berat and Tepelene. His jail experience is described in the two volumes, Tear
Drops-Prison Stories (1997,2008) and In Rozafa’s Shadow- My Life Narrated(2004).
Released from jail, but under constant Sigurimi surveillance, he escaped to
Yugoslavia (1959)where he was kept incommunicado for a year, before being
locked in a refugee camp. In a second daring escape, he entered Italy and in
1962 emigrated to the U.S. as a political refugee. In 1968 he received American
citizenship.

Dr. Repishti’s past has defined his present and has chartered his future. While
still pursuing his studies, he devoted himself to the cause of human rights. The
1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights was his polar star. Member of AI-USA,
he concentrated on publicizing the violations of human rights of the Albanian
population in the former Yugoslavia, primarily in Kosovo, a rallying point for
Albanian Americans.

Dr. Repishti is the first person to testify on Kosovo before the U.S. Congress,
April 1965. For over three decades, he would report regularly on the events that
alienated the Albanians in the former Yugoslavia. In the U.S. Congress, he met
with the Hon. Tom Lantos, a Holocaust survivor. In him, he found a very good
ear. Past suffering brought the two “victims” closer

“The Yugoslav bloody repression of the Albanian insurrectionists in fall and
spring 1945, the massacres of Tetova and Gostivar, the arms collection
operations in 1955-56, the forced emigration of Albanians to Turkey, the brutal
methods of UDB under A.Rankovic, the crushing of peaceful student
demonstrations, especially in l981, undermined the legitimacy of Yugoslavia and
Serbia in the eyes of the Albanians” he wrote. The bloody events that ensued
until the 1999 liberation of Kosovo by the NATO forces, were the logical
consequence of those oppressive Yugoslav Communist Government policies.
With the signing of the 1975 Helsinki Accord, he saw a large window of
opportunity open. Every year, he sent a “Memorandum on the Violations of Human
Rights of the Albanian Population in Yugoslavia” to the UN Secretary General , a
collection of data and documents, in his capacity as co-founder and ideologue of
“The Albanian Kosovar Youth in the Free World“, a group of volunteer human right
activists, established in 1968. In 1977, he did the same with the CSCE. (US
Amb.Max Kampelman in Madrid) Later on, he also approached, with Arshi Pipa, the
European Parliament President (Otto von Hapsburg), with a Petition on Kosova
Most of the written material used to propagate the problem of Kosova was
distributed in front of the U.N. Headquarters, New York, aiming at sensitizing
the member States of the U.N. It was later assembled in two volumes: “Ethnic
Albanians in Yugoslavia: Ten Memorandums (1985) and “Breaking the Silence- A
Voice for Kosova” (2001). Dr.Repishti also co-authored the volume

Human Rights in Yugoslavia (C.U.P. 1986)
2
In 1968, he attended a Symposium on Skenderbeu and co-authored the volume
Albania (Rome,1970) In 1978,.during the ceremony for the centennial of the
Albanian League of Prizren, (New York) he appealed for organized activities in
the Diaspora. It resulted in the collection of aid for the families of the
political prisoners in Kosovo, a work not without personal peril, The Kosova
Relief Fund USA, Inc, was set up. Dr Repishti was elected its president, an
assignment he kept until the year 2000.(In 1999 alone over $ 600.000 in aid were
collected)

In 1982, Dr. Repishti succeeded in mobilizing a group of intellectuals forming
an academic nucleus dealing with the Kosovo issue, as well as a coalition of
Albanian religious leaders in America. An International Conference on Kosova
(November 1982) was held at the Graduate Center of the CUNY. attended by
fourteen American and European professors. The proceedings were published in
Studies on Kosova (C.U.P: 1984) (with Arshi Pipa) The Conference was a
resounding success!

In 1986, Dr. Repishti met with, and presented a Petition to, then Vice-President
G.H.W. Bush requesting the opening of an Information Office in Prishtina. It was
rejected but he persisted, and in 1996, the Office was opened among the jubilant
Albanian crowds. He was, then, the executive director of the Albanian American
Civic League (1986-1991)

In 1991, immediately after the fall of communism in Albania, which he greeted
enthusiastically, he wrote a booklet for general use Albania in Brief
-History-Language-Literature (N.Y.1992), and produced a volume (with Ismail
Haznedari) Albanian-Language Competencies for Peace Corps Volunteers in Albania,
(Peace Corps, Washington,D.C.1992)

In 1993, Dr.Repishti co-founded the organization American Friends of Albania,
(treasurer/secretary) a group that lobbied Washington for economic assistance to
Albania. The result was the formation of the American Enterprise Fund, later
ending in the American Albanian Bank in Tirana,Albania. (The organization was
later dissolved).

In 1996, Dr Repishti, co-founded the National Albanian American Council
(N.A.A.C.); and was elected its first president (May 1996-December 1998). NAAC
continues to operate successfully, and is seen today as the most efficient and
prestigious Albanian American organization in the United States. In his
capacity, he met with the highest federal authorities of the US Congress,
Government and Presidency.

His only trip to the liberated Kosova was taken in April 2000, and is described
in a volume, Kosova-2000-Impressions (Prishtine,2000) (with Harry Bajraktari).
Dr.Repishti is the author, of The Seminar On Chameria (2002) and of several
hundred essays and articles in the American and Albanian press mostly dealing
with human rights including: a study on “Jews in Albania-A Story of
Survival“(2009) published by the Rosenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies, CUNY
N.Y). He was awarded several medals and certificates of appreciation by the
American, Albanian and Kosova governments, including the League of Prizren Gold
Medal by Dr.I.Rugova, President of Kosova.

In 2011, the City of Shkoder named one street after its native son, “Rruga Sami
Repishti” The Manhattan Borough President awarded him a Citation for outstanding
citizenship (Nov. 2011). His latest book “The Dialectics of the Order and the
Rebellion in the works of Andre Malraux was published in Tirana, Albania (Nov.
2011)

Happy to see a free, independent and democratic Albania and Kosova, Dr.Repishti
has retired, but remains active. He is married to the former Diana Chipi, a
teacher, and his wife of 47 years. The couple has a son, Daren, a practicing
physician, and a daughter Ava, a lawyer, and five grandchildren.

Presently, the Repishti’s live in Ridgefield, CT USA.

Hi Handsome!

2011-12-20T12:28:00.001-05:00

I am not the author of what follows since it was sent to me by my old U.S. Navy shipmate, Bob Christ,but I was so touched by it, I thought I'd pass it along.

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being..

She said, 'Hi handsome. My name is Rose I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?'

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, 'Of course you may!' and she gave me a giant squeeze..

'Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?' I asked.

She jokingly replied, 'I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids...'

'No seriously,' I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

'I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!' she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this 'time machine' as she shared her wisdom and experience with me..

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she revelled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, 'I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.'

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, ' We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.

There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humour every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.

We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.

Anybody! Can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets..'

She concluded her speech by courageously singing 'The Rose.'

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those months ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they'll really enjoy it!

These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. We make a Living by what we get. We make a Life by what we give.

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Pass this message on to 7 people.

For "new: Albanians: HANUKKAH

2011-12-19T15:54:00.006-05:00

For all those "new" Albanians who view Frosina's website, here's a very brief description of the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah which begins tomorrow tonight at Sundown.

***

Tomorrow night marks the start of Hanukkah, which means beginning at sundown, menorahs will be lit, gifts exchanged, dreidels spun, and latkes made. Let our Guides help make your family's festival of lights a special one.

Lighting the Menorah

Lighting the menorah (also called a hanukkiyah) is the most important part of celebrating Hanukkah. It reminds us of the miracle of the Hanukkah lights, when only one day's worth of oil burned for eight days after the Maccabees reclaimed the holy Temple.

for a comprehensive description of Hanukkah, please visit "Celebrating Hanukkah" at About.COM, Monday, December 19, 2011.

Tirana Hosts Ninth International Film Fest

2011-12-16T14:12:00.004-05:00

Here's another tip of the Frosina hat to BIRN (www.balkaninsight.com) for always presenting timely and interesting news about Albania, Kosovo, and the other Balkan nations. Bravo BIRN!

Van Christo

***

Tirana Hosts Ninth International Film Fest

The ninth Tirana International Film Festival, TIFF, opened on Monday, showing 80 short films from 63 countries by the end of the week.

Besar Likmeta
Tirana

The festival will combine a calendar of feature and short films in all formats and genres, including fiction, documentary, animation and experimental.

Each year TIFF showcases new cinematic works by established directors with international reputations as well as works by talented students and young filmmakers.

As in past editions, this year’s competitions will be in the following categories: feature films, short films, the DIGIART television film competition and a special competition for Albanian movies.

This year's Film Festival is organized in partnership with the Italian institute of Culture.

BOSTON FREE ESL Classes !!

2011-12-09T13:58:00.002-05:00

FREE transitional ESOL Program at AACA!
From: Meg Baker
Sent: Fri, Dec 9, 2011 at 1:27 pm
To: Van Christo

Please help us spread the word!

AACA is offering intermediate-advanced ESL classes. The program is called Next Steps Transitional English Program (Next STEP). The class is FREE for all English language learners who want to improve their English to get jobs, better jobs, or enroll in college. We offer 6 classes for 4 levels--the highest level is divided into a college track or job training track. In addition to ESL, students will work with a counselor to help with enrolling into college or helping with job placement. We have had students go into different job training programs at the completion of our classes or enroll in college like Bunker Hill, UMass Boston, and other colleges of interest.

Each level is a 15 week cycle with classes 4 days a week (Tuesday through Friday). Depending on the level, class time can vary from 8 hours a week to 16 hours a week. The classes are held in the morning and daytime.

We accept applications all year round and run this program 3 times a year—January, May, and September. To apply, interested applicants should come to our information and testing session held every Tuesday at 2PM or certain Mondays at 9AM (ext. 318 will have a list of Monday testing dates).

We appreciate your help in getting the word out! Feel free to contact me with any questions. For more information, please visit our website: Next Step

Thanks,

Meg Baker
intake@aaca-boston.org

Asian American Civic Association
Educate. Empower. Employ.
www.aaca-boston.org
87 Tyler Street 5/F
Boston, MA 02111
T: (617) 426-9492 ext. 251
F: (617) 482-2316

About Albania's National Holiday - November 28th

2011-11-28T13:05:00.007-05:00

Urime 28 Nentorin
Rrofte Diten e Flamurit

Van and Jane Christo
Boston

***

According to a news release distributed this date by the National Albanian American Council (NAAC)- www.naac.org - below is a statement from USA Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, about November 28th, Albania's most celebrated national holiday:

“Our two countries share a long history of friendship and cooperation. Today, we are strengthening this partnership as we work side by side in NATO and encourage stability in the region and around the world. We continue to support Albania’s integration into the European Union and we encourage Albania’s political leadership to work together to ensure their country moves forward. The Albanian people want a transparent government, accountable leadership, and strong democratic institutions that will help build a prosperous and secure future. The United States will continue to stand firmly with the people of Albania as we work together to achieve these goals.”

“As you celebrate this special day, know that the United States is a partner and friend. I wish all the people of Albania the very best and look forward to deepening our partnership in the years to come.” - Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State

Van Christo Dita E Flamurit Speech in 1992

2011-11-21T14:24:00.005-05:00

The following is a Dita e Flamurit (Albanian Independence Day) talk that I gave in 1992 at a commemorative dinner hosted by the world famous Albanian American restaurateur ,Anthony Athanas, at his well-known, flagship Anthony's Pier 4 Restaurant located on Boston's historic waterfront.

Van Christo

***

Dita e Flamurit (Albanian Independence Day)

We are here today to celebrate the historic date of November 28th, 1912, where in Vlora, in southern Albania, the venerable Ismail Qemal officially proclaimed the independence of Albania after almost 500 years of Turkish subjugation. It is especially important now to review some of the events leading up to that day because the spotlight is once again on the Balkans. The current war in what was formerly Yugoslavia is perilously close to Albania and the two to three million ethnic Albanians in Kosova and Macedonia. Even back in 1911, the political situation in the Balkans was very complex because at that time the Ottoman Empire (of which Albania was a part) was crumbling, and what were then Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece began implementing plans to annex parts of Albania.

Back in 1911, a group of deputies in the Turkish parliament led by Ismail Qemal began to petition the Turkish government to acknowledge Albania's national rights and sovereign borders which Turkey had divided - for purposes of administration - into the four Albanian vilayets (provinces) of Shkodra, Kosova, Manastir, and Janina. However, the Turkish government dissolved its parliament in order to exclude and silence the Albanian dissident members. In April of 1912, the Albanians of Gjakova began a general uprising which quickly spread to other regions of the vilayet of Kosova and then into northern, central and southern Albania. Led by Isa Boletina and Bajram Curri, Albanians took up arms and defeated Turkish armies while liberating key cities in Kosova and northern Albania. Albanian armies led by Themistokli Germenji in Korcha, Salih Butka in Kolonje, and Elmas Xhaferi in Vlora, each defeated Turkish forces in those regions.

On July 22nd, Albanian insurgents led by Hasan Pristina marched victoriously into Prishtina, and the then-existing Turkish government was compelled to resign. A new Turkish government was formed which sought to stop the fighting and to begin negotiations with the Albanians in each of the above-mentioned Albanian vilayets of Shkodra, Kosova, Manastir, and Janina. This offer was a ruse by the Turks only to "divide and conquer" so it was immediately declined, and the Albanians resumed fierce fighting and quickly liberated Shkup, Peshkopia, Permet, and other strategic Albanian cities. The Balkan war of 1912 created a critical situation for the Albanians when Serbian, Montenegrin, and Greek armies began marching on Albanian territories.

Ismail Qemal hastily called a convention of Albanian delegates to a now-liberated Vlora even as Serbian armies were capturing Tirana, Montenegrin armies were marching on Shkodra, and Greek armies were moving from Himara towards Vlora, itself. Ismail Qemal, then, on November 28th, from the balcony of the convention site, hoisted the double-headed eagle flag of of the 15th century Albanian folk hero, Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, as the new flag of Albania, and for the first time in the 20th century, Albania proclaimed its own national government and independence after almost 500 years of Turkish domination.

And now, 80 years later, we again see an unstable Balkan situation caused, in large part, by the collapse of communism as a major political force in Albania. Albanian- Americans and others are apprehensive because of the vulnerability of Albania and the fragility of the fledgling Albanian democratic government. Many Albanian-Americans are also apprehensive about some instances of divisiveness and intolerance in our own community. I would urge all of us to nurture and encourage the finest of our American democratic ideals in the new Albania. The Albanians have courage and fortitude, and they are going to need our help in rebuilding their country. Religious and political diversity are now encouraged and protected in Albania just as they are in the United States.

We would do well to positively encourage and protect that rich cultural, religious, and political diversity exemplified by new Albanians who are coming into our American communities so that they can have the same opportunities that we have had to be judged by our deeds and accomplishments and not by our religion or our politics.

It is now evident that neither the 500 years of Turkish domination of Albania nor the 50 years of the most repressive communist communist regime in the modern world can conquer the Albanian spirit. Like our grandfathers and great grandfathers before us we must, while acknowledging and protecting our differences, stand together to protect the freedom and prosperity of all Albanians. We must do what we can as Americans to protect not only the freedom but even the lives of our brothers and sisters in Albania, Kosova, and Macedonia. Today, the date of November 28th, 1912, has especially important significance for Albanians everywhere they are located in the world. On every November 28th, may we continue to celebrate the freedom and independence of Albanians everywhere.

Rrofte Dita e Flamurit. Rrofte Shqiperia. Rrofte Amerike. Rrofte Kosova Republike.

Van Christo: My WWII Military Experience

2011-11-14T15:24:00.009-05:00

Albanian American War Veterans (AAWV) Annual Meeting / Anthony’s Pier 4 Restaurant, Boston/November 12, 2011

A Memento about my own U.S. military service during WWII

Van Christo

I am honored to address this American Albanian War Veterans meeting of which I was a Founding Member back in 1946. At this time, may I ask that each Albanian American veteran present here today to please stand up so I can introduce them and ask in which branch of military service and theatre of war did they serve.

(Introductions)

Thank you. I served in the U.S. Navy during WWII as a Petty Officer on board a Destroyer-Escort, the USS Chaffee, DE230, for almost 18 months in the Pacific. During the invasion by American troops of the island of Luzon in the Philippine Islands that was a Japanese stronghold, my ship, the Chaffee, was patrolling Luzon’s Lingayen Gulf, when, on the night of January 23, 1945 at 11:15, a squadron of three Japanese "Betty" torpedo bombers was spotted by the Chaffee’s radar. The order for battle stations was given as the Chaffee readied for attack. Two of the Japanese bombers, or bogies as we called them, disappeared over the horizon, but the third plane made a wide turn back in the direction of the harbor where my ship and other U.S. Navy ships including the battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) were present. The captain of my ship ordered the Chaffee to turn towards the oncoming Japanese “Betty” bomber that dropped its torpedo and struck our ship way up forward in the bow. Although the Chaffee sustained damage, there were no fatalities, and the ship was able to seal off the forward compartments.

My battle station was After Steering, so, although I didn’t see the Japanese bomber from my location below decks, I could feel the impact as the ship lurched dramatically when it was hit by the torpedo. At that time, on any vessel over 1500 tons, there were always two locations from which the ship could be guided or steered. The primary location was the Pilot House, or Bridge, that is located at the top on the front of the ship. The secondary location is a facility called After Steering, which is located below decks at the very end (Fantail)of the ship. Upon a loud horn signal from the bridge, the helmsman, or person steering the ship at the After Steering station, immediately engages a clutch, thus assuming both complete steering control and compass course directions of the ship. This feature proved to be very important during the war in the Pacific corridor, as the pilot house was invariably the primary destination and target of all Japanese Kamikaze suicide pilots.

I was very proud that the battle station chosen for me on board the Chaffee was After Steering, as I was only 17 years old, and the youngest sailor on the Chaffee.

Since I didn’t see the torpedo strike our ship from my battle station below decks, some of the above details are taken from the ship’s log of Commander. A.C. Jones, former Captain of the USS Chaffee, that were provided to me by Robert H. Christ , a Signalman on the Chaffee.

On the following morning after the torpedo attack, two officers from the Chaffee boarded the Pennsylvania, hoping to acquire spare parts to make temporary repairs. But when the Chaffee officers came aboard the Pennsylvania, they were greeted like royalty since the crew of the Pennsylvania firmly believed that the Chaffee intentionally intercepted the Japanese torpedo in a heroic effort to save it from striking the Pennsylvania that represented a huge and easy target. But that was not really the case since the Chaffee inadvertently got in the way of the torpedo! However, when our two officers returned from the Pennsylvania to the Chaffee, they also brought back 6 gallons of ice cream from the grateful crew of the Pennsylvania. For this actual wartime encounter between the Japanese torpedo bomber and the Chaffee, our crew was awarded the Philippine Liberation Medal with Bronze Star.

A Joint Reunion of the USS Chaffee and the USS Pennsylvania took place in Louisville, Kentucky, on November 7-10, 2008. Since the Battleship Pennsylvania had a crew of about 3500 while the crew of the Destroyer-Escort Chaffee was only about 200 men, present at the 2008 Reunion were 600 people representing the Pennsylvania while there were only 5 original crew members of the Chaffee present. Nonetheless, on one wall of the huge Reunion dining hall were two mammoth banners with the names of the Pennsylvania and the Chaffee hanging side by side.

There, in a nutshell, you have heard a small portion of my own military experiences in the U.S. Navy during WWII. However, I believe we should have a permanent record of the experiences of all former Albanian-American members of WWII, Viet Nam, Korea, and wherever else they served America in areas of conflict and danger. A good place to begin is to record their names and photographs prominently in each Albanian religious and civic organization so they will not be lost to the generation of new Albanians who will know nothing of their wartime experiences, heroism, and sacrifices.

Finally, we may want to consider removing the word “war” from our organization's official name (American Albanian War Veterans) to accommodate all former Albanian American members of the military who served the United States of America.

American-Albanians have served many times with distinction in the service of America, so we should provide a lasting tribute to them so they will not be completely forgotten.

We owe it to them.

Thank you.

U.S. NAVY

Van Christo, Quartermaster Second-Class (QM2c)

Duties of Quartermasters (QMs)

Quartermasters (QMs) stand watch as assistants to officers of the deck and the navigator; serve as helmsman and perform ship control, navigation and bridge watch duties. QMs procure, correct, use and stow navigational and oceanographic publications and oceanographic charts. They maintain navigational instruments and keep correct navigational time; render "honors and ceremonies" in accordance with national observance and foreign customs; send and receive visual messages; and serve as petty officers in charge of tugs, self-propelled barges and other yard and district craft.
The duties performed by QMs include:
• conduct weather observations;
• determine compass and gyro error;
• compute tide and tidal current data;
• keep logs and records; determine their ship's position by visual and electronic means;
• compute times of sunrise and sunset;
• follow the nautical rules-of-the-road to prevent collisions at sea.

2011-11-07T16:38:00.007-05:00

Albanian American War Veterans Luncheon in Boston

The Albanian American War Veterans (AAWV), founded in 1946, will host an annual luncheon at 12 noon on November 12, 2011 at Anthony's Pier 4 on Boston's historic waterfront. The 65-year old veterans organization was the result of an initial appeal by Dr. Andrew Elia who had served as a Lt-Commander in the US Navy as a Medical Officer on a supply ship during WWII.

According to his daughter, Dorothy Howells, Dr. Elia was the model for the ship's doctor in the book "Mr. Roberts" by Thomas Heggen that was later produced as a successful play on Broadway and later as a movie starring Henry Fonda as Mr. Roberts and William Powell as the ship's doctor modeled after Dr. Elia. When the play "Mr Roberts" opened in Boston, author Tom Heggen, introduced Dr. Elia from the audience and invited him and his wife, Dr. Dhimitra Tsina Elia, to meet the cast members backstage.

Back in 1946, over 100 Albanian-American WWII veterans responded enthusiastically to Dr. Elia's appeal for a veterans group that led to the official foundation of the AAWV. Over the years, the AAWV participated actively in various Veterans Day observances and ceremonies at the Massachusetts State House and other governmental locations where the Albanian Americans distinguished themselves by their presence and by proudly displaying the American and AAWV flags.

The AAWV luncheon meeting will be opened by Commander Ronald Nasson after which, AAWV Founding Member, Van Christo, will provide a short history of the AAWV.

For reservations to the AAWV luncheon at Anthony's Pier 4 on Saturday, November 12, 2011,
please call Virginia Kosmo at 1 781 894-2721 or Ron Nasson at 1 508 668-6506.

2011-11-04T16:24:00.011-04:00

“Orthodox Missions and the Resurrection of the Church of Albania”

Metropolitan John (Pelushi) of Korca

EFOM Missions Lecture - 7:00 pm, Thursday, November 17, 2011
Maliotis Center, Hellenic College
Brookline, Massachusetts

METROPOLITAN JOHN OF KORCA (Albania) grew up in the only country in the world that closed all churches and mosques and forbade any expression of religion from 1967-1991. Coming from a Bektashi (Islamic) family, he discovered Christianity and was baptized during one of the most dangerous periods in Albania’s communist history. He eventually emigrated to the USA, where he studied at Holy Cross and returned to Albania to serve as Dean of the Resurrection of Christ Theological Academy, and then Metropolitan of Korca.

Maliotis Center/Hellenic College / 50 Goddard Ave. / Brookline, MA 02445
Phone:(617) 731-3500 /(617) 850-1200

BOSTON: Celebrate Albanian Indepemdence Day!!

2011-11-02T13:23:00.002-04:00

Dear friends, you are cordially invited to the 99th Albanian Independence Day celebration on Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 1pm at Anthony's Pier 4 in Boston. Join us for a pleasant afternoon with a rich program.

1:00pm - Cocktail with Cash Bar
2:00pm - Dinner
- Dance Performance by Saint Mary's Dance Group under the Choreography
of Dhimitraq Demiri
- "Anthony Athanas" Community Award Presented to Ronald V. Nasson
3:00pm - Dancing with American and Albanian Music by DJ Helios

Adults - $60
Children - $30
Business advertising - $40 to $100

Send Payment made out to:
Boston AANO Independence Day 2011
P.O. Box 437
Sharon, MA. 02o67

Anthony's Pier 4 Restaurant Address : 140 North Avenue, Boston, MA 02210

Menu:
New England Clam Chowder,
Glover Salad,
Roast Sirloin Strip of Beef with Baked Potato & Mixed Vegetables,
Baked Alaska with Meringue & Strawberry Sauce,
Wine, Coffee, Tea

Questions: call Klodi Pepi 617-642-6857 or Frankli Zdruli 617-678-3305
or send email to aanoboston@yahoo.com

Part of the proceeds benefit AANO Scholarship Fund

2011-10-31T15:21:00.000-04:00

Albania to become European landfill.

Albania will soon adopt a law that will turn this country into a major European trashcan. The country that for centuries has been a black hole of Europe is not just planning to gather trash from the neighboring countries, but also make profit on its processing, counting on generous investment from the neighbors. Meanwhile, Europe has to pick up Albanian trash. 

The Adriatic coast of Croatia is now cleaned by ships, divers and locals. The sea brought piles of garbage to the beaches of the Peljesac Peninsula and Mljet Island. We are talking about approximately 100 tons of municipal garbage, dead animals and cane. All this "goods" came to the coast after traveling down the river Bojana in Albania after the recent heavy rains in the region.

The trash on the streets of Tirana (and other places) is not removed but burned when the waste mountain grows to obscene proportions. The country with a long sea coastline cannot make money on tourism. Sheep, dogs and other domesticated animals digging in the mountains of garbage on Albanian beaches is a usual sight. However, a number of beaches used by the Europeans are maintained in order.  The EU does not need such a trashcan of a country. In 2004, Italy agreed with the Albanian Government to build a waste incinerator 5 km from Tirana that burned up to 1,200 tons of Italian waste on a daily basis.

However, incinerators are known to heavily pollute the air and Tirana abandoned the idea of developing this area, not without the help of the outraged public. The government said that it will not allow bringing toxic waste to Albania. The country acceded to the Basel Convention, which prohibits such practices. Therefore, the Albanians are going to import the regular garbage, and the transaction will be even signed by the Prime Minister, who will endorse each party, Slon.ru reported. 

At the same time in Albania the new government idea did not meet unanimous support. The country applied for the EU membership in 2009. However, this year the European Commission in Tirana again refused even to receive candidate status, that is, stringent environmental regulations of the EU do not apply in this country.

The opponents of trash specialization of the country among the socialists say that building waste processing plants in four cities will not help to get rid of the Albanian trash, because their power will be occupied by recycling waste from all over Europe. In addition, some debris will be buried. They believe that the government succumbed to the pressure of the Italian mafia (controlling the trash business at home) and fear that the country would become a dumping ground for toxic waste.  Albanian President Topi brought the law for reconsideration, but the government is confident that it will still be adopted. 

The Russians also began to think about the need for the development of waste treatment. In June, "Russian Technologies" and "United Russia" announced the creation of "national operator for handling solid waste of municipal districts, industrial waste from GC" Russian Technologies ", and third parties."

So far this association exists only on paper. Yet, the creation by the government of the rules of the game easy for the refiners is one of the key factors in the successful development of a very opaque industry and improving of its environmental and economic performance. Russia buries virtually 100% of its waste. In the EU, a good indicator is considered 20%. 

Anatoly Miranovsky

2011-10-31T14:36:00.002-04:00

FINAL REMINDER: "Being Greek and Albanian" talk at Harvard !!

Being Greek and Albanian: The “No Man’s Land” of a Double Identity in the Balkans

Dr. Gazmend Kapllani, writer and journalist

Wednesday, November 9 – 4:15 p.m.
Guido Goldman Room, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, 27 Kirkland St. at Cabot Way

Co-sponsored with the Southeastern Europe Study Group, Center for European Studies

Dr. Gazmend Kapllani, a native of Albania, immigrated to Greece in 1991, where he has lived and worked since. In 2007, he completed his doctoral thesis on “The Quest of Otherness in Modernity, as Prerequisite for the Redefinition of the Self: Images of Greeks and Albanians in Greek and Albanian Press” at Panteion University, Athens. He is the author of My Name is Europe and A Short Border Handbook, the first two volumes of a planned trilogy dealing with issues of migration and identity, and writes a regular series for To Vima, one of Greece’s largest daily newspapers, that profiles Greeks whose lives have transversed borders and continents.

Kapllani’s writing – which also includes book chapters, journal articles and poetry – reveals Greece’s growing social turmoil, a hornet’s nest of economic crisis, political disillusionment, and an influx of migrants and refugees from South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. As Kapka Kassabova writes in the Guardian, “Kapllani brings borders closer to home and ruffles our notions of 21st-century Europe and the price some pay to live in it.” By exploring deep-rooted preconceptions about movement and migration in Europe and beyond, Kapllani alerts his readers to the multiple borders – both physical and psychological – that divide today’s supposedly open and inter-connected world.

Kokkalis Program on Southeast and East-Central Europe
Harvard Kennedy School
79 JFK St.
Cambridge, MA 02138

posted by Van Christo @ 2:58 PM

2011-10-25T12:42:00.005-04:00

Van Christo Uncovers Two 18th Century Scanderbeg Operas about Albania's greatest hero

By Del Brebner

Liria's annual dinner dance celebrating Albania's historic Independence Day
(Dita e Flamurit) was held Sunday, November 24, 1986, at the world-famous Anthony's Pier 4 waterfront restaurant. On that occasion, an announcement was made that bears cultural significance to the Albanian people in Albania and to people of Albanian origin throughout the world.

Master of Ceremonies at the Liria dinner, David Kosta, made the following announcement after guest speaker, Van Christo, had just finished his talk. "Ladies and gentlemen," Kosta said, "Van Christo has just informed me that he will soon donate photocopies of the two Skanderbeg operas by Vivaldi and Francouer, along with English translations to, first of all, the Fan Noli Library, the Skanderbeg Museum in Kruja, Albania, the Department of Music at Harvard University, the School for the Arts at Boston University, and the Boston Conservatory of Music."

This striking announcement was the fitting climax to years of search and research on the part of Van Christo, Boston's well-known steward of Albanian culture and proponent of cultural unity among Albanians of differing political persuasions.

Van Christo, owner and President of the Van Christo Advertising Agency, and in recent years, creator/director of the popular WCRB and WBUR radio programs, the Van Christo Radio Theatre, has held as a major personal responsibility, the preservation of the art and culture of Albania. From 1979 to 1983, he regularly made weekly trips from Boston to Worcester where he served as conductor and musical director of Kor' i Usterit which translated into Albanian means "Worcester Choir." Many remember the impressive concerts of that Albanian men's chorale group in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and several other cities in New England.

In 1982 Christo was reading a newly-acquired book, "The Albanians" by Anton Logoreci, an Englishman of Albanian origins. It was with a great sense of excitement, of discovery, that he read the following paragraph: "Scanderbeg's posthumous renown was by no means confined to his own country. Voltaire thought the Byzantine Empire would have survived had it possessed a leader of his quality. A number of poets and composers have also drawn inspiration from his military career. The French sixteenth-century poet, Ronsard, wrote a poem about it, and so did the nineteenth-century American poet, Longfellow. Antonio Vivaldi's list of rarely performed compositions includes an opera entitled Scanderbeg."

Van Christo admits that on reading the paragraph he was virtually trembling with excitement. A Vivaldi opera about Scanderbeg, the 15th century Albanian folk hero who for 25 years successfully repelled, vanquished and baffled the Ottoman hordes in their attempts to conquer Albania? The Scanderbeg who, in effect, created Albania through his military genius and his extraordinary leadership that made a strong and unified nation from a discordant mass of feudal lords and unruly tribesmen?

Van Christo's mind raced with questions. Did the opera still exist? Where could it be? How could one find it? Not one to sit back and wait for answers, Van Christo embarked on what he calls "the search." For the next three years he committed emotion, time, and money to finding and preserving the Vivaldi opera.

He found that the opera was originally performed at the Teatro de la Pergola in Florence, Italy, on June 22, 1718. The occasion was the re-opening of the theatre, to this day a pearl among Florentine theatres. For the event Vivaldi had been chosen to produce an opera, testimony to Vivaldi's standing in the music world at that time. That Vivaldi had selected Scanderbeg as the subject of an opera especially composed for that momentous opccasion confirms the impact that the Albanian folk hero still had on the civilized world almost 300 years after his heroic life.

This, Van Christo learned along with other details from consultations with musicologists in England, Italy, France, and the United States, from a voluminous correspondence extending over a three-year period with music librarians in Italy, from extensive research, and numerous paid consultants.

Complicating matters and adding further excitement was another discovery. In the course of his research on the Vivaldi opera, Van Christo uncovered another opera entitled "Scanderbeg," this one by the 18th century composer, Francois Francouer. While still hunting down the Vivaldi, Van Christo also initiated the search for the Francouer opera, encountering many of the same difficulties and frustrations he was experiencing with the Vivaldi search.

This time, though, from sources in Paris, he was eventually to find the entire opera (both the original plus a revised version by Francouer), librettos and musical scores, and to learn that the Francouer "Scanderbeg" had been given in command performance before their majesties, King Louis XV and Queen Marie Charlotte Leszczynska of France at Fontainebleu on October 22, 1763.

Van Christo believes it is entirely conceivable that, properly presented to various opera companies in the United States and abroad, several of them would accept the Francouer "Scanderbeg" for performance. In an interview following the Liria dinner he was asked about the possibility.

"It has both historical and musical value," he said, "I have had it evaluated and authenticated by a qualified musicologist, Dr. Graham Sadler of the Department of Music at the University of Hull in England. It is intact. Ready for production. It is imperative that opera companies honor their expressed responsibility to restore and preserve masterworks of former times. The Francouer "Scanderbeg" is a sure bet for successful revival."

He was then asked about chances of a revival of the Vivaldi "Scanderbeg." Van Christo muses. "In my heart of hearts," he says, "I'd like to be able to retain someone of -- let's say -- the stature of Gian Carlo Menotti to compose a new Scanderbeg opera based on the Vivaldi libretto and incorporating the four authentic remaining Vivaldi arias. These have been evaluated by an eminent Vivaldi scholar, Professor Michael Talbot of the University of Liverpool, and I have his recommendations for revitalizing and exploiting the work." Christo adds that a composer of Menotti's reputation would, clearly, lead to performance by major opera companies in this country and elsewhere.

"My consultants tell me that it would cost about a quarter of a million dollars to engage someone of the caliber of Gian Carlo Menotti." He tugs thoughtfully as his crisp beard. "What is needed is for a significant number of American-Albanians to come forward and help, especially the younger generation who can bring vitality, imagination, and sophistication to the project." He smiles into space. "Imagine! A Vivaldi-Menotti collaboration on a Scanderbeg opera!" He closes his eyes. Dreaming?
"Ah!" he says suddenly, "It could be done. It could be done."

If it can be done, one senses that Van Christo is the person who could make of the project another successful labor of love and perseverance.

***
Notes:

According to data subsequently provided to Van Christo by Peter Rennie of London's Anglo-Albanian Association, there was a third opera about Scanderbeg composed by Bernard Germain le Comte de Lacepede (1765-1805), a French naturalist, politician, and musician. Better known for his later political activities as President of the French Senate and of the Grand Chancelier de la Legion d'honneur, Lacepede was also the composer of five operas. One of these was Scanderbeg which was commissioned by a committee of the Academie Royale de Musique in 1785. The opera, however, was never performed since Lacepede for some reason has destroyed it.

Scanderbeg, the national hero of Albania and a military and political leader of international importance was born in 1405 in northern Albania to the Kastrioti family of feudal leaders, and as the child, Gjergj Kastrioti, he was taken as a hostage from his father, Gjon Kastrioti, to be raised and educated in Turkey and to serve in the Ottoman army. Under the name of Skënder (meaning Alexander, after Alexander the Great), he gained distinction in fighting in the Balkans and Asia Minor. He was awarded the title of Bey (Lord of the Land), adopting the name Scanderbeg (Albanian: Skënderbeu).

In 1443, Scanderbeg led a revolt in Krujë (northern Albania) against the Ottomans and scored repeated victories over them usually against great numerical odds. His successes were due to his firsthand knowledge of Turkish military tactics, his own sound tactics and strategies, brilliant leadership, the mountainous terrain, and the support of the Albanian people.

The revolt ultimately failed because of the overwhelming odds ranged against it and because of Scanderbeg's death in 1468. The revolt's astonishing achievements have ever since inspired and heartened Albanians everywhere they are located in the world.

2011-10-24T13:46:00.001-04:00

Hospitalized Albanian children need translators in New York

Dear Friends,

After successful life saving cardiac surgery of the first two children from Kosova at Children's Hospital Boston, the third child in need of cardiac surgery is in the process of coming to Schneider Children's Hospital in New York. Her name is Anisa and she is 5 years old. Her surgery is scheduled in early May.

This is a program of Gift of Life International, which offers cardiac surgery with the help of more than 50 Cardiac Surgery Departments across the United States, to children of the world who live in countries that don't have cardiac surgery services. The surgery is offered completely free of charge for the patients.

We have founded Gift of Life Kosova (GOLKOS) based in Prishtina as a functional structure to coordinate the process of selecting, screening and preparing patients prior to their departure to the United States.

However, children and their parents don't speak any English and we would need Albanians of goodwill who would be able to offer some translation during their free time while this child and her mother are here for heart surgery.

We had 8 volunteer Albanians from Boston area last fall who helped tremendously via verbal translations the two children from Kosova while they were at Children's Hospital Boston. Gift of Life branches and Rotary Clubs involved with Kosova children have issued letters of recommendation and support for our volunteer Albanian students who have assisted our patients, which letters have had a very positive impact as proof of community service and volunteer work when Albanian students wanted to apply for degree programs and scholarships in American Universities.

As volunteer work for patients in need is highly valued and appreciated, and our patient and her mother would need translation help, I would like to invite all those Albanians that live in New York close to Schneider Chidren's Hospital, 269-01 76th Avenue, New Hyde Park, New York 11040, to offer some volunteer verbal translation services at their convenience for Anisa and her mother when they come for surgery in early May.

Learning from our experience with the two children already operated and returned to Kosova, in the process of helping our patients that come for life saving surgery through Gift of Life program, everybody is welcome to contribute and that contribution is most appreciated. However, organizational, business or personal promotions, social marketing or other ways of advertising through our Gift of Life program are strongly discouraged, as it is in violation with the ethical frameworks that Rotary International maintains and in violation of HIPAA protocols our hospitals here in the U.S. are enforced by law to respect. And this is very important for us to be able to bring more children from Kosova for heart surgery in the months and years to come.

I would appreciate if you would forward this email to our Albanian organizations and Albanians of goodwill in New York area and urge Albanian students and people of goodwill to give their volunteer services at their convenience through verbal translation for this patient and her mother. As soon as they contact me I would be happy to put them in touch with Gift of Life Branch in New York that is in charge for the care for Anisa.

I also want to thank once again the 8 Albanian volunteers from Boston area who did a wonderful job translating for our two patients, Endrit and Beqir last fall in Children's Hospital Boston.

I want to thank all of you for your help and consideration for our children from Kosova going for life saving cardiac surgery here in the United States.

Warm regards,

Dr. Gani Abazi

_______________________________
Gani S. Abazi, MD, MPH
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Neurosurgery Department
Children's Hospital Boston & Harvard Medical School
Address:
300 Longwood Avenue, Hunnewell 2,
Boston, MA, 02115, USA
Email: g_abazi@post.harvard.edu
gani.abazi@childrens.harvard.edu

2011-10-21T15:33:00.002-04:00

Albania and Kosovo to Unify Consular Services

Albania’s government has ratified an agreement which unifies consular services and practices with Kosovo and halves costs for both countries.

Besar Likmeta
Tirana

“Albanians should feel the same in Tirana and Pristina,” Prime Minister Sali Berisha during a cabinet meeting yesterday.

He added that similar practices should be followed in other areas like customs, culture and education in order to cut down on bureaucracy and bring the two sister countries closer together.

“It’s necessary to consolidate the trend of cooperation with [a] common legal framework and common legal practices, alleviating the bureaucratic hurdles for the citizens of Albania and Kosovo,” he said.

Since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, the two governments in Tirana and Pristina have worked closely to strengthen business and cultural ties.

Thoms Simaku nominated for BASCA Award 2011

2011-10-20T13:44:00.004-04:00

Albanians everywhere can be proud of Albanian-born Thomas Simaku who has been nominated for a British Composer Award 2011 in London. I just received this piece of good news from my longtime friend, Peter Rennie, who, at one time, was the Secretary of the Anglo-Albanian Association.

Please join me in extending sincerest compliments to Composer Simaku for his latest classical musical achievement!

***

Soliloquy IV for Bass Clarinet has been nominated for a British Composer Award 2011 as one of the three finalists in the Instrumental Solo or Duo Category. The nomination shortlists were announced on BBC Radio 3 on Tuesday 18th October. The prestigious awards are presented by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) and sponsored by PRS in association with BBC Radio 3 providing exclusive broadcast coverage of the Awards.

Basca shortlist 2011

This piece is part of the Soliloquy Cycle - a series of virtuoso works for various solo instruments. As the composer explains 'the idiosyncratic quality of the Bass Clarinet piece is to be found in the rich and powerful (but also delicate) sonorities of the instrument, as well as the high degree of virtuosity, which lies at the edge of what's possible!'

The UK premiere was given by Sarah Watts on 18th September 2010 at St Leonard's Shoreditch Church in London, as part of the 'Rare-scale Premiere Series'. Thomas Simaku won a 2009 BASCA Award with his recorder piece, which the judging panel described as 'visionary and entirely original'.

REMINDER: "Being Greek and Albanian" talk at Harvard !!

2011-10-19T14:58:00.004-04:00

Being Greek and Albanian: The “No Man’s Land” of a Double Identity in the Balkans

Dr. Gazmend Kapllani, writer and journalist

Wednesday, November 9 – 4:15 p.m.
Guido Goldman Room, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, 27 Kirkland St. at Cabot Way

Co-sponsored with the Southeastern Europe Study Group, Center for European Studies

Dr. Gazmend Kapllani, a native of Albania, immigrated to Greece in 1991, where he has lived and worked since. In 2007, he completed his doctoral thesis on “The Quest of Otherness in Modernity, as Prerequisite for the Redefinition of the Self: Images of Greeks and Albanians in Greek and Albanian Press” at Panteion University, Athens. He is the author of My Name is Europe and A Short Border Handbook, the first two volumes of a planned trilogy dealing with issues of migration and identity, and writes a regular series for To Vima, one of Greece’s largest daily newspapers, that profiles Greeks whose lives have transversed borders and continents.

Kapllani’s writing – which also includes book chapters, journal articles and poetry – reveals Greece’s growing social turmoil, a hornet’s nest of economic crisis, political disillusionment, and an influx of migrants and refugees from South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. As Kapka Kassabova writes in the Guardian, “Kapllani brings borders closer to home and ruffles our notions of 21st-century Europe and the price some pay to live in it.” By exploring deep-rooted preconceptions about movement and migration in Europe and beyond, Kapllani alerts his readers to the multiple borders – both physical and psychological – that divide today’s supposedly open and inter-connected world.

BOSTON: Free English Evening Classes

2011-10-14T14:16:00.000-04:00

Good Morning,

we are a teaching school located in the Quincy Market, Boston downtown. We would like to let your association know that we are offering FREE ENGLISH EVENING CLASSES. Please find attached information about it. If you know some people who are interested in attending to these classes, please send them to our offices, they can start next Monday 17th October. They can do a placement test here to check their levels, and then attending to the classes with english native speakers teachers.

If you need more information, please do not hesitate to contact with us. Thank you very much for your time.

Carolina Perez Baso
International House Boston
101 Faneuil Hall | Boston
T: + 1 857 239 9243 | F: +1 646.219.7759
www.ihboston.com
International House World

Obituary of a fascinating American-Albanian!

2011-10-13T17:45:00.004-04:00

I urge everyone to open the link below to read the recent obituary of a fascinating man who was born in Albania. I headed an advertising agency (for 33 years) as did he in California, and now wish I had known him. It's a pity most Albanian-Americans weren't aware of this distinguished and talented man sooner!

http://post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/592543/Terry-N--Jonethis.html?nav=5009

Frosina website www.frosina.org passes half-million visits mark

2011-10-12T16:26:00.006-04:00

Agron Alibali is a most meaningful activist in the Albanian community of Boston and elsewhere. He has continuously enriched the cultural and social life of our community by organizing, among other important events, An Evening of Albanian Poetry Readings and a Presentation of the Works of Albania's Nobel Prize in Literature nominee, the author Ismail Kadare.

After Frosina's website - www.frosina.org - passed the half-million visitor's mark, Agron generously posted the notice below to MASS BESA'S massalbanians@yahoogroups.

***

Dear all,

I learned with great pleasure that the website of the Frosina Information Network - one of the best internet resources on Albanian culture, history and issues - hit the 500,000 clicks milestone.

This is certainly due to the immense efforts and work of the Frosina's Founder and President, Van S. Christo, who has spent countless hours in making Frosina a great success.

I only wish that the-one-million-hits mark comes soon, and that we could find a way to transform those hits into financial contributions for Frosina.

Agron

www. frosina.org

Bikinis and hijabs contrast on Albanian beach

2011-10-11T17:52:00.002-04:00

Yes, indeed, I thought that a Bikinis and hijabs contrast especially amongst Albanians would make interesting reading, so here's an article about it that I came across from The Balkan Chronicle.

+++

Bikinis and hijabs contrast on Albanian beach

Thursday, 22 September 2011 22:44
Editorial / tha Balkan Chronicle

Arta, an Albanian citizen"To each their own," said Selim, a Muslim who gave only his first name.

September has seen devout Muslims again flocking to Albania's only "burqa beach" after the Ramadan holy month, where women bathe in full hijab − a short distance from the "other" Albania where girls romp in scanty bikinis.

The contrast is not to everyone's liking but is a testament to Albania's centuries-old tradition of religious tolerance, which even survived nearly half a century of a communist rule that tried to stamp out all religion.

About two-thirds of this Mediterranean state's 3.2 million residents are Muslim. Much of the rest is Christian − both Orthodox and Catholic − and co-habitation among the different faiths is the norm in EU-hopeful Albania.

But "why do some people think that showing off their buttocks is a sign of civilization and freedom, while protecting one's body from other people's glances is an expression of underdevelopment?" he asked.

Selim sat on a small, remote part of the long stretch of beach in Spille, which lies about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of the capital Tirana.

There is nothing official about the patch, nicknamed "burqa beach." It's been informally claimed by conservative Muslims who do not wish to expose their bodies while bathing, and is the sole spot of its kind on Albania's lengthy Adriatic and Ionian coastline.

Empty during Ramadan in August when fasting Muslims avoid swimming for fear of swallowing water, "burqa beach" is again busy as temperatures in recent weeks soared into the 30s C (high 80s F) and often continue so into October.

Despite the rarity of such beaches in Europe, the few dozen families who come here resent the fact there are no facilities and that they must walk a half hour from Spille's main beach to reach the spot.

But "everyone is free to choose, even those girls in bikinis who line the length of this beach while our women and children only have this little space," said Selim, carefully watching his wife and sister as they wade into the waves, at the ready since neither know how to swim.

While most Albanians are Muslims, the majority are moderate. Only a handful of women can be seen in the streets of Tirana with their heads covered, and the consumption of alcohol − prohibited in Islam − is commonplace.

Post-communist Albania has seen a revival in all faiths after the complete ban on religion during a half-century of Stalinist rule, which cut Albania off from the outside world.

"Islam does not forbid a woman to bathe, but only if she covers herself in a decent way, to protect herself from the looks and please only God," insisted Fatima, a mother of two emerging from the water in a long black robe.

"Those who have money go to Turkey or other countries instead of this out-of-the-way spot in Spille that lacks the intimacy and infrastructure for devout Muslims women who must not undress in public or attract any glances," grumbled 40-something Hasan as his wife went to change in one of the tents set up nearby.

Ermir Gjinishi, a professor of Islamic studies in Tirana, feels Albania should have more women-only beaches for devout Muslim women, as separated from men "they are even allowed to wear bathing suits."

Over on "bikini" beach, the mood is tolerant but defiant.

"I have nothing to hide, neither from God, nor from the sun," said psychology student Arjana as she adjusted her bikini strap and insisted swimming in a hijab was no more modest than in a two-piece.

A little way up, several women went further and sunbathed topless − a practice not without risk. Last year police were called in to remove some foreigners who went topless after local families complained.

"Albanian beaches have room for everyone: hijab, burka, bikini, bathing suit," said Arta, sunning herself on the public beach. "Modesty is a personal issue. It is important that everyone is free to choose and accept the other without any complex."

Organ Trafficking Probe in Kosovo

2011-10-06T15:50:00.002-04:00

Persisitent claims of organ trafficking by the Kosovo Liberation Army have helped to prevent Kosovo's entry in the EU so perhaps the BIRN story below can help resolve those claims once and for all!

***

Albania-EULEX to Cooperate on Organ Trafficking Probe

EULEX chief Xavier Bout De Marnhac and Albanian Minister of Interior Bujar Nishani, have signed an agreement on police cooperation in Tirana.

Besar Likmeta
Tirana

The agreement aims to strengthen cooperation on the investigation into allegations of organ trafficking by the Kosovo Liberation Army in Albania

“The Ministry of Interior and the police will offer cooperation on the organ trafficking probe,” Nishani said in a statement after the agreement was signed.

The agreement reached between Albania and the EU Mission for the Rule of Law in Kosovo, EULEX, also provides for police cooperation on border control, smuggling and exchange of information between agencies.

Marnhac was in Albania ahead of the visit of US Prosecutor John Clint Williamson, appointed in August as the lead prosecutor for the investigation. Williamson will head a seven-member task force headquartered in Brussels and operating under the jurisdiction of EULEX.

Marnhac also met on Thursday with Albanian Foreign Minister Edmond Haxhinasto and Prime Minister Sali Berisha who also pledged to support the probe into the organ trafficking allegations.

Marnhac meetings in Tirana on Thursday follow direct contacts between Albania’s General Prosecutor Ina Rama and EULEX prosecutor Isabell Arnal in January.

Rama and Arnal had discussed a joint strategy to investigate the allegations made in a report by the Council of Europe.

Dick Marty, a Swiss MP, released a report in December that linked former Kosovo Liberation Army fighters, including Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, to organised crime and accused them of harvesting the organs of Serb prisoners and others in Albania.

The Kosovo government has denied the allegations and pledged to cooperate in the investigation.

FREE: Opening Our Doors Event in Boston

2011-10-06T13:55:00.003-04:00

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10th - COLUMBUS DAY

FENWAY ALLIANCE

Happy 10th Anniversary to the Opening Our Doors event!

The event is this Monday, October 10th, 2011 from 10am-4pm. The day officially kicks off at 10am at the Christian Science Plaza, located at the intersection of Avenue of the Arts (Huntington Ave.) and the Avenue of Music (Mass. Ave.) with special guest speakers, performances by Boston Children's Chorus, and a children's parade led by the Hot Tamale Brass Band! There are over 60 events including music, theatre, dance performances, walking tours, art exhibitions, film screenings, chalk art, indoor kite flying and other interactive art opportunities. There are 21 institutions that make up the Fenway Alliance and 30 community partner organizations.

There will be a broad array of exciting activities, which include:

- 10th Anniversary/Birthday cupcake cake for all the visitors

- Glass blowing demonstrations with the Diablo Glass School

- Chalk art with Sidewalk Sam and Artstreet

- THE BIG DRAW at Evans Way Park

- Indoor kite flying with Kite Education

- Marshall's Fenway Farm Stand Pumpkin Patch

- Open House with the galleries of Fenway Studios

- Musical performances by Zili Misik, and famed children's musician, Stacey Peasley

The event is free and open to the public, for the full schedule visit http://www.fenwayculture.org/ to download the Opening Our Doors 2011 program booklet. For more information call the Fenway Alliance at 617-437-7544, or email info@fenwayculture.org.

---
You are currently subscribed to artsandthecity as: vanchristo@frosina.org

Boatlifters: The unknown story of 9/11 Reuters

2011-10-05T16:17:00.003-04:00

Just when you think you knew all there was to know about 9/11, here's a video narrated by Tom Hanks that my old U.S. Navy shipmate, Bob Christ, just distributed. If you can't open the link, just type it in or copy and paste. It's well worth it!!

+++

Boatlifters: The unknown story of 9/11 Reuters

The stories of Sept. 11th are over for now, but there is one story yet to tell. I have never heard this story before and perhaps you haven't either. It is a story that needs to be told because it is very important. Please set a few minutes of your busy schedule aside and just sit and watch this. Just think about this one thing while watching it - 500,000 people in 9 hours, rescued.

http://blogs.reuters.com/katharine-herrup/2011/09/09/boatlifters-the-unknown-story-of-911/

Be sure to watch the video...and then please share it.

Note: If the above link doesn't work just type it into your Internet Browser.

Serbia-Kosovo Relations?

2011-10-05T15:23:00.001-04:00

I was very interested in reading the following article about the latest developments in Serbia/Kosovo relations especially the role played by Germany's Merkel!

http://webmail.emailsrvr.com/a/webmail.php?wsid=fWq2XdmFuY2hyaXN0b0Bmcm9zaW5hLm9yZywyM211VDR3Z2VNKyttc3c9

BOSTON: Special Fall Art & Book Fair: October 2, 9 & 16, 2011

2011-10-05T13:21:00.005-04:00

Special Fall Art & Book Fair: October 2, 9 & 16, 2011

Keeping with St. George Cathedral's annual Book Fair tradition, all art and book lovers of our community are cordially invited to participate in two open events: 1. the New Open Library & Book Fair in St George's reception area, and 2. the upstairs Athanas Auditorium to view a new art exhibit.

1. The Open Library table offers a selection of newly published books by Massachusetts authors R. Theohari, Sh. Vranari and G. Stefani who will be present on two Sundays to introduce themselves and their works to the Albanian community of book lovers.

2. The upstairs Art Exhibit by well-known artist Sterjo Shkodrani will present his newest works in oil, watercolor, and graphics. We thank Sterjo for his passion and dedication in displaying his works at the Athanas Auditorium at St. George Cathedral.

Every one is invited for a memorable time!

Art & Book Fair Committee
and
Very Rev. Fr. Arthur Liolin

FREE: OCT. 16, 2011 Landmarks Orchestra Brass Ensemble

2011-10-04T14:36:00.002-04:00

Join Us

Landmarks Orchestra Brass Ensemble

Will Perform at an Historic Event

The Old South Meeting House is raising a bell made by Paul Revere to its tower.

The bell that was made in 1801, is now on view at the Old South Meeting House at 310 Washington Street and will be on view outside on October 16 from 11 AM until 12:30 PM. As the grand finale, all the bells around the area will ring out at 2 PM for this historic occasion. Bring your own bell to join the chorus!

October 16, 2011

1 PM

On the plaza across from Old South Meeting House at 310 Washington Street

The Ensemble will be joined by

The Old South Church Choir

The Boston Children's Chorus

The Back Bay Bell Ringers

It's Free!

For More information Call Old South Meeting House at
(617) 482-6439 or email info@osmh.org

Albanian EU Progress Hindered by Lack of Consensus

2011-09-30T15:09:00.009-04:00

Albania's Democratic Party and Socialist Party continue to be at loggerheads stifling Albania's opportunity to join the EU. Here's BIRN's latest take on that emotionally exhausting standoff in the Albanian Parliament.

+++

Albanian EU Progress Hindered by Lack of Consensus

The inability of political leaders to reach consensus on key reforms within in Albania is delaying the country’s progress towards European Union candidacy, a report published by the Open Society Foundation in Albania, OSFA, has shown.

Besar Likmeta
Tirana

Adela Halo, coordinator of the good governance and integration programme at OSFA and a co-author of the report, told Balkan Insight that political consensus was a key part of passing reforms in Albania.

“What we have concluded...is that a good part of the measures addressed as a priority by the European Commission, require political consensus,” she said.

OFSA’s report, which analyzed progress in implementation of measures planned by the Albanian government in the Action Plan Addressing the Recommendations of the EC Opinion, found that last year the pace of reforms slowed down considerably compared to the previous year.

Out of 102 planned measures for implementation in 2011, only 20 per cent were implemented, compared to 57 per cent in 2010, while 76 of the measures are partially implemented and work has not even started on four per cent of them.

Within the implemented measures, 80 per cent are in the fight against corruption and organised crime. No measures have been fully implemented in the areas of the functioning of the parliament, the appointment of the Ombudsman and Constitutional and High Court judges, and only 5 per cent of the overall implemented measures come from the priority on justice reform.

Albania first applied for EU candidacy status in April 2009, but its bid was turned down by the European Commission last October, because not enough progress had been made in political dialogue, the fight against organized crime or against corruption.

Last year, the commission issued 12 recommendations on policy areas, which needed to be addressed with reforms, in order for Tirana to obtain the EU candidate status and open the door for a possible date for negotiations.

However, the Socialists and the Democrats, Albania’s main political parties, have been at loggerheads with each other ever since the 2009 disputed parliamentary elections. For the better part of 2010 the Socialist opposition boycotted parliament or participated only formally, protesting alleged irregularities in the poll, while calling for a parliamentary investigation of the alleged fraud. The year long-political crisis, culminated in the January 21, 2011 anti-government demonstration that left four protestors dead and dozens wounded.

The Socialist opposition boycotted parliament again after the May 8 local elections, in protest against what it alleged were fresh irregularities in the race for the post of Tirana mayor. The boycott worsened the political environment, as it meant that bills requiring a two-thirds majority in parliament to become enshrined into law could not be passed. This brought reform in the country to a virtual standstill.

2011-09-30T13:21:00.002-04:00

October Youth Resources & Opportunities

SCHOOL DAYS

BYF After-School Jobs: The Boston Youth Fund will be funding jobs at several organizations for the 2011-2012 school year. Participating organizations will be accepting applications through Oct 21. Interested applicants must complete BYF’s Application and bring it to their desired site. Jobs include childcare assistants, administrative assistants, after-school tutors, and more at $8/hr, max 10 hrs/week. All applicants must be 15 years of age on or before Nov 27 and cannot turn 19 on or before May 11, 2012. Must be currently enrolled in high school or an alternative education program. All applicants must be full-time residents of the City of Boston. For a complete list of work sites & application: www.bostonyouthzone.com/byf

Boston Centers for Youth & Families After School Programs: The BCYF Program Guide for 2011-12 is online now! Find programs from fall through spring for all ages including homework help, GED, basketball, volleyball, yoga, chess, computer class and more. Limited print copies available at your neighborhood BCYF center. 617-635-4920, www.cityofboston.gov/bcyf

VOTE

Register to Vote!: If you are a US Citizen, a resident of Boston and will be 18 years old for the upcoming Municipal Election on Nov 8, then register to vote by Oct 19! If you have registered to vote but will be out of town (i.e. college) learn how you can vote by Absentee Ballot. Also, get info on this fall’s Municipal Election. www.cityofboston.gov/elections

Our Vote Matters!: Find the answers to questions asked by young voters. www.bostonyouthzone.com/myc/pdfs/youth_voting_guide.pdf

3 Million Visitors Flock to Albania this Year

2011-09-29T14:46:00.002-04:00

I have to commend the V. Rev. Arthur E. Liolin, Dean of Saint George Albanian Orthodox Cathedral in South Boston, for his frequent and interesting posts about Albania to MASS BESA at massalbanians@yahoogroups com. Here's an interesting - and little known - tidbit about Albania that he recently posted:

+++

3 Million Visitors Flock to Albania this Year

Albania tourism increases in 2011

The number of people visiting Albania in the first eight months of this year has doubled since 2008. The country welcome 3 million tourists between January and August of 2011, as the Balkans continue to attract foreign interest.

The tourism growth has been a constant drive for the Albanian economy, with a 16 per cent increase in tourists this year than 2010. Approximately 300,000 more people visited the country, a jump largely attributed by the Ministry of Tourism to an improved infrastructure and quality of service.

New roads, ports and airports have all been introduced, pushing up international demand. While 870,000 of the tourists recorded were Albanians residing abroad, 2.1 million of the 3 million were foreign citizens, indicating that overseas interest in the Balkans is still rising.

Albania’s progress is only matched by Bulgaria. Continuing to reside in TheMoveChannel.com’s Top of the Props charts, international demand for bargains in the Balkans has been fuelled by the price drop of property in Bulgaria’s ski resorts, which are now 50 per cent cheaper than two years ago.

Developments are therefore on the up in both countries, with Albania’s stretch of coast between Vlore and Sarande – dubbed the “Albanian Riviera” – seeing a rapid wave of construction. But while some developers rush into projects without planning permission, the Albanian property industry praised the development of the Lalzit Bay Resort at the 2011 RealEX Conference.

The Adriatic coast resort was awarded project of the year at the conference, which took place in Tirana, for its high quality infrastructure and strong commitment to the environment.

Resort partner Ravin Maharajah commented:

"Albania is no longer a country hiding in the shadows thanks to an ever improving infrastructure and real GDP growth. Construction projects such as the $400m Tirana-Elbasan highway and increased frequency of flights most recently between London and Tirana have made huge contributions to rising tourist numbers. As well as this, the country has been experiencing high levels of positive publicity with the likes of legendary business magnet Donald Trump speaking of the rapidly growing Albanian property market at the RealEX conference recently.”

"In addition, Albania has become a distinctive emerging market and has been attracting firm interest from foreign investors with foreign direct investment (FDI) in Albania exceeding the $1 billion mark last year according to the UNDP Resident Coordinator."

2011-09-28T16:02:00.001-04:00

Frosina Thought of the Month (Mendimi i Muajit)

- Mos harro se ne rast se mundesite per bema te medha nuk vijne kurre, mundesia per bema te mira vjen per dite. Ajo per te cilen ne aspirojme, eshte miresia dhe jo lavdia.*

- Remember that if the opportunities for great deeds should never come, the opportunity for good deeds is renewed day by day. The thing for us to long for is the goodness, not the glory.

- By F. W. Faber

Happy New Year 5572 from Jane and Van Christo

2011-09-28T15:53:00.002-04:00

L'Shana Tora - 5572

Happy New Year to all of our Jewish friends
from Jane and Van Christo

2011-09-28T13:11:00.002-04:00

Charity Walk in Boston on October 3, 2011

This is a reminder about our first charity walk taking place this Sunday, October 2nd, at noon on the Boston Harbor-Walk starting at the McCormack Bathhouse on Day Blvd in South Boston. It looks like the weather is going to be perfect for our three mile scenic walk along the water. We are hoping to see many of our members along with their friends and relatives. If you can't join us, please consider making a donation to this very worthy cause by using the link to the MAASBESA Paypal site. AALS t-shirts will be given to donors making a $25 or more contribution. If you want a t-shirt please respond to this email with the size you need.

For more details click on the Facebook link or see the AALS website under future events.

Thank you and hope to see you there,
Elise Loukas
Vice President,
Albanian American Law Society

>

8 Tips For Improving Your Marketing Communications

2011-09-26T16:11:00.005-04:00

My older son, Jeff, is Executive VP at ARTCO and regularly distributes useful marketing hints on the internet based on his long experience in the printing business. Below is Jeff's most recent marketing counsel that could be helpful to small business owners and others.

8 Tips For Improving Your Marketing Communications

In this era of mass communication, taking the time to personalize a thoughtful selling proposition is a surefire way to stand out in a crowded marketplace. A carefully worded sales letter can open doors like magic.

Be warm, genuine and personal. Advances in printing technology have made personalization a surprisingly affordable option. If you don’t have resources to build a customized database, be as specific as possible (e.g., “Dear Business Owner”).

Get to the point. You only have seconds to grab a reader’s attention. Use your first sentence to make a compelling statement. Follow up immediately with benefits, testimonials, and a call to action.

Present the offer on page one. Some writers use a headline or Johnson Box to present the offer, but these techniques can make the letter look more like advertising. Another option is using boldface type. Whatever approach you use, make sure it’s on page one and persuasive enough to keep your prospect reading.

Watch the page count. If you can say everything you need in one page, fantastic! Refer the prospect to inserts containing additional detail. If you must use more than one page, end the first page in mid-sentence. This appeals to our natural sense of curiosity, encouraging the reader to turn the page.

Eliminate the risk. Is your offer too good to be true? Take skepticism out of the mix by assuring the reader there is no obligation; guarantee what you say.

Create urgency. Make a logical case why the reader must respond now. Maybe it’s a limited time offer, supplies are limited, or a price increase is expected.

The end is as important as the beginning. The person with the highest authority relevant to the reader should sign in blue ink. The postscript (P.S.) is one of the most-read parts of a letter, like a headline at the end; use it to restate your offer or response deadline.

A prospect is worth the cost of a stamp. Don’t count on the reader to connect to your website to request additional information. Include a postage-paid business reply card.

Writing a sales letter is thought by many to be an art form, so consider outsourcing to a specialist. If you choose to write the letter yourself, include these basic elements to make customers magically appear.

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day

2011-09-23T17:26:00.002-04:00

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 9:46 am

To: vanchristo@frosina.org

Posted by Alejandro Mayorkas, Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Each September, Constitution Day and Citizenship Day and the weeklong celebration of Constitution Week offer an important opportunity to reflect on the meaning and importance of U.S. citizenship. It’s a special time for me and the entire workforce of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). As the federal agency responsible for naturalization and citizenship, USCIS has the privilege of welcoming America’s newest citizens.

As part of this annual commemoration celebrating citizenship, we highlight naturalization ceremonies across the country and recognize the significant contributions of immigrants who have chosen to become Americans.

In addition, we are proud to announce grants totaling $9 million for 42 organizations charged with expanding citizenship preparation services for permanent residents.

Read more at: http://blog.uscis.gov/2011/09/citizenship-day-and-constitution-day.html

Israeli Architect Warns Albania against Damaging Heritage

2011-09-23T14:10:00.004-04:00

I was somewhat distressed to read the following article about Albania in BalkanInsight.com and thought other Albanian-Americans should see it.

***

News 20 Sep 2011
Israeli Architect Warns Albania against Damaging Heritage

An ongoing road development project in southern Albania could threaten archaeological heritage sites, a member of the International Council of Monuments and Sites, ICMS, has warned.

Besar Likmeta
Tirana

Giora Solar, an Israeli preseveration architect who led a joint fact-finding mission with UNESCO last year aimed at identifying the impact a road expansion would have on Albania’s Butrint Archeological Park, said ongoing road developments along the coast could have a detrimental affect on heritage sites.

“Butrint was the subject of our mission, but at the same time there could be other cultural or natural sites, affected by the coastal project, which are not under international monitoring, and therefore not mentioned - but potentially put at risk.” he said.

In 2007, Albania commenced a large-scale development project of its southern coastal areas, building new roads to connect coastal villages in the Southern Riviera. The aim was to make the villages more accessible and provide better transport links for tourists.

Last year, Solar’s joint fact-finding mission with UNESCO and ICOMOS, looked at the impact one road expansion had on the Butrint Park. The findings of the report showed that the ruin would not be damaged by the road expansion but the surrounding land could be affected.

FALL 2011 Consumer Information Catalog

2011-09-23T13:14:00.005-04:00

A Frosina Advisory __________________________________________________________________________________

FALL 2011 Consumer Information Catalog
Free and low-cost information

Albanians and other newcomers to the USA should visit Publications.USA.gov to read, download (pdf) and order useful publications online in the FALL 2011 Consumer Information Catalog from the U.S. Government Printing Office. The Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC) publishes the Consumer Information Catalog to deliver useful consumer information from federal agencies to the public.

The current FALL 2011 Catalog lists useful information about, for example,
Federal Programs - Cars - Education – Health and more with data supplied in the form of individual booklets by sponsoring federal agencies and offices. Below are only a few titles:

FEDERAL PROGRAMS
“Your Social Security Number and Card” 515W, FREE / “Social Security: Understanding the Benefits” 519W, FREE / “Social Security: What Every Woman Should Know” 523W, FREE / “For Public Sale! Used Federal Government Personal Property” 320W, $1.50

CARS
“Understanding Vehicle Financing” 306W, $1.50 / "Buying a Used Car" 301W, $1.50 “Buying a New Car” 302W, $1.50

EDUCATION
“Saving and Investing for Students” 614W, Free / “Start Saving for College - Better Buy Degrees” 509W, Free / “We the People – A More Perfect Union” Poster 507W, Free

HEALTH
“Health Scams” 576W, Free “Antibiotic Resistance” 534W, Free/ “Pap Tests” 612W, Free/”Mammograms” 548W, Free / “Diabetes Medicines” 596W, Free / “High Blood Pressure – Medicines to Help You” 559W, Free

INVESTING AND EARNING
“A Guide for Seniors: Protect Yourself Against Investment Fraud” 577W, Free / “Get the Facts on Saving and Investing” 584W, Free / ”Consumer Guide to Financial Self-Defense” 580W, Free

Over 100 booklets are free of charge (except for a $2.00 service fee* to accompany an order) with other costs beginning at 50 cents and up per booklet. Multiple copies of some free titles are available. Please call toll-free 1-719-948-2995 Monday-Friday 9-5 Eastern Time or for more information.

*INTERNET: Save the $2.00 service fee! Check out Publications.USA.gov where you can read, download (pdf) and order all publications online. No more phone or Fax orders.

Frosina Information Network | 162 Boylston St, / Boston, MA 02116 | Telephone: 617 / 482-2002 | Fax: 617 / 482-0014
Van Christo, Executive Director / Harold B. Dondis, Esq., Clerk and Legal Counsel
email: VanChristo@frosina.org / Website: www.frosina.org / Blog: www.frosina.org/blog/
Tirana Office: Vladimir L. Misha, Director / email: Vladi@frosina.org

Frosina is a Section 501 (3)(C) Non-Profit, Charitable, Tax Exempt Albanian Immigrant and Cultural Resource

First Albanian to earn Law & Policy Doctoral Degree

2011-09-22T13:45:00.002-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Dr. Elda Sinani
eldasinani@yahoo.com

Elda Sinani Awarded Doctorate from Northeastern University
First Albanian to earn Law & Policy Doctoral Degree

(HARTFORD, CT, September 21, 2011) Elda Sinani, a resident of Glastonbury, CT was awarded a Doctoral Degree in Law & Policy on September 17, 2011, from Northeastern University in Boston, MA. She is the first native of Albania to earn this specific degree in U.S.A., among other Albanians who have earned Ph.D.’s, J.D.’s, and M.D.’s

Dr. Sinani’s doctoral dissertation was entitled, “Stepping Up from the Shadows: Creating a Model for Leadership Development Among Immigrant Women.” A native of Albania who immigrated to the United States in 2000, Dr. Sinani said she had long wanted to do a study on immigrant women in this country. However, she soon found that virtually all existing academic work on the subject focused on its negative aspects, such as spousal abuse and substance abuse. “From my own personal experience, I knew that there are many immigrant women who are overcoming the numerous barriers they face and becoming leaders both within their own communities and in the general population. I wanted to tell their stories and create a leadership model in order to inspire other immigrant women to take full advantage of the opportunities this country offers.” Over 20 immigrant women were interviewed in the course of the study. The dissertation was completed in June, 2011 under the direction of Dr. Thomas H. Koenig, Professor of Sociology at Northeastern, and Dr. Philip Timothy Howard, Professor of Law at Northeastern.

Dr. Sinani has attended numerous national and international conferences. On April 29, 2010 she participated with a presentation at the International Congress of Educational Research in Antalya, Turkey. In addition, Dr. Sinani’s recent study “Stepping Up from the Shadows” has been accepted for presentation at the Conference, “Strangers in New Homelands: Deconstruction and Reconstruction of Home among Immigrants in the Diaspora,” at the University of Manitoba, Canada.

In addition to her doctoral degree, Dr. Sinani also holds law degrees from the University of Shkodra, Albania, and the University of Connecticut, School of Law. Formerly a Prosecutor in Albania, she has extensive experience in public service and administration. She currently works for the City of Hartford as a Project Manager in the Department of Development Services.

- END -

2011-09-21T15:07:00.006-04:00

Olympic/Titanic Trivia: A tidbit from Van Christo

Some of those of you who know me are aware of the fact that I was brought to the USA from Albania at the age of one year on board the huge British liner "Olympic." However, it was only after I became an adult that I was surprised to learn the "Olympic" was a sister ship of the ill-fated "Titanic!" Then, in the column THIS DAY IN HISTORY in The Boston Globe (September 20, 2011), I further learned that "In 1911, the British liner RMS Olympic collided with the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Hawke off the Isle of Wight; although seriously damaged, the Olympic was able to return to Southampton under its own power." Interesting, perhaps?

Frosina's office in Boston closed for 2 weeks

2011-09-02T14:02:00.004-04:00

NOTICE

Frosina's office on Boylston Street, Boston, will be closed from September 5, 2011 to September 17, 2011.

Please do not contact Frosina during that period, that is - please - no telephone calls, emails, or other means of communication during those dates.

Many thanks for your attention and cooperation.

Faithfully,
Van Christo

3 MA Sources for English Language Istruction

2011-09-01T15:27:00.002-04:00

The MA Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) and English for New Bostonians (ENB) are embarking on an exciting new initiative, the MA AmeriCorps New American Integration Program, in partnership with the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants (ORI) to match 30 AmeriCorps Members with community-based refugee- and immigrant-serving organizations in three Massachusetts citiesLynn, New Bedford and Boston.

Members will support and deliver English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) instruction, and Civic Education and Citizenship Assistance, and work to connect immigrants and refugees with community resources. They also will work with host site staff to enhance volunteer recruitment capacity to develop ongoing expanded services.
Seeking a part-time Program Coordinator who will oversee project start-up activities, Member training and 15 community placements at AmeriCorps host sites; and work closely with NAIP staff at ORI, MIRAs Organizing team, and ENB staff to meet the goals and objectives of the position. Applications are requested no later than September 16, and will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Contact:
Claudia Green
Executive Director
English for New Bostonians
105 Chauncy St., Suite 901
Boston, MA 02111
617.350.5480 x203
Visit
www.englishfornewbostonians.org
www.english-works.org

2011-08-30T14:38:00.004-04:00

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?

FREE Boston / Acquire new computer & professional skills

2011-08-29T14:51:00.003-04:00

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

2011-08-29T14:11:00.002-04:00

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

2011-08-29T13:27:00.001-04:00

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

2011-08-25T15:07:00.007-04:00

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

2011-08-25T14:19:00.003-04:00

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.

BOSTON Free Immigration Advice

2011-08-23T17:06:00.002-04:00

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

Baba Rexheb / Albanian Bektashi Leader

2011-08-16T15:02:00.003-04:00

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

Boston: Albanian-American Chess Tournament

2011-08-10T13:32:00.006-04:00

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

27th World Mountain Running Championships in Albania

2011-08-08T13:00:00.003-04:00
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!

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

2011-08-05T14:07:00.003-04:00
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.

25 Kosovar and Albanian young women in TV program at Tufts on July 28

2011-07-26T12:06:00.008-04:00
My wife, Jane Christo will be producing this event. And there are 25 Kosovar and Albanian young women in the group!

Van Christo

***

The BBC World Service Radio, Women2Women a program of Empower Peace, and the Fletcher School at Tufts University present World Have Your Say presented by BBC Global News, LIVE from Asean Auditorium, on July 28th from 1-3 pm.

What is World Have Your Say? (description is taken from the WHYS Web site)

"World Have Your Say (WHYS) is the name we've given to the conversation between all of us at BBC Global News and all of you. It's going on 24 hours a day, through this blog, facebook, twitter and all of our programmes on BBC radio and BBC television.
We're on BBC World Service radio at 1800GMT on weekdays and on BBC World News television at 1500GMT on Fridays.

We aim to create a global conversation where the BBC provides the platform, but our contributors control the topics that we discuss and how those topics are discussed. We use all technology available to us to make the programme as open as possible. We receive phone calls, calls over the net, text messages, tweets, emails and comments on our blog."What is Women2Women? (description is taken from the W2W web site)

"Women2Women, a program of Empower Peace is an international women’s leadership program that brings together emerging young women leaders (ages 15-19) from around the globe, engages them in intensive action-oriented leadership training, and connects them to an international network of influential women leaders;"

World Have Your Say and 110 young women from Women2Women will be in the Asean Auditorium, Thursday July 28th, between 1-3pm. broadcasting a live international program.

Boston Heat Advisory

2011-07-20T16:02:00.001-04:00
CITY OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Office of the Mayor
Thomas M. Menino
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
For More Information Contact:
Press Office, 617 635-4461

** Heat Advisory **

Mayor Menino Reminds Residents to Take Precautions in High Temperatures this Week
TOMORROW! Cooling Centers to Open and Pool Hours Extended to 9PM

With temperatures expected to top 90 degrees over the next several days, Mayor Thomas M. Menino has issued a heat advisory and reminds residents to take precautions to stay safe and healthy during this hot and potentially dangerous weather. The Citys cooling centers will be open and pools will operate with extended hours, until 9 PM, for residents who want to cool off. The Parks Department also operates 50 water spray features at parks throughout the City.
The hot weather has now become steamy weather as higher temperatures and humidity arrive this week, said Mayor Menino. In these conditions, we must remember to stay cool and hydrated and continue to keep an eye on our neighbors.

Children and the elderly are particularly susceptible to heat-related illnesses and injuries, but everyone should remember to limit their activities during very hot weather, drink plenty of fluids, and avoid beverages that contain caffeine or alcohol. When outdoors, limit strenuous activity, wear sunscreen and loose, light-colored clothing, and rest often in cool, shady areas.

Heat related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke can be fatal if untreated and need to be taken seriously. Residents should follow heat safety precautions and pay attention to the warning signs such as nausea, dizziness, and headaches. If symptoms persist, call 9-1-1 immediately. Family, friends and neighbors are also urged to check in frequently with elderly residents who may need assistance during the hot weather.

For questions about heat-related city services, residents should call the Mayor's 24-Hour Hotline at 617-635-4500. Comprehensive heat safety tips and resources are available on the city website at www.cityofboston.gov/heat.

2011-07-20T15:33:00.002-04:00
Seeking host families in Boston for 2 students from Mitrovice/Kosova

Milos Golubovic and Ardiana Osmani were indispensible at the Forum for Cities in Transition held in Mitrovce/Kosovska Mitrovica in May 2010 and directed by Padraig O’Malley.

The McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies, headed by Dean Stephen Crosby is bringing those two young people - Milos and Ardiana - to UMass for the 2011 school year and seeks host families for these very enjoyable, hardworking students for the fall semester (September through December).
Please call or email Pat Peterson (617-287-5535 or patricia.peterson@umb.edu) for more information or go to

http://www.mccormack.umb.edu/chair/documents/MitroStudentsUMASS.pdf

2011-07-20T15:23:00.000-04:00

E-mail Scam: Avoid Green Card Lottery Fraud

Have you or someone you know recently received an e-mail claiming you’ve won the Green Card lottery and asking you to send or wire money?

Don’t fall for it – the sender is trying to steal your money!

Fraudsters will frequently e-mail potential victims posing as State Department or other government officials with requests to wire or transfer money online as part of a “processing fee.” You should NEVER transfer money to anyone who e-mails you claiming that you have won the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery or been selected for a Green Card.

These e-mails are designed to steal money from unsuspecting victims. The senders often use phony e-mail addresses and logos designed to make them look more like official government correspondence. One easy way to tell they are a fraud is that the e-mail address does not end with a “.gov”.

One particularly common fraud email comes from an address ending in @diplomats.com or @usa.com and asks potential victims to wire $819 per applicant/family member via Western Union to an individual (the name varies) at the following address in the United Kingdom: 24 Grosvenor Square, London W1A 1AE. If you receive this email, do NOT respond. Report it immediately to the Internet Crime Complaint Center and the Federal Trade Commission online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).

For more information on this type of fraud and how to avoid and report it, please see the Department of State’s fraud warning and the Federal Trade Commission’s consumer alert on the matter.

For more information about the Diversity Visa Program, see http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ and review the Department of State’s Travel.State.Gov DV Instructions webpage.

posted by USCIS Blog Team @ 5:04 PM

REMINDER: 65th AANO Convention in Washington, DC!!

2011-07-19T16:23:00.001-04:00
65th Albanian American National Convention
Posted by: "Shpresa" sst@theodhosimichael.com shpresatheodhosi
Mon Jul 18, 2011 8:26 pm (PDT)

Massachusetts Albanians

You are cordially invited

To the

65th Albanian American National Convention

August 5, 6 and 7, 2011

Washington, DC

Lincoln Memorial US Capitol Building

Washington Monument

FDR Memorial White House World

War II Memorial

Jefferson Memorial Arlington

Cemetery FBI Building

Kennedy Center WW I Memorial

National Archives

DuPont Circle National Gallery of Art

National Cathedral

DC Waterfront Smithsonian Institute

Korean Memorial

Members $150.00 Non Members $175.00 - Children 15 & under Adult
Meal $75.00

Child's Meal $50.00, Students $80.00

MAKE YOUR HOTEL RESEVATIONS at Westin City Center, 1400 M Street NW,

Washington, DC 20005

By calling 1-800-WESTIN 1 or visit their website posted on www.aano.org

Thursday - Tours on your own. Friday hors d'oeuvres/Dance.

Saturday - Formal Dinner Dance

Sunday Event forthcoming Please check www.aano.org

for complete details of the Convention.

___________________________

For more information or to use PayPal;

Visit us online: www.aano.org

Free Concert on Esplanade

2011-07-18T16:36:00.001-04:00
Landmarks Festival at the Shell

July 20, 2011 - 7PM

Tchaikovsky Spectacular

A Tribute to Charles Ansbacher

Christopher Wilkins, Music Director and Conductor

Kevin Kim, Soaring Over the Vast Expanse (World Premiere)

Tchaikovsky, Concerto for Violin in D major, op. 35

Hyunsu Ko, Violin

Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4 in F minor, op. 36,

Where: DCR's Hatch Shell on the Esplanade

Rain location: The Church of the Covenant

67 Newbury Street

Boston, MA 02116-3090

For weather alerts: Call 617-987-2000 or Text Landmarks to 27138

This Week's WGBH Host: Ben Roe

The Albanians of Turkey?

2011-07-18T16:10:00.004-04:00
I've always been a bit curious about the Albanians of Turkey. Many years ago, I was given a gift subscription to a well-produced Albanian-language newspaper "Besa" published in Istanbul, but when the publisher left Turkey, the newspaper was no longer published. Thus, I was extremely interested to read the following tidbit about Turkish Albanians posted by Canadian-Albanian writer, Perparim Kapllani, so I thought I'd pass it along...

xxx

"According to a 2008 report prepared for the National Security Council of Turkey by academics of three Turkish universities in eastern Anatolia, there were approximately 1,300,000 people of Albanian descent living in Turkey.[41] A part of these people have assimilated to the culture of Turkey, and consider themselves more Turkish than Albanian. Nonetheless, more than 500,000 families of Albanian descents still recognize their ancestry like their languages, culture and traditions."

2011-07-14T18:13:00.001-04:00
65th Albanian American National Organization Convention

August 5,6,7, 2011

Dear friends, we invite to join a wonderful three day event in
Washington DC. The United States capital has many attractions to offer
and you have a unique opportunity to have a good time with your Albanian
brethren.

Friday night - hor d'oeuvres & dance, Ermira Babaliu and her Band

Saturday night - dinner dance, Ermira Babaliu and her Band

Sunday night - 3 hr Ms. Christin cruise on the Potomac at 7 pm departing
from Alexandria, VA food, beer, wine, soda & water, DJ

Deadline for Convention tickets July 15, 2011 visit our site
www.aano.org to purchase

MAKE YOUR HOTEL RESERVATIONS at Westin City Center, 1400 M Street NW,
Washington, DC 20005 by calling 1-800-WESTIN or visit their website
posted on www.aano.org

The Statue of Liberty

2011-07-14T16:28:00.001-04:00
(A personal memento by Van Christo on July 4, 2011)

Born in Albania, I lied about my age during WWII so I could join the U.S. Navy at age 16. In 1944, I served as a Petty Officer aboard a Destroyer Escort, the U.S. S. Chaffee, DE 230, underway to Bayonne, New Jersey, from Boston for outfitting prior to assignment in Pacific Ocean War Areas. As we neared our destination, our crew realized that, in a few moments, we would be passing the Statue of Liberty - an image we all knew by heart from seeing it many times in newspaper photos, school books, and newsreels. Now, it was actually about to happen! With high anticipation, crew members not on watch gathered on the starboard (right) side of the ship as the Statue came into view. We cruised by in dead silence, instinctively stood at attention, and slowly saluted. Frankly, I’m not ashamed to say there were tears in my eyes, and in the eyes of my shipmates. For looming above, was the inspirational symbol of America that our fathers and mothers had gazed at with such hope for us, their children, years before. I was not the only immigrant on my ship - there were other immigrants from Austria, Holland, Poland, France, and Puerto Rico. Passing the Statue of Liberty doubled my pride, that as an immigrant from Albania, I was in the service of my adopted country in a time of war.

Emma Lazarus, an American writer of Portuguese-Jewish ancestry, was so moved by news of Eastern European persecution of Jews, she published "The New Colossus" in 1883 - now one of the most often quoted poems in U.S. history, especially the lines inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty: "Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, / The wretched refuse of your teeming shore."

The New Colossus

By Emma Lazarus, 1883

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

The Artist John Singleton Copley

2011-07-05T16:57:00.004-04:00
Copley Square in Boston, named after the famous Boston artist John Singleton Copley, is the location of the equally famous Boston Public Library. John Singleton Copley's paintings can be seen at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Read below to learn a bit more about him.

***

On This Day...July 3rd

...in 1738, John Singleton Copley was born in Boston to recent Irish immigrants. From these humble beginnings, he became the foremost artist in colonial America. His natural talent, attention to detail, and determination made up for his lack of formal artistic training. A key ingredient in his success was his ability to paint his subjects in poses and settings borrowed from the English aristocracy they so admired. Although he and his family lived in an elegant mansion on Beacon Hill, Copley was "mortified" that his countrymen considered an artist "little better than a carpenter or shoemaker." When the coming Revolution caused most of his wealthy clients to leave Boston, he left, too. He never returned to his native land.

German Demands About Kosovo Alarm Serbia

2011-06-23T14:50:00.002-04:00
This is just another introduction to BIRN (www.balkaninsight.com) which I frequently view to read the latest news about Albania and Kosova!

***
News

23 Jun 2011 / 15:42

German Demands About Kosovo Alarm Serbia

German MPs' statements that Serbia will not get a green light to join the EU unless it recognises Kosovo have shaken Belgrade, which has rushed to clarify the remarks.

Bojana BarlovacBelgrade

Serbian officials have gone into overdrive following Wednesday's remarks in Belgrade by a delegation of German parliamentarians, who said that Serbia would have to recognize Kosovo's independence as part of its EU accession talks.

If not, Germany will not approve its accession to the bloc, they said.

Following the arrest and handover of the wartime Bosnian Serb military commander, Ratko Mladic, on May 26, many EU officials said that Serbia had removed the main obstacle to its EU accession. EU ministers are supposed to discuss Serbia's candidacy on October 12.

The issue of Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008 and is recognised by 22 of the EU's 27 member states, has never been cited as a formal precondition for Serbia's EU integration.

But the German MPs said recognition of Kosovo, which Serbia claims as a province, would need to happen for Serbia to close negotiations on EU membership.

The promise of EU membership is a prime card in the hand of Serbia's ruling Democratic Party as it heads towards general elections expected in spring 2011.

To preserve the picture of this scenario, top officials rushed to "explain" the Germans' statements.

Bozidar Djelic, Deputy Prime Minister, said Germany wanted a solution to the Kosovo issue to be found - but was aware that Serbia will never recognise Kosovo's unilaterally declared independence.

"Germany does not in any way request Serbia's recognition of Kosovo," he maintained.

This clarification was followed by Borislav Stefanovic, head of Serbia's negotiating team with Kosovo. He said the first concrete results of the talks could be expected early next month at the next regular meeting of the two delegations in Brussels.

"Our teams talk every day and we are also in communication with the European Union, which sees the whole thing as very constructive," he explained.

Vuk Jeremic, Serbian Foreign Minister, also addressed the Kosovo issue after meeting the EU Enlargement Commissioner, Stefan Fuele, assuring both that the EU would not set any new conditions for Serbia and that Serbia would never recognise Kosovo's independence.

Source: www.balkaninsight.com

2011-06-21T13:31:00.001-04:00
Letter Asks Obama for DREAM Relief

MIRA and its members have joined a sign-on letter to the Department of Homeland Security, asking the Department to exercise its legal right to prevent or defer the removal of young people who would be eligible to benefit from the provisions of the DREAM Act and who are facing imminent removal to countries they may barely remember. To view the letter, please click here. To sign on to the letter, please email Mai Huynh at huynh@nilc.org.

Honoring Albanian sports figures at Anthony's Pier 4

2011-06-06T13:03:00.004-04:00
Here's a great and unique opportunity to see, meet, or learn about famous Albanian sports figures so don't miss it!!

***
HONORING ALBANIAN-AMERICAN SPORTS CHAMPIONS
Anthony’s Pier 4 Restaurant, Boston, MA /June 11, 2011/ 6:00 PM
Presented by VATRA, Frosina Information Network, Cameria Human Rights, Anthony’s Pier 4 Restaurant

Tea and coffee will be served during the event.

Greetings
Agron Alibali

Introduction
Skifter Këlliçi, TV and commentator in Albania

Among the prominent Albanian sportsmen and sportswomen who will be presented are:

Kujtim Kasmi
Basketboll Team “17 Nëntori”, Tirana

Aleksandër Dheri
Basketboll Team “Partizani”, Tirana

Petrika Suxho
Volleyball Team “Skënderbeu”, Korça

Donald Suxho
U.S. National and Olympic Volleyball Team

Gilman Lopçi
100 Metres Tracking National Champion and Record-holder

Agron Bega
National Bicycling Champion

Anila Bega
Discus Throwing Champion

Pandi Gëllçi
Coach for Basketball Team “Skënderbeu”, Korçë

Gavrosh Levonja
Basketball Team “17 Nëntori”, Tirana

Maria Dhami
Judo, Ranked Fifth in the U.S. Juniors

Agron Balluku
Member of the Albanian National Football Team - Under Age 21

Besnik Godo
Albanian Racewalk Champion / Participant in The Boston Marathon

Famous Albanian-Americans in American sports will be remembered by Van Christo, Peter Lukas, and Rozi Theohari.

Closing Remarks
Agron Alibali

Please confirm your attendance with Ms. Edlira Joseph, at edlirajoseph@gmail.com, or call 617-479-2971

Changing Albania's image!

2011-06-03T12:57:00.005-04:00
I thought I'd pass along this interesting tidbit from BIRN (www.balkaninsight.com)announcing a strong activity to change Albania's image by Albanian artists!

Artists Defend Their Take on Albania’s Battered Image
I
Ben Andoni

For nearly half-a-century, until the Stalinist regime of Enver Hoxha collapsed in 1991, Albania was one of the most isolated places in the world, often compared to the likes of North Korea.

The few Westerners allowed into Hoxha’s self-proclaimed “proletarian paradise,” described the regime as a brutal world in which people were constantly under the watch of the feared “Sigurimi” secret police.

Two decades on, the country has opened up to the world, has joined NATO in 2009 and is now tracing a path toward EU membership.

But although Albania no longer jams foreign TV stations and young people no longer end up in jail for listening to rock music, the transition to democracy has done little to improve its battered image.

Foreign media often describe Albania as Europe’s wild east, a land where extreme poverty, lawlessness and medieval vendettas overlap, an hour’s flight away from Western capitals.

The stark contrasts of a society in which luxury Mercedes dot pot-holed streets has been the theme of many Albanian artists, as they try to make sense of the country’s contradictions.

Many reside abroad and, apart from the international media, are the main communicators of Albania’s reality to the Western public.

But with the authorities desperate to attract more tourists and investment, their works are often criticized as not doing enough to present a rosier picture of the country.

But the artists themselves resent the idea of being used as salesmen, pointing out that such suggestions miss the whole point of what their artistic endeavour is all about.

“Although some art is a hymn to beauty, it’s more likely to portray what is ugly, fearful, violent, immoral and inhuman,” Arian Leka, a poet and publisher based in Tirana, explains.

Although Albania has always received its fair share of bad press, a 2006 travel feature in the Sunday Times by British writer A A Gill really infuriated local intellectuals and the media.

Gill mocked Albanians as "short and ferret-faced, with the unisex stumpy, slightly bowed legs of Shetland ponies."

He also described the Albanian language as "a ready-made code for criminals", adding: "There are four million Albanian citizens… three million of them live at home, the fourth quarter work abroad, and what they do is mostly illegal."

Gill escaped a reprimand from the British Press Complaints Commission, after the Sunday Times made the case for the author’s harsh words, referring to sources from Europol, Save the Children, the EU, the World Bank and the Italian public prosecutors.

But the vitriolic writer - famous for his scabrous verbal assaults on his targets - usually members of the British royal family – still received death threats by email from Albanians who felt offended and enraged by his words.

Albanian artists are themselves not above mocking their own homeland, albeit rather more gently and affectionately.

Italian-based filmmaker Edmond Budina’s latest feature film, Balkan Bazaar, takes a jibe at the region’s jumble of nationalities, drawing on the history of the village of Kosine in southern Albania.

There, Greek nationalists in 2006 unearthed what they alleged were the graves of Greek soldiers who had fallen in World War 2.

Greek nationalists have long staked a claim to southernmost Albania, calling the region Northern Epirus.

Balkan Bazaar takes a critical look at both Greek and Albanian nationalism through the eyes of two foreigners, a scheming journalist and his superstitious driver, and the script has drawn heat both from Albania and Greece.

Budina does not feel inclined to apologise. “I think we hang on to an old mentality about the image of the country,” he says. “Many think that it’s enough to draw a nice postcard and send it, and that will give Albania the place that it deserves,” he adds.

The “old mentality” that Budina describes was rooted in the xenophobic culture of Hoxha’s half-century regime.

Although the Communist authorities keenly sponsored the arts, the results had to conform to the strict rules of Social Realism, while at the same time singing the praises of the party and of Hoxha’s own provincial brand of nationalism.

Leka says that although art is no longer seen as a propaganda tool for a ruling elite or ideology, the public expectation remains that writers and painters should build up their country’s image.

“Its not the role of art or literature in general to create images about specific places,” he says. “Literature speaks to the world… and to all of humanity,” he added.

Filmmaker Budina agrees. In the art world, artists make use of the images that a country projects - not the other way around.

“Albania is a country with its good and bad sides, its beautiful and ugly images - the important thing is how you use them,” Budina maintains.

“Inspiration can be found even in what is ugly and evil, and by narrating this we can grow richer and better [human beings],” he concludes.

This article is funded under the BICCED project, supported by the Swiss Cultural Programme.

Free Tour of Franklin Park!

2011-06-01T14:15:00.002-04:00
Here's another great opportunity to participate in a free tour of beautiful and historic Franklin Park I fondly remember as a child that we had family picnics there!

Albanian and other newcomers to Boston should make this a MUST visit!

***

Saturday, June 11, 2011 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Time Traveling Through Franklin Park
Discover and experience the historic features of Frederick Law Olmsted designed, Franklin Park. Join Franklin Park Coalition and author and local historian, Julie Arrison, for a walk through the crown jewel of Boston's Emerald Necklace to learn about the park's transformation through the decades.

location: One Circuit Drive, Franklin Park, Near Rear Zoo Entrance, Boston
phone: (617) 442-4141
web: www.franklinparkcoalition.org
email: RSVP@franklinparkcoalition.org
cost: free

funded by Mass Humanities grant program

Albania Court Postpones Election Dispute Ruling

2011-05-27T14:04:00.002-04:00

News 27 May 2011

Albania’s Electoral College decided on Friday to postpone its ruling on the contested race for Tirana mayor until June 3, after lawyers for the Socialist opposition changed their appeal.

Besar Likmeta

Tirana

The specialized court for elections disputes also announced that a new panel of judges will hear the final appeal, which will decide the winner of the Tirana race between Socialist opposition leader and incumbent mayor Edi Rama and ruling party candidate Lulzim Basha.

The one week postponement of the hearing will give the new judges enough time to get acquainted with the Socialists’ appeal.

Albania's Electoral Commission, CEC, on Monday declared Basha the winner of the race for Tirana mayor in the May 8 local elections, following a controversial recount of stray ballots.

The recount gave Basha a lead of 81 votes out of a quarter million over the incumbent mayor and opposition leader Edi Rama, who had a razor thin margin of ten ballots in the unofficial preliminary results before the stray ballots were added.

The Socialists contest the recount of the misplaced ballots as illegal and have said that they will use all available legal channels, including their appeals to the Electoral College, to oppose the CEC decision to count the contested ballots, while threatening massive protests if the court does not rule in their favour.

Earlier this week, the Electoral College rejected the first appeal filed by the Socialists.

The dispute over the ballots came about because voters who had multiple ballots to put in designated boxes sometimes failed to do so correctly, in part because the ballots were not clearly distinguished by color.

Albania’s May 8 local elections were considered as key for Albania’s EU future, following a two year political crisis, which stopped the country’s reforms dead on its tracks.

However, after a peaceful and quiet election day, the row over the miscast ballots has heightened the political climate once again, adding to Brussels’ doubts over the country’s EU future.

According to Eduard Kukan, a Slovakian MEP Kukan who was the chairman of an ad-hoc European Parliament Delegation that monitored Albania’s May 8 local elections, the country's politicians have once again shown an inability to lead political dialogue, find consensual solutions and agree on key democratic principles.

“I hope that Albanian politicians will soon be able to overcome these problems,” said Kukan in his de-briefing on Wednesday in the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee. "I think that Albanian citizens deserve better," he added.

This article was made possible through the support of the National Endowment for Democracy.

Dr. Mark Kosmo on the Albanian Elections!

2011-05-24T13:47:00.004-04:00
I read Dr. Mark Kosmo's brilliant analysis (below) of the recent Albanian elections with avid interest and greatly appreciated his astute and insightful review of the election tallies, and what they might portend in the near political future in Albania.

Hats off to Mark for helping to set the voting record straight. BRAVO!

***

OPEN LETTER TO ALBANIAN MEDIA, GOVERNMENTAL INSTITUTIONS, FOREIGN ORGANIZATIONS

The Tirana Mayoral Election: Were the Contested Votes Fair or Fraudulent?

May 23, 2011

For anyone wondering about the Tirana Mayoral election and the continuing intrigue, accusations, legal disputes, and character assassination, it is helpful to sometimes take a more scientific and logical approach and ask one simple question regarding the counting of the contested votes this past week.

Can one explain how one candidate received 67% of the contested votes after receiving 50% of the general vote?

We know that: (i) out of 250,000 votes cast, each candidate received 50% of the vote; and (ii) for the 256 contested ballots counted from 125 boxes this past week, one candidate won by a margin of 173-83 or 67.6% to 32.4% -- i.e., about twice as many of the contested votes went to one candidate over the other candidate.

What are the possible explanations? There are two: (i) the voters supporting one candidate were twice as likely to insert their ballots into the wrong box; or (ii) the contested votes were fraudulently manipulated and/or judged in a biased manner. Neither explanation can be proven, but each can be assessed.

For the voters supporting one candidate to be twice as likely to put their ballots into the wrong box at least one of the following must be true:

(i) due to inexperience, first-time voters are more likely to cast their ballots erroneously AND first-time voters are twice as likely to support the same candidate; or

(ii) due to inexperience, young voters are more likely to cast their ballots erroneously AND young voters are twice as likely to support the same candidate; or

(iii) due to color-blindness, color blind voters are more likely to cast their ballots erroneously AND color blind voters are twice as likely to support the same candidate; or

(iv) due to lower levels of intelligence or awareness, less intelligent or aware voters are more likely to cast their ballots erroneously AND less intelligent or aware voters are twice as likely to support the same candidate; or

(v) one set of officials in the polling stations were twice as likely to deliberately mislead voters whom they suspected of voting for the other party to insert their ballots into the wrong boxes with the hope that these votes would be declared invalid; or

(vi) one set of officials in the polling stations was twice as likely to deliberately mislead voters whom they suspected of voting for their party to insert their ballots into the wrong boxes with the hope that these votes would be declared valid; or

(viii) supporters of one candidate were twice as likely to receive inadequate assistance from polling officials to ensure that their ballots were inserted into the correct box; or

(viii) the ballot boxes that were counted were from voting stations where one candidate, on average, got 2/3 of the votes.

Is there any reason to believe the first seven explanations? If yes, then the contested votes could split 67-33%. If no, then the chances of a contested vote going to either candidate are 50% each. Of course, there is no way to answer the the first seven points definitively -- each person has to make his or her own judgment based on common sense regarding what he or she thinks are reasonable possibilities.

Could the ballot boxes with contested votes all have been from polling stations where one candidate received 2/3 of the votes?? This is highly doubtful given that only 2 of 11 districts had any candidate get over 55% of the vote -- http://www.shekulli.com.al/2011/05/14/rezultatet-e-numerimit-te-10-njesive-vendore-ne-tirane.html.

If none of the above is true then the chances that the recount was a fraud are about equal to the chances that a DNA match on a paternity test correctly identifies the father – i.e., well over 99%. This can easily be verified in 15 seconds at http://stattrek.com/Tables/Binomial.aspx. From a total of 250,000 votes where the general population voted 50% for each candidate, the chances of 67% supporting any one candidate in a pool of 256 votes is approximately 1 in 200 million -- see table below. The result is the same as flipping a coin 256 times and getting 173 heads -- there is a 1 in 200 million chance that 2/3 of the coin tosses coming up heads on a fair coin.

A skeptical person might argue that the chances of any one outcome is always low and therefore that the above table and analysis is not very illuminating. To further clarify realistic possibilities one can look at a range of outcomes in the table below for vote differences between the two candidates of 0, 10, 20,...90 votes out of 256 votes. The chances of a difference of 90 votes as realized under the recount this past week falls in the range of extremely low possibilities from 1 in 45,000 to 1 in 200 million. In other words, if the vote was manipulated, it was manipulated too much to be credible and enough to be statistically detected.

Similarly, an argument such as Candidate A could win 125 boxes by one vote each and each of those votes is likely to have been fair has an astronomically low chance of being true. To win 256 votes from 125 boxes as the count of the contested votes shows means that for approximately two votes per box one candidate averaged 1.33 votes and the other 0.67 votes. To use a clearer example, imagine if a box has three votes. To win one vote 90 times in a row, on average, is the same as winning a bet 90 times in a row with less than 40% chance of winning each time since the chances of getting 2 votes out of 3 is 37.5% in any one box. To win such a bet 90 times in a row would suggest it is time to move from Tirana to Monaco or Las Vegas since the chances are less than winning 90 coin tosses in a row.

There has been much debate and argument regarding the role of the Albanian Election Commission. It is for others to debate and question its integrity or professionalism and whether or not the contested votes were transparently and diligently counted according to its mandate and the law. However, two questions remain -- were the voters that supported one candidate twice as likely to insert their ballots into the wrong box or were the contested votes fraudulently manipulated and/or judged in a biased manner? Which of these possibilities is more likely? Each of us has to answer that question ourselves -- in Tirana, in Albania, in Kosova, in the United States, and everywhere where Albanians live -- and vote!!!

In closing, I would like to invite anyone who reads this document to send me comments -- English preferred, but Albanian is OK. I also invite you to forward this to others as you please -- especially to international statistics and election evaluation specialists who could give an unbiased and professional review to better assess the validity of the contested votes.

Mark Kosmo, PhD Economics
Former Economist for the World Bank
Boston, MA

May 23, 2011

Recipe for Prizren bread (Kosova)

2011-05-16T16:54:00.003-04:00
Recipe for Prizren bread (Kosova)

Van Christo

Several years ago, my wife, Jane, our son, Zachary, and I had the good fortune to make an automotive tour of Kosova. We fell in love with picturesque Prizren where we spent several wonderful days exploring that historic town and visiting the now-museum where the famous "League of Prizren" was formed by Albanian Kosovar leaders who first advanced the concept of an independent, ethnic Albania comprised of the Albanian populations of the four vilayets of the Ottoman Empire called Shkoder, Kosova, Manastir, and Janine.

One of the high points of our visit to Prizren was to taste a most delicious bread called Pitalke, for which, I was quickly informed,Prizren was famous!

Back in America, I had sought unsuccessfully for several years for the recipe for this mouthwatering Prizren bread so I'd be able to publicize and share it with others. On a later trip to London, Jane and I had the good luck to meet two delightful and friendly sisters from Gjakove, Magdele and Miljane Mejzini, who gave me, at long last, the recipe below for that famous Prizren bread - Pitalke!

A few years later, I had the unique opportunity to meet Kosova's president, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, at a reception in his honor to which I was invited by the late, venerable Anthony Athanas, at his famous Anthony's Pier 4 restaurant on Boston's historic waterfront. I shall never forget the quick and broad smile that came across President Rugova's face when I informed him how much Jane, Zachary, and I had enjoyed eating that delicious Pitalke bread!

Here's the recipe, so enjoy!

Recipe for Prizren bread Pitalke (aka Samuni)

Ingredients

* 10.5 ounces (300 gr) flour
* 17 fluid ounces (500 ml) water
* 0.5 ounces (15 gr) salt
* 0.3 ounces (10 gr) yeast

Instructions

Kneed ingredients together thoroughly to make dough, set aside for half an hour, then kneed again. Set aside for another ten minutes, and then divide dough into equal-sized, round shapes about 200gr each, allow them to rise for a few minutes, and then flatten each dough portion with your hands. Spread some flour on the bottom of a flat pan and place individual portions on top. Bake at 300 degrees for 7-10 minutes.

Allow to cool and serve.

(With thanks to Endri Misho for the metric conversion)

Vote Tally in Tirana Creeps Toward Finish

2011-05-12T13:08:00.000-04:00
Here's a recent tidbit from BIRN (www.balkaninsight.com) describing the close political race in Albania between the Democratic and Socialist Parties. Want to bet that the loser
will cry "Foul! Foul!"

XXX

12 May 2011 / 11:41

Vote Tally in Tirana Creeps Toward Finish

Ballot counting in the key battleground of Tirana continued on Thursday, four days after the polls closed, with the ruling majority candidate and opposition leader divided by a hair thin margin.

Dardan Malaj

With less than 50 ballot boxes to be counted out of 485, Democratic Party candidate Lulzim Basha held a 250 vote lead over Tirana mayor and Socialist opposition leader Edi Rama on Thursday morning, as Albanians remained gripped by the graphics and numbers on the contest updated constantly on TV screens across the country.

The counting process in Tirana has been characterised by constant breaks by poll commissioners, disputes over single ballot boxes that last for hours and the replacement of commissioners by parties, tactics which have delayed the final tally.

“The delays in the ballot counting process reflect the accumulation of tension in the political battle for the capital,” said Gentian Elezi, a political science professor at the European University of Tirana.

The ruling Democrats and the Socialists have exchanged jibes in the last two days over the delays in the counting process, accusing one another of trying to damage the electoral process.

The key race for the capital has become even more important as other poll results show that the Socialist opposition won most major urban areas in the country, apart from the cities of Shkodra and Lezha in the north.

According to Professor Elezi, both camps seem to believe that by being selective in the ballots that they count first, they might somehow influence the counting process in other areas of the capital that are tallied later, although considering the high scrutiny that the poll is receiving, this tactic might only derail the quality of the elections.

"The fact that the two candidates are separated by only a few votes increases perceptions that the result could be changed," Elezi said.

“These delays breach the electoral standards and make it more difficult to calmly finalize the electoral process,” he added.

This article was made possible through the support of the National Endowment for Democracy.

How to become a U.S. Citizen

2011-05-09T12:41:00.002-04:00
Here's a helpful website if you want to know how to go about becoming a U.S. Citizen!

http://blog.uscis.gov/2011/05/do-you-want-to-become-us-citizen-uscis.html

A tribute to Rozi Theohari

2011-05-06T12:39:00.004-04:00
I don't make postings in the Albanian language because I believe most of the visitors to the Frosina Blog do not speak or understand our native tongue. However, here's a tribute in te Albanian language to our talented poet, Rozi Theohari, that I couldn't pass up!

Copy the posting by Shpresa Vranari about Rozi below, then go Go to Google Translate, paste the information, and punch in Translate from Albanian to English so you can have some idea about Rozi's good news.

***

Mbi prezantimin e librit të Rozi Theoharit “Do leave out my right hand”

Nga SHPRESA VRANARI

Më 17 prill 2011 në klubin e poetëve dhe artistëve të Lynnit, Massaçusetts, u bë prezantimi i librit të Rozi Theoharit “Do leave out my right hand” (“ Krahun e djathtë ma lini jashtë”). Mes të ftuarve isha edhe unë, e mezi po prisja të takoja Rozin dhe miqtë e saj. Parkova makinën bri godinës shumëkatshe ngjyrë gri, ku ishte edhe adresa e shtëpisë së znj. Elizabeth Gordon Mckim dhe u ngjita në katin e katërt. Aty gjeta plot të ftuar të tjerë që po hynin në një livingroom gjigand, i cili dukej si një nga ato sallat e vjetra , por të veçanta parisiane. Piktura dhe foto të shumta mbulonin muret…gjithandej etazhere dhe suvenire nga shumë vende të globit. U takova me znj. Elizabeth, Rozin dhe poetë e artistë nga rrethinat e Bostonit. Njerëz të etnive të ndryshme, me backgraunde të ndryshme, me fytyra e tipare të ndryshme…por të gjithë të mbledhur aty për fjalën e shpirtit, për artin.

Ishte kaq thjeshtë dhe ngrohtë në atë takim njerëzish të huaj dhe të afërt njëkohësisht. Dhe m’u duk e largët, tej harrese ajo kohë, kur u rritëm me urrejtjen për anën tjetër të botës. Në Shqipërinë e vogël dhe të ndrydhur nën thundrën e kuqe komuniste mësonim të urrenim atë që quhej art i vërtetë. Të abandonuar “vullnetarisht” në botën tonë mikroskopike, luftonim me togfjalësha politike dhe…më shumë e më shumë largoheshim nga zanafilla e poezisë, nga zanafilla e thirrmës së shpirtit. Kurse jashtë kufijve tanë jeta rridhte e lirë dhe e ngrohtë, me fjalën e poezisë e me tingullin e lirë të këngës.

Ishim të gjithë të njëjtë e të barasvlershëm.

Kishim të njëjtin ritëm dhe frymëmarrje.

Ishim njerëz të lirë e të mbushur me vibracione nga i njëjti burim.

Kishim një muzë.

Kishim një dëshirë…të ndienim ritmin e gjuhës së shpirtit, të ndienim poezinë.

Elizabeth Gordon Mckim, me cilësinë e zonjës së shtëpisë çeli takimin duke lexuar dhe interpretuar disa nga poezitë e saj të fundit nga libri “The Red Thread” (“Filli i kuq”). Asaj gruaje me flokë gri nuk i ndahej nga fytyra buzëqeshja e butë kur recitonte vargjet e veta, shoqëruar nga një vegël muzikore të ngjashme me Lirën. Fillimisht u befasova…ishte e para herë tek ndiqja një poezi të shoqëruar edhe me mërmërima kënge, të këngëzuar, por sinqerisht, ata vrunduj të butë tingujsh të depërtonin thellë në shpirt e të qetësonin. Me lirshmërinë dhe thjeshtësinë që e kanë si gur të çmuar njerëzit me botë të plotë, ajo m’u afrua dhe më dhuroi librin e saj të fundit “The Red Thread”. “Rozi është ndër miket e mia më të mira dhe natyrisht, ju jeni e mirëpritur këtu dhe shpresoj të bëheni dhe mikja ime” – tha ajo dhe qeshi ngrohtësisht. Zonja Elizabeth G. Mckim është një zë i ndjeshëm dhe i apasionuar për poezinë, e cila shkon përtej ritmit të të folurit, duke iu afruar këngës. Ajo është lauruar dhe diplomuar edhe në fakultetin europian të Zvicrës për artet ekspresive dhe njëkohësisht është pedagoge në Universitetin “Lesley” në Kembrixh, Massaçusetts.

Toni Toledo, një artist i pasionuar i interpretimit poetik dhe kryetari i shoqatës, ftoi prozatoren e re Kato Mele të prezantonte diçka nga vetja e krijimtaria. Ajo lexoi “udhëtimin” e saj “Në rrugë me Katon”. Ishte një krijim imagjinativ në prozë, me përshtypje udhëtimi të shoqëruara me çastet mbresëlënëse, ku nuk mungonte humori që vetë autorja e interpretonte me dinamizëm.

Më tej, pedagogia e kolegjit Isabell Van Merlin prezantoi librin e Rozi Theoharit “Do leave out my right hand”. Mbasi bëri një përmbledhje mbi përmbajtjen e librit dhe komentoi disa nga poezitë, znj. Isabell tha: “Rozi Theohari është gazetare, shkrimtare dhe poete e fuqishme. Ajo vjen nga Shqipëria, unë jam skulptore, artiste dhe shkrimtare e lindur në South Carolina. Por e konsideroj veten me fat që jetoj në të njëjtin rajon me Rozin dhe jam mike e saj si edhe bëjmë pjesë në të njëjtin klub artistësh…Rozi ka një vizion unik, ekspresiv dhe plot dritë, të piketuar në shumë drejtime. Shpesh ajo shkruan për njerëz të zakonshëm, por percepsioni i saj është i jashtëzakonshëm. Unë e adhuroj mënyrën se si ajo shkruan, duke vënë në plan të dukshëm gjërat që ne shpesh i konsiderojme “të vogla”. Dhe në prezantimin e saj ato…gjërat e zakonshme, bëhen interesante dhe shumë me vlerë…Unë e ndiej se kemi shpirt të afërt në mënyrën se si ne e perceptojmë botën rreth nesh, të ndriçuar nga humanizmi dhe ndjesia e gëzimit njerëzor…Rozi Theohari e ndan me ne eksperiencën e jetës shqiptare dhe të mbresave që ka fituar këtu në USA, nëpërmjet poezisë dhe prozës së saj…”

“Në poemën “Do leave out my right hand” ajo sjell tragjiken, sagën (baladën) e vuajtjeve të një gruaje të re, Rozafës, që muroset dhe kërkon që gjysma e qënies së saj të vazhdojë të kujdeset për të birin e vogël. Është një hymn për jetën…Por shpesh, Rozi në krijimtarinë e saj përcjell edhe humor e ndjesi të gëzimit, gjë që tregon për vitalitetin dhe këndin filozofik me të cilin autorja e sheh jetën.”

Zonja Van Merlin u shpreh se ka lexuar shumë nga poezitë e Rozit dhe është entuziazmuar nga ekspresioni dhe vizioni plot dritë i fjalës së poetes. “Rozi të befason me tregimet dhe vargjet e saj. Ajo është unike dhe profesionale në punën e saj si autore. Lexojeni atë me kujdes, mos humbisni asnjë detaj.”- përfundoi poetja amerikane.

Në fjalën time përshëndetëse (Sh. V.), vura në dukje se Rozi për ne shqiptarët e diasporës është një ambasadore që lidh dy botët tona, atë që kemi lënë pas në Shqipëri (dhe prej së cilës asnjëherë nuk jemi ndarë) dhe atë që kemi krijuar këtu në USA…Ajo bën një punë të vazhdueshme, me përkushtim, duke skeduar me penën e saj çdo çast të rëndësishëm të jetës shqiptare në diasporë. Rozi Theohari tashmë ka krijuar një “bibliotekë” dinjitoze me veprat e saj. Ajo shkruan vazhdimisht artikuj për ngjarje të komunitetit dhe vendit ku jeton, pra për Amerikën. Ajo reflekton me poezinë e saj të ndjerë për ngjarje dhe çaste që i trokasin në shpirt. Është një zë i spikatur në botën e letrave…Në librin “Do leave out my right hand” përveç poemës së Rozafës, ku ajo shpreh forcën e dashurisë mëmësore gërshetuar me dhimbjen e vdekjes, Rozi ka një sërë poezish të arrira që pluskojnë në tërë harkun kohor dhe hapësinor: nga çasti i parë që shkeli në USA më 1994 me poezinë “Goodmorning America”, poezi të tjera për emigrantët, për vjeshtën mbi Atlantik, për ishullin e Nahantit, ku ajo merr pjesë në korin e kishës së vjetër…në atë Nahant ku Henri Llongfellou ka marrë shumë nga impulset e poezive të tij të famshme. Ajo shkruan për Shenjtoren e madhe Nënë Terezën e shqiptarëve dhe të të gjithë botës. Ajo e mbron me dinjitet e krenari lidhjen fisnore që ne shqiptarët e “zvogëluar” kemi me Shenjtoren…Rozi shkruan vargje te ndjera për humbjen e bashkëshortit, Viktorit, te poezia “Invisible”, apo vargje se si ndihet zemra e gjyshes për nipin, Janin. Poetja është kudo me penën dhe shpirtin e saj të ndjeshëm dhe u përgjigjet këtyre momenteve jo vetëm me ndjenjën që buron pastër, por edhe me profesionalizëm, duke i shkruar poezitë direkt në gjuhën angleze.

Rozi ka marrë shumë çmime si këtu në USA edhe në Shqipëri. Ajo ështe nderuar disa herë për kontributin e saj letrar dhe shoqëror. Vetë presidenti i SHBA Barak Obama i ka dërguar letër përshëndetje dhe falënderimi për librin e saj poetik, brenda të cilit dy poezi i janë kushtuar figurës së tij si një president karizmatik.

Tek Rozi Theohari gjen vizionin e një intelektualeje të arrirë në shumë fusha.

Si ju, edhe unë jam mikja e saj dhe ndihem e nderuar të flas për të.”

Së fundi Rozi u ngrit për të treguar disa nga çastet e jetës së saj prej shqiptareje (ata ia kërkuan njëzëri)…E folura e saj e lirshme, e ngrohtë, e hapur, i bëri të gjithë ta dëgjonin me vemendje. Mes shumë detajeve të jetës fëminore ajo kujtoi e tha: “ Në fshatin tonë Dardhë, rrëzë maleve, ku dëbora shtrohet gjatë gjithë dimrit, ishte traditë që burrat venin në emigrim për arsye ekonomike. Ashtu iku gjyshi, babai im dhe shumë të tjerë…Kur vinin letrat nga Amerika ishte një ngjarje e veçantë: dëgjohej këmbana e kishës që lajmëronte…dhe njerëzit prisnin me shumë mall letrat, që vinin rrallë…Unë u rrita pa babanë. Ai ishte si një ëndërr për mua që mbeti këtu në Amerikë, prandaj në shumë mënyra ky vend ku im atë ka jetuar e punuar, më duket një atdhe i dytë…më duket si Shqipëria.”

Rozi foli gjatë dhe përmendi plot kujtime. Dikush kërkoi ndonjë kujtim që kishte të bënte me kauzën e fryrë të komunizmit. Dhe Rozi tregoi një nga historitë plot humor të jetës së saj në një revistë të kohës. Ajo rrëfeu me humor e lirshmëri absurdin e kërkesave të shefave komunistë. Ajo fliste me një anglishte të zhdërvjelltë, duke e shoqëruar edhe me plastikën e saj ekspresive dhe…të pranishmit qeshnin. Ata të gjithë tashmë ndodheshin në Shqipërinë e largët të atyre viteve. Kishin hyrë plotësisht në skenarin e atij çasti të huaj, kishin kapur situatën qesharake të burokracisë shqiptare, të sheqerosur me disa citate të Mao Ce Dunit kinez, që na e shtuan barrën e persekutimit edhe më tepër.

Unë e dëgjoja me admirim dhe kënaqesha që humori kapej aq lehtë nga dëgjuesit. Të përcjellësh batuta groteske-komike në një gjuhë të huaj është shumë e vështirë, por Rozi ia doli me sukses.

Tashmë jashtë po binte muzgu dhe kitara e muzikantit Don Vhite shpërndahu tinguj romantikë duke shoqëruar ëmbëlsinë e zërit të tij mesdhetar (prindërit e vet vinin nga brigjet e Jonit…Greqisë). Me këngët e këtij këngëtari autor përfundoi edhe kjo mbrëmje poetike. Çdokush u ndie shumë mirë në këtë takim, dhe ja, z. Toledo, në fjalën e tij mbyllëse falënderoi zonjën Elizabeth për mikpritjen, të ftuarit për pjesëmarrjen dhe autorët, të cilët u bënë shkas për këtë tubim.

Në emër të klubit të artistëve të Lynnit z.Toledo i dhuroi Rozit një libër me poezi të poetit gjerman R. Rilke. Rozi, duke falënderuar u dhuroi edhe ajo librat e saj disa pjesëmarrësve.

Ishte një mbrëmje poetike e ngrohtë dhe, natyrshëm, mund të bëheshe pjesë e atij klubi artistësh.
LYNN, MA, Prill 2011

Free tour of Boston's Franklin Park

2011-04-29T14:40:00.003-04:00
Albanian newcomers to Boston and others can enjoy a wonderful opportunity to make an free, organized tour of Boston's famous Franklin Park located in Dorchester. Check out the information below, and make every effort to attend especially with youngsters who will find it delightful and memorable!!

***

Saturday, May 14, 2011 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Time Traveling Through Franklin Park - History Tour 2

Join Franklin Park Coalition, Historic New England, and Julie Arrison for the second in a series of three park history tours. Learn about architectural features and anecdotes from the park's history as well as fascinating new information about this public space. This tour covers one of the most scenic locales in the park known as Schoolmaster, which features breathtaking views that stretch from the golf course hills and dales to the Blue Hills.

location: One Circuit Drive, Franklin Park, William Devine Golf Club House, Boston
phone: (617) 442-4141
web: franklinparkcoalition.org
email: RSVP@franklinparkcoalition.org
cost: free

funded by Mass Humanities grant program

Kosovar student seeks financial help

2011-04-28T15:54:00.003-04:00
Here's another request from a Kosovar student for financial help studying in the USA. Any ideas or suggestions for this chap?

***

Greetings,

I'm Kreshnik Deliu, a student from Kosovo, currently studying in secondary education in Wisconsin, USA. I recently had the chance to learn more about the activities that your organization does, therefore I wanted to contact you for more Info.

As mentioned above I am a student from Kosovo, ethnic Albanian, studying with a scholarship from US State Department. As a senior, I am planning to continue my education in USA through college. I have already been accepted and got an academic scholarship at St. Norbert College, WI and UW-Superior with a scholarship too.

Being an ethnic Albanian from Kosovo, I was interested to learn more and maybe receive any financial if applicable for me. It there is any chance i have numerous document that prove that I deserve any financial help, starting from my academic transcript to the family annual income documentation.

I look forward hearing from you soon.

Best Regards,
Kreshnik Deliub
kreshnikdeliu@hotmail.com

Saint George Cathedral: Slide show about Albania

2011-04-28T11:42:00.001-04:00
albboschurch@juno.com

A SPECIAL PRESENTATION: "The Changing Face of Albania" by John Joseph.

Saint George Cathedral is pleased to sponsor a presentation on May 1, 2011: the Sunday of St George and St. Thomas. A fascinating power-point event of photos and dialogue. See how Albania is changing by taking this photographic journey from Tirana to Berat, Vlora, the coastline of Saranda and on to the mountains to Korce. The presentation will be held following the 10 AM liturgy in the Cathedral's Fellowship Hall. Refreshments will be served.

Come celebrate our Cathedral's Nameday and enjoy this unique event.
We ask that you consider making a freewill donation to benefit the children's Home of Hope (in Durres.

Information will be given at the presentation.

URGENT! Albanian volunteers needed to help elderly in Roslindale

2011-04-26T17:09:00.001-04:00
Dear Frosina,

May is Older Americans Month and SeniorPalooza, a month-long series of events for seniors, is Roslindale's way of celebrating! We are in need of Albanian-speaking volunteers to assist at our upcoming Albanian International Labour Day Celebration.

The details:
Albanian International Labour Day Celebration
Monday, May 2, 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Arbri Cafe, 146 Belgrade Avenue, Roslindale

This event will feature music, food and resources for Albanian elders. It is pivotal that we have Albanian-speaking volunteers on hand to help us translate to make certain elders understand the resources available to them.

To sign-up to volunteer or for questions please contact, Alex Freeman, Volunteer Services Program Manager, at 617-522-6700 x 323 or afreeman@ethocare.org.

Alex Freeman
Volunteer Services Program Manager
Ethos l 555 Amory Street l Jamaica Plain, MA 02130-2672
617-522-6700 ext. 323 (main line) l 617-259-5330 (cell)
afreeman@ethocare.org l www.ethocare.org
"care. compassion. community."

More about our pilot initiative, AgeWell West Roxbury
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jamaica-Plain-MA/AgeWell-West-Roxbury/91915239547
Twitter: http://twitter.com/agewellwr
Tumblr: http://agewell.tumblr.com/
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/agewell/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jamaica-Plain-MA/Ethos/111921140235
Twitter= http://twitter.com/ethocare
Tumblr= http://ethocare.tumblr.com
Flickr= http://www.flickr.com/photos/ethocare

Albania on display at Boston City Hall !!

2011-04-26T12:36:00.005-04:00
Here's a unique and wonderful opportunity for everyone to to learn something about Albania's history, and culture including its folk music, dancing, and food!

Be there!

***

albboschurch@juno.com

YOU ARE WELCOME! MIRESARDHET!
_________________________________________________________________________

Mayor Thomas M. Menino, The Office of New Bostonians and The Culture Awareness Committe will Present Albania to the City of Boston on April 28th, 2011 at 12:30 PM in the Piemonte Room, 5th Floor at Boston City Hall.

Please come and join us in Celebrating Albanian Culture, Food, Dance, Art Work and Clothing with the City of Boston.

12:20 - 12:30 Visual Journey to Albania

12:30 - 12:45 Opening remarks by Armando Silva &

Introduction of Cheng Imm Tan , Director MONB

12:45 - 12:55 Remarks by Hon. Consul General
Stephan Kochi

12:55 - 1:05 Traditional Albanian Dance

Bashkimi Dance “Dance of Godoleshit”

1:05 - 1:20 Brief History of Albania

Beralda Kokoshi

1:20 -1:30
Singer Johnny Athanas “Various Songs”

1:30 - 1:40 Brief History of Albanians in Boston

Rev. Father Arthur Liolin

1:45 Serving Albanian Traditional Food

Albanian lady seeks position in hospital or medical facilty

2011-04-21T15:20:00.005-04:00
Lately, I've been receiving several requests for assistance to Albanians that I've already posted to the Frosina Blog at www.frosina.org/blog/ and also forwarded to MASS BESA at massalbanians@yahoogroups.com.

Just below is an appeal I received today for help for an Albanian woman seeking a position at a hospital or medical facility. Can anyone out there provide leads or suggestions for this qualified Albanian lady??

***

Van,
My name is Bruce Eckman and I am contacting you for some guidance for an individual I met last week. I am a mentor with SCORE Boston. SCORE is a non-profit group who's mission is to help, assist, provide direction to either start up companies or companies that require help in a specific area.

A woman of Albanian descent met with me last week to discuss a start up business but I suggested that given her lack of financial resources and other mitigating factors she would be best served utilizing her skills for an employer.

She has received a certification in medical terminology and medical transcription but is having a difficult time even landing an interview. Her ability to speak both English and Albanian combined with some fluency in two other languages would make her an ideal candidate for a hospital or medical facility that has a significant client base of
Albanian speaking people.

Any advice or any suggestions you may have will be greatly appreciated. I will pass on to her anything of value you can provide.

Sincerely,
baeckman@comcast.net
Bruce Eckman

2011-04-20T13:10:00.003-04:00
2 UMass Kosovar students seek host families

Here's a great opportunity for the Boston Albanian community - including Kosovars - to host 2 students coming from Kosova to study at UMass Boston. Who can help?

+++

Dear Mr. Van Cristo,

Genti Rapi, head of the Albanian Students Association at the University of Massachusetts Boston thought you might be interested in a project we are sponsoring to bring two students (one Albanian and one Serbian) to UMass from Mitrovice/Kosovska Mitrovica. Both students, Ardiana Osmani from the south, and Milos Golubovic from the north, plan to matriculate as undergraduates in fall 2011. Ardiana will likely begin her studies here with ESL classes. We are looking for host families for both, to whom we will be able to provide a monthly stipend, and I hope you might have suggestions for contacts who might be interested in hosting these two and in supporting their stay here.

A little about the background:

One year ago, from 24 to 28 May 2010, the Forum for Cities in Transition (FCT) welcomed representatives from ten cities from four continents to a working week in the city of Mitrovice/Kosovska Mitrovica. The opening panel included distinguished guests from Belgrade, Serbia and Pristina, Kosovo, who do not often meet in public, and Padraig O’Malley of University of Massachusetts Boston. The delegates discussed the challenges and successes of municipal administrations in cities in transition from conflict. They spoke of how their municipal services function and how to improve them, including issues such as housing, business development, water and electricity, citizens’ engagement, and policing, and they were facilitated by experts from all over the world.

Delegates experienced life in Mitrovice/Kosovska Mitrovica and visited projects and sites where citizens had come together to overcome difficulties in their everyday lives. They stayed in hotels both north and south of the River Iber/Ibar, and they ate and socialized throughout the city. The program included visits to high schools in Mitrovice/Kosovska Mitrovica, a picnic along the banks of the river, a talent contest of young people, and many other events.

Conference delegates were guided through the week by a team of international and local volunteers. Ardiana and Milos, the two students we plan to bring to the University of Massachusetts Boston, each headed up a group of student volunteers, one from south of the Iber/Ibar, the other from the north. The students, who were at first wary of one another, were key to the success of the effort launched in Mitrovice/Kosovska Mitrovica in May 2010, and by the end of the conference they had become good friends.

The FCT was established in Boston in April 2009 by representatives from Kirkuk, Nicosia, Derry/Londonderry, and Mitrovice/Kosovska Mitrovica at a conference hosted by Padraig O’Malley, Moakley Professor of Peace and Reconciliation and by the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies. The next FCT will take place in Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland, in May 2011.

The McCormack Graduate School is raising funds to pay for tuition and fees, but we are also getting in touch with the local Serbian and Albanian community to help the students secure room and board, books, and find a helpful social network here in Boston.

I hope this description does the project justice. And I hope it might be of interest to you and that we might talk further at your convenience.

With best wishes,

Patrricia Peterson
McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies
617-287-5535

PS more information about the FCT is available at http://www.citiesintransition.net

2011-04-20T12:51:00.002-04:00
Kosovar student seeks summer employment

I received this request from a person seeking summer employment for a young Kosovar student who will be able to come to Boston or elsewhere in America if he can find summer employment. Details for the program that will permit him to do so are given below so I hope some visitors to the Frosina Blog can help out.

xxx

Good morning Mr. Christo,

I found your contact information while researching Boston-area businesses connected to Albanians. I am assisting in the job-search for a close friend of mine, Sabahet Meta. He is young man from Prishtina studying English in University, who is looking to travel from Kosovo to the United States for the summer. With a student work visa program they have established, if Sabahet can procure a summer job and provide proof of employment, the program sponsors his visa and gives him an opportunity to travel beyond the Balkans for the first time.

He is English-fluent and a friendly, reliable, outgoing person who loves travel and meeting new people. If you have any opportunities for summer work or know of any other businesses that might be able to offer work, we would very much appreciate it. I would be happy to talk with you on the phone or in person, and provide his contact information.

Thank you in advance for any assistance that you can offer,

Laura Rushfeldt
lrushfeldt@gmail.com
614-746-3943

2011-04-19T12:18:00.001-04:00
Boston City Hall Presents ALBANIA

Posted by: "Nerejda Vlladesi" nerejda.vlladesi@yahoo.com nerejda.vlladesi

Mon Apr 18, 2011 8:58 am (PDT)

Mayor Thomas M. Menino, The Office of New Bostonians and The Culture Awareness Committe will Present Albania to the City of Boston on April 28th, 2011 at 12:30 PM in the Piemonte Room, 5th Floor at Boston City Hall.
Please come and join us in Celebrating Albanian Culture, Food, Dance, Art Work and Clothing to the City of Boston.

2011-04-11T14:47:00.001-04:00
Useful Tips for Child Behavior

I read the following tips for child behavior in The Boston Globe and was impressed by them so I thought I'd pass them along. Is there, perchance, someone out there who can translate them into Albanian?
Van Christo

For Children

1. Children should understand at an early age the importance of eye contact, a firm handshake, and gracious greetings.
2. Children should practice deference and respect for all grown-ups.
3. Children who practice kindness and gratitude at home will find social situations at school and elsewhere instinctively easier.
4. Giving and receiving compliments sincerely builds self-esteem.
5. "Please" and "thank you" are more than magic words. The former acknowledges not everything in the world belongs to you; the latter affirms that what you have is a consequence of a connection to others.

Source: "Beyond the Salad Fork", Liza Weisstuch, The Boston Globe, G, p.13, 4.2.11

BOSTON: Free Events sponsored by Mass Humanities

2011-03-31T16:18:00.003-04:00
Mass Humanities Sponsored Events

Below are events funded by Mass Humanities. For more information about any of these events and before venturing out to one of them, contact the event organizers directly. If you do not want to receive these emails, visit our subscription form and choose "unsubscribe" under the Event Announcements section. Visit that same form if you would like to receive these emails for more than one area. You may also choose to subscribe to the Humanities Calendar's rss feed.

Upcoming events in the Greater Boston Region:

Saturday, April 16, 2011 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Time Traveling Through Franklin Park - History Tours
Discover and experience the historic features of Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Franklin Park. Join Franklin Park Coalition and author and local historian, Julie Arrison, for a walk through the crown jewel of Boston's Emerald Necklace to learn about the park's transformation through the decades.
| add to my calendar |

location: One Circuit Drive, Franklin Park, Ellicott Arch, Boston
phone: (617) 442-4141
web: franklinparkcoalition.org
email: RSVP@franklinparkcoalition.org
cost: free

funded by Mass Humanities grant program

Saturday, April 16, 2011 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Antony & Cleopatra Open Rehearsal
Join director Adrianne Krstansky and the cast of ASP's Antony & Cleopatra for a free Open Rehearsal. Enjoy a director's talk, scene rehearsal, and Q&A with the cast. Refreshments served.

location: The Modern Theater, 525 Washington Street, Boston
phone: (617) 776-2200 x225
web: www.actorsshakespeareproject.org
cost: free

funded by Mass Humanities grant program
For more events, visit the Humanities Calendar.
Mass Humanities, 66 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060
www.masshumanities.org

Bankers Petroleum Takes over Albania Oil Field

2011-03-31T13:42:00.002-04:00
For a brief moment, I though that BP was British Petroleum, but, no, so read on...

31 Mar 2011 / 17:23
Bankers Petroleum Takes over Albania Oil Field

The Canadian-based oil company Bankers Petroleum announced on Thursday a $34 million (€24.64 million) deal with Albania’s state-owned oil producer Albepetrol to take over the wells in the Patos-Marinza oil field.

“While Bankers’ Petroleum agreement provided the rights to take over these wells over an extended period of time, this new agreement provides Bankers the opportunity to be the sole operator of the field, accelerating field reactivation and development, reducing administrative processes, and halting produced water disposal from Albpetrol’s production facilities into surface drainage canals,” Abby Badwi, Bankers’ President and CEO, said in a statement.

The deal would accelerate the takeover of production and royalty payments for all remaining Albpetrol active well production and also the expansion of the project area and development plan to include all of the contract area of the Patos-Marinza oilfield concession.

Effective March 31, 2011, Bankers will become the sole operator and Albpetrol will cease to conduct petroleum operations in the Patos-Marinza oilfield and contract area.

Albania’s Minister of Trade and Energy Nasip Naço praised the agreement, stressing that Bankers had played an important role in developing Albania’s oil sector.

"We have been very pleased with the way that Bankers Petroleum has developed the Patos-Marinza oilfield and recognise the beneficial impact on the government of Albania and its citizens as a result of the significant capital investment being made,” Naço said.

“This transaction, done in accordance with the existing petroleum and license agreements, will allow for the entire Patos-Marinza oilfield to benefit from the production and environmental improvements that Bankers has already demonstrated," he added.

Bankers Petroleum is an oil and gas exploration and production company focusing on opportunities in unconventional petroleum assets and is the single largest foreign investor in Albania.

The company operates and has the full rights to develop the Patos-Marinza heavy oilfield in south central Albania, which is believed to hold about two billion barrels of oil.

The 44,000 acre field, located east of the city of Fier, is the largest onshore oilfield in continental Europe, based on the amount of oil the site holds.

In Albania, Bankers also operates and has the full rights to the Kucova heavy oil fields.

Kosovar Albanian seeks housing during BU Commencement

2011-03-30T14:31:00.010-04:00
Here's an inquiry I recently received from a Kosovar Albanian seeking housing during BU's upcoming commencement. Are there Kosovar Albanians - or others - reading this who can help him out?

Ferid Azemi's email address is azemif@hotmail.com

Thanks,
Van Christo

***
Greetings,
I am Ferid Azemi an Kosovo albanian, and i was wondering if i could find some help when i will travel soon in Boston.
I have just graduated from Boston University ( online) and earned Master degree in Criminal Justice and the Commencement celebration will take place May 22, in Boston.
Maybe your organization could somehow help me out with housing or at least give me directions in case i may need your help. I do not have any relatives there in US so it will be kind of difficult for me being alone and with no one there.

Your help will greatly be appreciated

Ferid

BOSTON Free Immigration Advice

2011-03-24T17:35:00.001-04:00
FREE Immigration Advice

(2011 Schedule)

April 6 & 20
May 4 & 18
June 1 & 15
Room 804 in Boston City Hall
12:00 (noon) - 2:00 PM

For more information, please contact the
Mayors Office of New Bostonians
Boston City Hall Room 803
617-635-2980 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An undersea look at ancient Albanian artifacts

2011-03-23T14:59:00.012-04:00
Our eminent Albanian archaeology expert, Auron Tare, E-Mailed Frosina a fascinating video link showing underwater divers examining ancient pottery artifacts in the remains of a sunken vessel off the Albanian coast. The video begins with Mr. Tare's Voice of America interview describing this important archaeological find in Albania - it's a pity that Mr. Tare's commentary is only in the Albanian language since the video depicts a little-known and rarely seen exploration of undersea Albanian artifacts.

Check it out at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fO73KPVxOI

And you might also also check out Auron Tare's own Website at www.auronexpeditions.com

Mayor Menino and the Albanians?

2011-03-21T16:46:00.004-04:00
Here's a marvelous opportunity to see and meet Hizzoner up close and surrounded by Albanians. My word, won't he have something to remember and talk about to his pals at City Hall!

As you can see by those below already signed up, space is very limited so be there.

***

***A dinner will be held with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and the Albanian Community on Tuesday March 29, 2011 at 6:00PM at Vlora Restaurant in the Back Bay.

If you are interested to attend, send an email to mark.kosmo@maasbesa.org

The cost of the dinner is $100. First come first serve -- seating is limited to around 30 people.

Come and support our efforts to expand the influence of the Albanian community in Massachusetts as we discuss a variety of issues with Mayor Menino.

Those already signed up for this unique event are:

* Afrim Alimeti
* Albion Calaj
* Jane Christo
* Van Christo
* Pandeli Dhima
* Minella Gjioka
* Nexhat Ibishi
* Bishop Ilia Ketri
* Stefan Kochi
* Ada Kokoshi
* Mark Kosmo
* Very Reverend Arthur Liolin
* Eva Millona
* Arber Muhameti
* Elisbeta Nasi
* Bishop Nikon
* Armando Nushi
* Albana Orgocka
* Paul Pando
* Filgen Prifti
* Katherine Prifti
* Alda Qirici
* Orgeta Qirici

Records of immigrants who have applied for U.S. Citizenship

2011-03-17T15:54:00.011-04:00
A Frosina Advisory / Updated 2011 _______________________________________________________________________________________

Albanian and other newcomers to America should utilize the resources of Regional Offices of the National Archives to inquire if a relative had ever applied for USA citizenship. In the past, Frosina has directed such inquiries to Regional Offices and received cooperative responses.

Regional Offices for Records of Immigrants Who Have Applied for American Citizenship

Visit the National Archives and Records Administration at a location near you http://www.archives.gov/locations/regional-archives.html. Its archives staff is your expert in records, local and national history, and access to Federal records. It has 14 research rooms open for your use -- for exploring original and facsimile documents, and for online sources. Workshops and events -- most of which are free! -- are available at most of its locations.
_______________________________

The National Archives at Boston
Serves Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
www.archives.gov/northeast/boston/

E-mail: waltham.archives@nara.gov

Frederick C. Murphy Federal Center
380 Trapelo Road
Waltham, Massachusetts 02452-6399
Phone: (781) 663-0130
Fax: (781) 663-0154
______________________________

Regional Archives Locations by State/Territory

http://www.archives.gov/locations/regional-archives.html
Alaska, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington (State)

______________________________

With thanks for information supplied by a visitor to the Frosina Blog, listed below is an additional source for tracking possible USA citizenship for Albanian and other immigrants:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=d21f3711ca5ca110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD&vgnextchannel=d21f3711ca5ca110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD

The USCIS Genealogy Program is a fee-for-service program providing family historians and other researchers with timely access to historical immigration and naturalization records of deceased immigrants.

The USCIS Genealogy Program offers (partial listing):

* Record Copy Request: Researchers with valid record citations (USCIS file numbers), gained through a USCIS Genealogy Program index search or through independent research, may request copies of historical immigration and naturalization records. Fee: $20.00/$35.00 (depending on the record type).

Records available through the USCIS Genealogy Program (partial listing):

- Naturalization Certificate Files (C-files) from September 27, 1906 to April 1, 1956

FREE Intermediate English Language Classes

2011-03-15T12:04:00.003-04:00
Hello!

Please help us spread the word! We recently expanded our Adult Basic Education program and changed it to Next Steps Transitional English Program (Next STEP). The class is FREE for all immigrants who have intermediate-high level English levels and have a goal of learning English to get jobs, better jobs, or enroll in college. Our level 1 class begins at SPL 4.

Our classes have had students from all over the world, including Haiti, Vietnam, Cape Verde, Guatemala, China, Honduras, Morocco, Ethiopia, etc. This program has 4 levels--the highest level is divided into a college track or job training track. In addition to ESL, students will work with a counselor here to help with enrolling into college or helping with job placement. We have had students go into different job training programs at the completion of our classes or enroll in college like Bunker Hill, UMass Boston, and other colleges of interest.

We offer a class for the following levels 1, 2, 3, 2&3 combined Intensive, 4A (college track), 4B (job track). Each level is a 15 week cycle with classes 4 days a week (Tuesday through Friday). The class schedule is Tuesday through Friday. Depending on the level, class time can vary from 8 hours a week to 16 hours a week. The classes are held in the morning and daytime.

We accept applications all year round. Interested applicants can start applying for these classes. To apply, they should come to our information and testing session held every Tuesday at 2PM or certain Mondays at 9AM (ext. 318 will have a list of Monday testing dates). We can also arrange a different time with applicants if they cannot make either days.

We hope to serve 150 students per year, so we appreciate your help in getting the word out!

Thanks,

Victoria Wong
Recruitment Coordinator
Asian American Civic Association
Educate. Empower. Employ.
www.aaca-boston.org
87 Tyler Street 5/F
Boston, MA 02111
T: (617) 426-9492 ext. 251
F: (617) 482-2316

2011-03-14T16:18:00.001-04:00
FREE Immigration Advice
(2011 Schedule)

March 16
April 6 & 20
May 4 & 18
June 1 & 15

Room 804 in Boston City Hall
12:00 (noon) - 2:00 PM
For more information, please contact the
Mayors Office of New Bostonians
Boston City Hall Room 803
617-635-2980

Kokkalis Program on Southeastern and East-Central Europe

2011-03-14T15:45:00.003-04:00
I'm a big fan of the Kokkalis Programs at Harvard. Check out, for example, the April 6th program on Southestern Europethat should be very interesting!

***

Kokkalis Program on Southeastern and East-Central Europe

The Kokkalis Program invites you to attend the following upcoming events:

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30
4:30 p.m.
Turkey on the Eve of Elections: Politics, Society and Judiciary
A panel discussion with Can Paker, chairperson, Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV);
Dilek Kurban, Democratization Program director, TESEV; and Etyen Mahçupyan, Democratization Program advisor, TESEV
Bowie-Vernon Room (K-262), Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, 1737 Cambridge Street
Co-sponsored by the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and the Seminar on Turkey in the Modern World, Harvard University

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6
2:15 p.m.
The Dissemination of Liberal Economic Thought and the Rise of Nationalism in South-Eastern Europe in the 19th Century
Dr. Michalis Psalidopoulos, Constantine G. Karamanlis Chair in Hellenic and Southeastern European Studies, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, and professor, Department of Economics, University of Athens
Cabot Room, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, 27 Kirkland Street at Cabot Way
Co-sponsored with the Southeastern Europe and Greek Study Groups, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies

Please help us spread the word about these events by sharing this email: