 |
 18 May 2012 |
 |
Click on the buttons above to open and read each of VilNews' 24 sub-sections. Constantly updated news and useful information awaits you!NEWS
Have a news tip? Send to:
editor@VilNews.com
Lithuanian pedophile case:
Riot police helped a mother regain custody of her 8-year-old daughter this morning
Thirty-nine protesters were detained as they tried to prevent the police from carrying out a 5-month-old court order saying the mother should regain custody of her daughter from a house where relatives were keeping her.
Many Lithuanians in the southern town of Garliava violently opposed the order because they allege the girl’s mother, Laimute Stankunaite, is part of a pedophile ring.
Protesters had long prevented authorities from taking the girl…
Read more...
- Because the Soviets were allies of the United States during the war, the nasty chapter of Russia’s occupation of Lithuania is not well-known in the USA
My parents, Marija and Jonas Simonis, were married Feb. 3,1940, just before the Russians invaded and occupied Lithuania during World War II.
Because the Soviets were allies of the United States during the war, this nasty chapter of history is not well-known in the USA. The extent of Soviet war crimes and the suffering of the victims have only been revealed to the west since the fall of the USSR in the early 1990s, but those who lived in occupied countries during those times learned to live in fear, as their lives were on the line.
When the Soviet army rolled into Alytus, Lithuania, in June of 1940, Marija and Jonas quickly moved their few belongings from their apartment into Marija’s parents’ home to prevent the Soviets from quartering soldiers there.
Read more… - 40 years since 19-year-old Romas Kalanta publicly set fire to himself in protest against Soviet rule
Antanas Kalanta speaking on the 40 year commemoration day for the death of his brother Romas
A special ceremony took place in the Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday to mark 40 years since 19-year-old dissident Romas Kalanta publicly set fire to himself in protest against Soviet rule.
On May 14, 1972, Kalanta burned himself in the garden of the Music Theater in Vilnius, shouting “Freedom to Lithuania!” He wrote in his notebook, “I blame my death on the regime alone.”
KGB agents buried Kalanta on May 18, two hours before scheduled, to avoid crowds. Then, 3,000, mostly young supporters of Kalanta who gathered near his house began moving toward the central street of the city. A subsequent two-day protest was eventually put down by Soviet police, soldiers, and militia who arrested 402 people. Of these, 33 who faced administrative punishment, and six were punished as ‘hooligans’ and ‘anti-social elements’.
In 1990, Kalanta’s tomb became legally recognized as an historical monument. He has become the subject of several books and a documentary called Children of the Fountain.
In 2000, Kalanta was posthumously awarded the Order of the Cross of Vytis. In 2002, a monument was unveiled at the site of the self-immolation. In 2005, he was given the status of a freedom fighter. - "EU very consistent in sending messages to Ukraine about the importance of justice being done."
Yevhenia Tymoshenko, daughter of Yulia Tymoshenko, addresses supporters of opposition parties in front of a screen displaying a picture of her jailed mother at a May 12 rally in Kyiv.
European Union foreign ministers have been meeting in Brussels to mull a bloc-wide boycott of European soccer championship games scheduled to be held next month in Ukraine.
The EU has been critical of Ukraine over the alleged ill-treatment of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, who is serving a seven-year sentence for abuse of office in connection with a gas deal with Russia when she was prime minister.
EU foreign-affairs chief Catherine Ashton said the EU had been "very consistent in sending messages to Ukraine about the importance of justice being done."
Several European leaders have already vowed to boycott Ukraine during Euro 2012, which Ukraine is hosting jointly with Poland, after Tymoshenko said she was beaten by prison officials last month and launched a hunger strike.
Read more… - EU predicts Lithuania budget overrun, risking development grants
The fiscal gap may shrink 2.3 percentage points in 2012 to 3.2 percent of gross domestic product, exceeding the 3 percent limit set by the EU for a fifth year, the European Commission said today in an e-mailed statement from Brussels. The shortfall may drop to 3 percent in 2013, it added.
The grants helped Lithuania’s economy expand 5.9 percent in 2011, the second-fastest pace in the 27-member EU behind Estonia. Growth will slow to 2.4 percent this year, the commission said, cutting a previous 3.4 percent forecast.
Read more… - Dalia Grybauskaite intends to visit former Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko, in prison
Former Prime Minister of Ukraine,
Yulia Tymoshenko
President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite intends to visit in Kharkiv former Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko, the leader of the Batkivschyna Party, ahead of the summit of presidents of the Central Europe to be held in Yalta (Crimea) on May 11 and May 12.
Ukrainian News learned this from a statement by the press service of the President of Lithuania.
"On the way to the summit of Central Europe in Yalta President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite will arrive in Kharkiv to meet with a convicted former Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko," reads the statement.
According to the statement, the President of Lithuania discussed the question of meeting with Yulia Tymoshenko during a phone conversation with President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych.
According to the statement, Dalia Grybauskaite said the human rights is the major European value and as far as Ukraine has taken the European path, it has to observe the rights, including the right to adequate medical treatment of all citizens, including Yulia Tymoshenko.
The President of Lithuania wished President Viktor Yanukovych to retain the European perspective for Ukraine as the perspective is important and useful to both Ukraine and the European Union.
In case of Ukraine's isolation the European perspective will be delayed, she said.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite expressed the wish to take part in the summit at a meeting with Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov in Vilnius in April. - Ukraine angrily scraps Yalta summit planned for 11 - 12 May week after most participants pulled out in protest over the treatment of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko
The summit, originally set to be hosted by President Viktor Yanukovych in the Crimean resort of Yalta on Friday and Saturday, was to be a showpiece event one month before Ukraine co-hosts the Euro 2012 football.
Ukraine on Tuesday shelved a summit of Central European leaders it was to host this week after most participants pulled out in protest over the treatment of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.
The summit, originally set to be hosted by President Viktor Yanukovych in the Crimean resort of Yalta on Friday and Saturday, was to be a showpiece event one month before Ukraine co-hosts the Euro 2012 football.
"In connection with the fact that a number of European leaders are unable to take part in the Yalta summit for different reasons, Ukraine has decided to postpone it to a later date," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"It will be held at a later date to be decided through diplomatic channels," it added.
At least 10 EU leaders had officially announced they would not be attending the summit, leaving Yanukovych facing the prospect of hosting an embarrassingly lonely meeting with a handful of fellow heads of state.
EU heavyweight Germany was the first country to announce a boycott, although Ukraine's Euro co-host Poland had steadfastly insisted that it would be attending.
The EU Commission has said all EU commissioners will also boycott matches hosted by Ukraine in the Euro itself and Germany has not ruled out such a move for its ministers, in what would be a huge blow to Ukraine.
Tymoshenko was jailed for seven years in October on charges of abuse of power while in office, after a trial that was bitterly criticised by the West as appearing politically motivated.
The controversy has intensified in recent weeks as the countdown begins to the championships, with Tymoshenko going on hunger strike and claiming to have been beaten by guards at her prison in Kharkiv. - Senator McCain in Vilnius
Senator John McCain with Vilnius University rector Benediktas Juodka and President Dalia Grybauskaite.
In Vilnius Republican US Senator John McCain urged the international community to keep up a wave of pressure on authorities in Ukraine and Belarus for persecuting opposition figures.
Describing recent photos of Ukraine's jailed ex-premier Yulia Tymoshenko "disturbing, troubling", McCain said Kiev could not hope for closer ties with the West before it ends the "selective prosecution of its political opponents and unconditionally pardons opposition leaders."
"The current government seeks to move the country closer to Europe, at the same time as it pressures and destroys political opposition within Ukraine," McCain said during a visit to the ex-Soviet Baltic EU state of Lithuania.
"Ultimately, however, it must choose between these two contradictory paths," he said in a speech at Vilnius University, ahead of Thursday's international democracy conference.
McCain also said applying "more pressure than ever" has borne fruit in another ex-Soviet country, Belarus, which last month freed opposition figures Andrei Sannikov and Dmitry Bondarenko.
McCain however warned "now it's not the time to reduce the pressure on (President Alexander) Lukashenko," often dubbed "Europe's last dictator" by Western leaders.
"The United States and the EU must continue to strengthen our common front in pressuring Lukashenko to release political prisoners and hold free and fair elections," he said. 
Summer is here!
30C(86F) in Vilnius!
- Long queues at Belarus-Lithuania border due to increased tourism
More and more Belarusians
come to visit Lithuania by car
The Lithuanian Border Agency blamed a sharp increase in travelers for the long queues at the Belarusian-Lithuanian border checkpoints, BelTA has learnt.
Last weekend the Belarus-Lithuania border saw long queues of motors cars and trucks at Kamenny Log-Medininkai and Kotlovka-Lavoriskes, with travelers waiting for five hours at the neutral border-crossing territory after passing through the customs and border control at the Belarusian side.
According to head of the PR department of the Lithuanian Border Agency Giedrius Misutic, queues were formed at all main checkpoints of the Belarusian-Lithuanian border due to a skyrocketed number of travelers to Lithuania. “The situation at the weekend was unstable. There were long queues at the entry to Lithuania, and the reason for this is a huge number of travelers. For example, on Saturday the border checkpoint Benyakoni-Salcininkai accommodated nearly 300 trucks at a time when its rated capacity is only 200. The checkpoint is designed to handle 900 motor cars a day. On 28 April it accommodated 1000 either side. The same situation was at the Lavoriskes-Kotlovka,” the Lithuanian official said.
In his words, besides the main reason for an increased flow of motor cars at the weekend, there were also other reasons. Poland has recently lowered the number of heavy haulers (over 12 tonnes) able to cross its border. Apart from that this country reduced the amount of fuel allowed for being carried across the border in fuel tanks. Therefore many large goods vehicles have been forced to go to Poland via the Belarusian-Lithuanian border.
The Lithuanian side acknowledges that there has been a temporary failure in the operation of check systems for third-country visas, which also contributed to lengthy delays at the border. - History buffs gather in Lithuania to retrace Napoleon’s disastrous retreat
Napoleon’s soldiers at the
Vilnius’ Old Town Hall, 1812.
History buffs from the Netherlands and other European countries have gathered in Lithuania to retrace Napoleon’s disastrous retreat from Russia 200 years ago.
The enthusiasts, decked in period costumes and strolling alongside Napoleon-era carriages, attracted large crowds of onlookers Friday in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.
Read more…
- SWEDBANK:
Raised growth forecast for Lithuania but no switch to Euro until 2015
Estonia’s economy will probably expand 4.2 percent next year, compared with a January forecast of 4 percent, the bank said in an e-mailed report today. Latvia’s economy may grow 3.5 in 2013, while Lithuania’s gross domestic product may expand 4.3 percent, it said.
The bank also raised Latvia’s 2012 growth forecast to 2.5 percent from a previous estimate of 2 percent, the report said.
Swedbank also said Lithuanian chances to qualify for euro adoption as planned in 2014 have “significantly narrowed” because of consumer-price growth. The country is more likely to switch currencies in 2015, it said. - Invest Lithuania:
Lithuania among the most attractive destinations for shared services and BPO
Former British Ambassador to Lithuania, Mr Simon Butt and Lithuanian Ambassador to the UK, Dr. Oskaras Jusys
Global Shared Services industry experts named Eastern and Central Europe as a most attractive destination for Shared Services (SS) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) for businesses that are looking to relocate their operations to more competitive locations.
Experts from the UK and the United States gathered to share views on current trends in the global shared service and BPO industry at a reception hosted by Invest Lithuania, at the new premises of the Lithuanian Embassy in London on April 17.
Associate Director and Corporate Location Consultant of Jones Lang LaSalle, Mr. Alex Ash noted that businesses are rebalancing their business services portfolios globally. Ms Cynthia Pasky, founder, president and CEO of Strategic Staffing Solutions (S3), highlighted that People, Price and Proximity are key criteria for relocating operations. She remarked that rising labour costs, retention, quality, and distance to client, both cultural and physical, have emerged as factors challenging Asia’s traditional advantages as a destination for relocating services centres.
Mr Adrian Hall, Strategic Lead at Barclays Bank PLC, noted that Barclays Bank initially planned in 2010 to recruit around 250 employees for its strategic IT engineering centre in Lithuania, but has since taken on some 700 IT professionals. He said Barclays is very satisfied with the great talent pool, cost-effectiveness and the geographical and cultural proximity of Lithuania to the UK.
The former British Ambassador to Lithuania, Mr Simon Butt and the Lithuanian Ambassador to the UK, Dr. Oskaras Jusys, agreed that with its highly skilled and multilingual talent, low operating costs, physical and cultural proximity to Western and Northern Europe, Eastern Europe is emerging as a strong competitor with Asia in terms of attracting Shared Service as well as BPO investments.
 |
VilNews Notes & Photos For messages, pictures, news & information |
 |
VilNews Forum For opinions and discussions |
USA and the relationship between the Lithuanian-Americans and their homeland will be
substantially covered in our VilNews editions during April and May. Feedback from you,
dear readers, is very much wanted! Go to SECTION 11 – LITHUANIA IN THE WORLD
Juozas Ambrazevicius – Brazaitis is no hero
Thu, 17th May, 2012 - Posted by | (0) Comment
 Darius Udrys |
 |
Opinion: Darius Udrys
If there’s one thing civilized people should all be able to agree upon, one would think that it would be not to make heroes out of Nazi collaborators. Yet here in Lithuania we are about to witness just such a moral travesty.
Somebody apparently decided it would be a good idea to move the remains of Juozas Ambrazevicius-Brazaitis, acting prime minister of Lithuania during the first months of the Nazi occupation, from the United States to Lithuania. Buried previously in Putnam, Connecticut, he has been exhumed and will be reinterred in Kaunas this Sunday with as much fanfare as can be mustered among the clueless and the callous.
Ambrazevicius-Brazaitis is no hero.
- Bookmark :
- Digg
- del.icio.us
- Stumbleupon
- Redit it
Thu, 17th May, 2012 - Posted by | (0) Comment
Member of Parliament Petras Gražulis:
Let’s chase ambassadors
and gays out of Lithuania
Juliaus Kalinsko
„15 minučių“ photo / Petras Gražulis
By: Eglė Digrytė / 
/ 15min.lt
Lithuanian MP Petras Gražulis, who has earned notoriety for his homophobic statements and a police record for his behavior during a Gay Pride event in Vilnius in 2010, has made another stunt right in the Parliament building.
On Wednesday, Gražulis turned up at a press conference – attended by LGBT rights advocates and foreign ambassadors – and burst out with comments on necrophiliacs and zoophiles, insults at foreign ambassadors, and declarations that all gay people should leave the country.
The press conference was held on the eve of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO). It was organized by Marija Aušrinė Pavilionienė, social democratic MP, and Lithuanian Gay League (LGL), LGBT-rights NGO. It was attended, among others, by Dutch ambassador Kornel Willem Spaans, US Embassy Policy and Economics Department head John Finkbeiner, Amnesty International representative Helle Jacobsen.
- Bookmark :
- Digg
- del.icio.us
- Stumbleupon
- Redit it
Nazi – not Nazi?
Tue, 15th May, 2012 - Posted by | (0) Comment
Juozas Ambrazevičius or Juozas Brazaitis
The controversial case of Juozas Ambrazevius Brazaitis' (1903-1974) remains being returned to Lithuania for re-burial this week
Juozas Ambrazevičius or Juozas Brazaitis was a Lithuanian literary historian, better known for his political career and nationalistic views. He was acting Prime Minister of the Provisional Government of Lithuania, the so-called Nazi puppet government, from 23 June 1941 to 5 August 1941.
He later joined an anti-Nazi movement, until he escaped from Lithuania by the end of WWII.
A document by the US Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, from January 1975, states that Brazaitis was removed from the list of Alleged Nazi War Criminals and that further investigations had been stopped. But Efraim Zuroff, leader of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Israel, says: "At the time the Americans didn't have the data that clearly point to his connection to the Nazis and to anti-Jewish violence." Here is a copy of the 1975 document...
- Bookmark :
- Digg
- del.icio.us
- Stumbleupon
- Redit it
Should there be gay parades in Lithuania?
Mon, 14th May, 2012 - Posted by | (0) Comment
In 2010 the Lithuanian Attorney General's Office insisted security was the only reason it had asked the court to annul a license for what would have been Lithuania's first gay pride march in Vilnius. "Whose fault would it be if anyone gets hurt? It might look like we are homophobic, but I am not sure if we'd look better with pictures of violence on TV," Attorney General Raimundas Petrauskas said. He believed radical and violent groups are organizing protests and provocations against the participants of the gay march.
 Irene Simanavicius, Toronto, Canada |
Today homosexuality is discussed everywhere we go. It is shown through the television, movies, and books. Being a Homosexual in today’s society comes with many hardships. Although it has been more frequently discussed and talked about, there is always discrimination. Types of discrimination towards someone’s sexual preference are name-calling, hate crimes, firing from a job, violence, murders, and vandalism of property. Unfortunately, when you are not part of the norm you are picked on and discriminated against. Homosexuality is becoming a more common and open thing but it still has people disagreeing with its moral values. Homosexuality has many issues that It has to face in the future. As a society today, we will have an open mind to homosexuality but there will always be discrimination by someone, somewhere. |
 Viktorija Ruškulienė, New Jersey, USA |
“Lithuania has a great distance to walk towards democracy. Cases presented to court cannot be used as a statistical data, as the Lithuanian judicial system is corrupt and not working in many cases, people do not resolve their problems by law, as it’s done in other European countries. For example, police will not assist street or domestic violence incident until a murder or serious injuries take place. The rape victim has to have two witnesses of the “rape in action”, otherwise the case will be dismissed (my friend was in this unfortunate situation: raped by a policeman and had no witnesses).She was told that case will never reach the court.” |
- Bookmark :
- Digg
- del.icio.us
- Stumbleupon
- Redit it
Global Baltic ‘family reunion’ in Chicago
Mon, 14th May, 2012 - Posted by | (0) Comment
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, who traces his roots to Lithuania, spoke on the
topic of “the unbreakable U.S.-Baltic partnership,” and referred to
the conference as “a family reunion.”
Photo: Jurgis Anysas.
By Ellen Cassedy
“The Global Baltics: The Next Twenty Years” was the subject of the 23rd biennial conference of the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (AABS). The conference took place April 26-28 at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
“We are truly the global Baltics,” said Robert Vitas, chair of the Chicago-based Lithuanian Research and Studies Center, in an opening address. “Wars, migrations, and deportations have wrenched our people beyond our national boundaries. Lithuania is home in our hearts, but the countries of the diaspora are also home.”
- Bookmark :
- Digg
- del.icio.us
- Stumbleupon
- Redit it
Fri, 11th May, 2012 - Posted by | (0) Comment
Rimgaudas "Rim"
Vidziunas
“The LT government didn’t call to say they love me.”
This was the headline of an article we brought earlier this week, about Rimgaudas "Rim" Vidziunas in Arizona, USA. Rim and many other American-Lithuanians have been doing much to keep the memory of Lithuania alive. When I asked if he ever heard from the Lithuanian authorities, he told me that no one from the homeland had ever told him or other refugee children that they are loved by the ancestral homeland, that they are welcome back now that the communism yoke is lifted off.
It seems, unfortunately, that today’s Lithuanian leadership has not done much to restore contact with this most valuable of all resources, namely its own people around the globe – the diasporas.
And even worse is that when these 'refugee children' are trying to make contact with Lithuanian leaders themselves, they will very often not even receive replies.
Sadness pit dug even deeper.
Here a couple of emails we received some time ago, from two American-Lithuanians born in their home country before the war:
____________________________________________________________________
Sending e-mail to LT is
like sending it to the black
hole of the universe
Vytautas Sliupas
Dear Aage:
Lithuania's business people and government officials are yet to learn the necessity of good communications. Without a two way communication there is no possibility for further contacts. One of the most frustrating experiences I had was in e-mail (before that it was in regular "snail mail") communications. I would write and write but receive no reply (with only a few exceptions).
When I was working, our management had a rule - "answer all letters received in not more than three days. If there is no answer to be given, than at least acknowledge the receipt".
One of my American colleagues, who was sincerely trying to help Lithuania, said "Sending e-mail to Lithuania is like sending it to the black hole of the universe. Everything goes one way and nothing comes back".
No wander he is now disenchanted and helping others.
Vytautas Sliupas, P.E.
www.aukfoundation.org
Burlingame, California
____________________________________________________________________
"Dummheit und Stolz
wachsen auf einem Holz"
(Pride and ignorance are akin)
Stan Backaitis
Dear Aage,
Several months ago I had arranged a visit between the minister of energy and a CEO of an important nuclear reactor manufacturer. The meeting was supposed to be for the benefit of the minister on information of what is forthcoming in the future, particularly in small reactors and the possibility of establishing a European affiliate of the company in Lithuania.
The minister graciously extended an invitation to the CEO, but the minister's secretariat refused to extend even the slightest courtesy to this visit, such as picking up the visitor from the airport and transporting him to the meeting, setting up a meeting agenda, or even providing to the visitor's office the address of the ministry. They claimed that this was just another sales visit, and the visitor should take care of everything on his own. As a result the CEO canceled the meeting and eventually went to London. The European affiliate was established in the UK. Thus through such arrogance another opportunity was lost.
There is a lot truth in the German proverb "Dummheit und Stolz wachsen auf einem Holz".
Best regards,
Stan Backaitis
Washington, USA
- Bookmark :
- Digg
- del.icio.us
- Stumbleupon
- Redit it
Tue, 8th May, 2012 - Posted by | (0) Comment
Craving for a barbeque
on a Lithuanian lakeside
Text: Saulene Valskyte
Dark gray days and cold nights are finally over and spring/summer has made its way back to Lithuania. Just a few weeks ago you still could've found some remains of snow, but now the sun made her way back and it looks that everybody became happier over night.
After a long rainy autumn and an even longer cold dark winter, people were praying for spring to come back and when it did it looks like everyone is trying to catch up on all summer activities on the very first weekend.
Lakes take the biggest role in Lithuanian summer. Over winter everyone is just craving for barbeque on a lakeside and we do make sure that the very first summery sunshine will be welcomed somewhere in nature enjoying good weather and šašlykai*. Even when the weather is still quite chilly and only dropping clues about upcoming spring fills streets with bicycles and relaxed pedestrians, it looks like for months and months people were waiting for a chance to get out of their homes and finally they get the possibility to do that. In a matter of days parks fill up with lovely couples, young families and youth playing ball, cards or just chilling on barely sprouted grass.
- Bookmark :
- Digg
- del.icio.us
- Stumbleupon
- Redit it
Tue, 17th April, 2012 - Posted by | (0) Comment
USA and the relationship between the Lithuanian-Americans and their
homeland will be substantially covered in our VilNews editions during the
month of April. Feedback from you, dear readers, is very much wanted!
Go to SECTION 11 – LITHUANIA IN THE WORLD
Click on the READ buttons below to access the articles:
1
|
 |
Healing the wounds between
|
| 1.1
|
 |
“I am very pleased to see this intra-Lithuanian forum open up and give vent to these prejudices we have about each other” |
2
|
 |
The President and the World-Lithuanians on collision course? |
3
|
 |
A native American
|
| 3.1
|
 |
“There are significant cultural differences between LT-Americans and Lithuanians that grew up in the Soviet Lithuania” |
| 3.2
|
 |
“My impression is that many of us Lithuanian-Americans have thought about the possibility of retiring in Lithuania” |
4
|
 |
The Knights of Lithuania keep on fighting |
5
|
 |
Lithuanian ‘egg art’ on the Martha Stewart Show |
6
|
 |
Hordes of Lithuanians came to Pennsylvania to work in coal mines |
7
|
 |
Son of a Lithuanian coal miner |
8
|
 |
Easter and more –
|
9
|
 |
We will never forget or underestimate the role of Lithuanian Americans in our struggle for independence |
10
|
 |
Alexander & Ruth Bielaski
|
10
|
 |
TIME 1951: "The most invulnerable, most unfirable, most feared and most admired career woman in the U.S. Government." |
11
|
 |
Cultivating Lithuanian
|
12
|
 |
LT-American filmmaker
|
13
|
 |
Vanda’s story:
|
14
|
 |
Chicago 26 – 28 April:
|
15
|
 |
LT sportsmen in USA |
16
|
 |
Lithuanian-American Johnny Podres (1932-2008):
|
17
|
 |
Antanas Smetona:
|
18
|
 |
No flowers for Smetona |
19
|
 |
US-Lithuanian
|
20
|
 |
Would you like to join me to the Lithuanian Cultural Garden in Cleveland? |
21
|
 |
A visit to our Homeland
|
22
|
 |
Saluting the Lithuanians of Brockton, Massachusetts |
23
|
 |
Boston, Massachusetts,
|
24
|
 |
Boston Lithuanian Cultural "Subatvakaris" - 50 years |
25
|
 |
US-Lithuanian Jews
|
26
|
 |
“Why do you love
|
27
|
 |
Ona Šimaitė:
|
28
|
 |
Rūta Šepetys and
|
29
|
 |
What defines Lithuania?
|
30
|
 |
How Chicago became
|
| 30.1
|
 |
As vast as the waves of Lithuanian immigrants who crossed the ocean to start new lives thousands of miles from their native land |
31
|
 |
No LT leaders called
|
32
|
 |
Sending e-mail to LT is like sending it to the black hole of the universe |
33
|
 |
Should there be gay
|
34
|
 |
Global Baltic ‘family
|
35
|
 |
Nazi – not Nazi? |
36
|
 |
Juozas Ambrazevicius-
|
- Bookmark :
- Digg
- del.icio.us
- Stumbleupon
- Redit it
OPINIONS
Have your say. Send to:
editor@VilNews.com
- Look to Norway!
By Aage Myhre, Editor-in-Chief
When I came to Lithuania for the first time from my native Norway, more than 20 years ago, this country's political leadership was in the process of drafting the new law book that would be the legal framework for the modern democracy this country was supposed to become after all the years of Soviet occupation. Our small delegation from Norway suggested that one simply could translate our Norwegian legislation, of a free and functioning democracy, but Lithuania's politicians chose not to follow our advice, and used instead many years to develop their own laws. This country's leaders have, for better or worse, an extensive belief in their excellence and ability to reinvent the wheel even when it would have been so much easier to seek advice and help from good neighbours.
Read more… - Global financial meltdown? Not in Norway
After large deposits of gas and oil were discovered in the 1970s, Norway didn’t go on a spending spree, and channelled its revenues into a state investment fund (The Government Pension Fund). As of the valuation in June 2007, it was the largest pension fund in Europe and the fourth largest in the world. As of 31 December 2010 its total value is NOK 3,077 billion ($525 billion), holding 1 per cent of global equity markets. With 1.78 per cent of European stocks, it is said to be the largest stock owner in Europe. The government - with very few exceptions - can spend only four percent of those revenues annually.
Beyond its oil and gas revenues, strict banking regulations - tightened after a banking crisis in the early 1990s - shielded Norway from the credit crisis. Norwegian banks made loans wisely and stayed away from exotic investments and financial products over the past decade. “They (the United States) got all the bright guys to make all kinds of fantastic products. Very creative. And it turned out it was maybe not the best solution in the end,” Mr. Amund Utne, a director of Norway’s Finance Ministry, said, with typical Norwegian understatement. “I think Norwegian banks are not as creative. In this situation, it may be good to be somewhat boring.”
Norwegian unemployment rate remains stable, around 3,0%.
Norway has also been immune to the housing bubble. Housing prices are up. Consumption is up. Banks are lending normally to the household sector and interest rates are staying low. - No Lithuanian leaders called to say they
love me
Rimgaudas Vidzunas, Arizona
Rimgaudas Vidzunas’ story is similar to those of many other Lithuanian- American children who were born while their parents fled Stalin's Red Army.
Rim has been back in his parents' homeland and do much to keep the memory alive. Still it is with a certain soreness he answers NO when I ask if he ever heard from the Lithuanian authorities. Not a single letter, no phone call from the home country's leaders. No one from home has told Rim and many other refugee children that they are loved by the ancestral homeland, that they are welcome back now that the communism yoke is lifted off. It seems, unfortunately, that today’s Lithuanian leadership has not done much to restore contact with this most valuable of all resources, namely its own people around the globe.
Read Rim’s story HERE
and see also the below comments
___________________________
Rim, “We love you!”
Jenifer C. Dilis
Rim, "We love you!"
It may be from this complete stranger, but it is still genuinely sent...:)
Keep going back to Lietuva...Nothing is stopping you and "the others" from visiting.
I know NOTHING of politics, government policies, grudges held from one to another...
I DO know that we are all human beings who seek to belong, to fit in, to feel welcome.
IS there truly an unspoken disregard for "Displaced Lits" among those who stayed behind for whatever the reason?!?
I am confused...I am in love with MY Lietuva because it is the homeland of all four of my grandparents. I know they all were HERE in the US by 1930, when my parents were born. Does that mean that I should love MY Lietuva any less, if my grandparents were not there much past their own teenage years? And worse, does My Lietuva love ME less for this limited immediate linkage to it?!?!
I am suddenly saddened...
Sorry I went off track...I do that quite often...oops...:)
Rim, I love you....GO VISIT YOUR LIETUVA!!! :)
Jenifer C. Dilis,
Massachusetts
___________________________
Rim, You've helped create a real sense of unity among us
Boris Bakunas
DPs Rule! Thanks for starting this great thread of comments. You've helped create a real sense of unity among us. I can identify with everyone one of the comments posted, and I wish all of you well.
"My mom stepped off the ship in Boston with a suitcase in one hand and me in the other. Grandfather washed dishes at the Waldorf Hotel Cafeteria. When we moved to Chicago, we lived in a basement -- not a basement apartment, but a basement with a concrete floor, an iron-cast sink, and bed sheets hung on ropes to separate the sleeping area from where we ate."
So many of us have similar childhood memories.
So many of us worked hard, saved money, sent money to Lithuania just as soon as it was allowed, and bought our own homes. So many or us graduated college and earned higher degrees, or our children have.
So many of us finally got to reunited with those of our relatives who survived the Soviet occupation.
Good Wishes to All!
Boris Vytautas Bakunas,
Chicago - Craving for a barbeque on a Lithuanian lakeside
Read Saulene’s barbecue
article HERE - Dear Saulene, Very nice lyrical picture of spring and summer in Lithuania
Peter Modeen
Dear Saulene,
Very nice lyrical picture of spring and summer in Lithuania. We used to live with my wife in Vilnius for almost ten years and came to love the country very much. The lakes and the forests reminded us of our native country, Finland. I used to do orienteering with Lithuanian friends and the events often took place in the lake district. We have visited Lithuania several times since we moved to Costa del Sol in Spain in 2005. But the last time was two years ago and your story made me long for visiting your beautiful country soon again.
Peter Modeen
Spain - Your comment made me very happy :)
I'm very grateful for your comment, it made me very happy :) It's very nice to get a feedback on what you doing and especially such a great one.
Hope you'll be able to visit Lithuania as soon as possible :)
Saulene Valskyte - Have the conditions for the LGBT* community in Lithuania improved since 2010?
*LGTB = lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
Viktorija Ruškulienė
As we learned in 5-th grade of school: “a human is a social creature, typically living in small flocks, called families, surrounded by extended group, called society”. Some people choose to live alone or separated (less than 1%), but most seek happiness in relation and affection with other individuals. 49% of human nation are women and not all women will have children in their lives, and not all mothers will survive to see their children grow to adulthood. Nature programmed women to share their responsibility and happiness of raising offsprings with selected biological or non-biological group, called family. Children raised by public groups (when no constant caregiver participates in child’s upbringing) are called orphans and they experience great hardships in their lives. No human can survive without support and care of other human until adolescence (unless his name is Mowgli). In order to protect human survival Nature programmed us to experience greatest happiness by devoting ourselves to children, this period of life is called parenthood and most of humans do not have fulfillment in their lives without experiencing it. Each member of human society shall have a right to live in a family and experience parenthood, even if that person did not produce own biological offsprings. These rights can be altered by society only if person committed severe crime against human life or welfare. I do not know anyone, who rightfully shall be denied the right to get married or raise children, and I closely know people of many races, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Atheists, non-religious-non-atheists, most are heterosexuals, some homosexuals, few transgendered, some cannot have children and want to become parents, some had children and gave them up for adoption, most are parents and very happy about it, some are parents and never stop complaining about it, few decided not to have a partnership in life, most live with one partner, some are only happy with more than one partner, some live happily in partnership without sex, some believe that sex is a main thing in their lives, some talk about sex and show their sexuality publicly, some hide it and never talk about it – we are all humans, no group is better than other. If I’ll be in Lithuania next year in the summer, I’ll take my kids, and maybe some friends will join us as well, to march in a gay pride parade. And if there will be event to raise awareness of women and child abuse in Lithuania, I’ll be the first to attend.
Viktorija Ruškulienė
New Jersey, USA
______________________
Kenny Kaunas
Since I don't live in Lithuania, I have a question for those that do: Have the conditions for the LGBT community improved since 2010?
______________________
Aage Myhre Kenny, there are some points of hope. This is what the new Klaipeda Mayor said to me in an interview last year: "Opposite to any former mayors of Vilnius and Petras Gražulis himself, Klaipėda, and I personally, welcomes gay prides and gay communities. The whole idea of censorship is based on ridiculous logics, as psychologist O. Tapinas said once correctly “if you observe birds for a while you will become bird yourself”. I think we are talking about so called “10% society” and the rest 90% can’t be “persuaded” into homosexuality. Denial will only increase frustration in society." http://vilnews.com/?p=7374
______________________
Kenny Kaunas Sergey: I'm sure you're right. I know that there is an upcoming event, and I sincerely hope it goes well. The parade of 2010 was a blemish to say the least. For some reason I have a problem with the word "tolerance". Hopefully, people can accept the fact that people are BORN that way.
______________________
Kenny Kaunas Aage: It's nice to know that the current mayor is more progressive!
______________________
Aage Myhre I agree. And, in fact I think our constant pressure, from the www.VilNews.com, side for more normality and balanced understanding, begins to help a little bit...
______________________
Kenny Kaunas Absolutely, there are many people abroad who are concerned with this particular issue, as well as other issues. I still don't understand why the Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party exists. I read Vilnews every day, Aage. For someone who doesn't speak Lithuanian, it really helps to bridge the gaps. I thank you, and your contributors for keeping the various communities informed.
______________________
Kenny Kaunas Aage, there's no doubt in my mind that LGBT culture will integrate into Lithuanian society. I live in Toronto, which is probably one of the most multicultural cities in North America. I have many gay friends, and being a heterosexual male, I can walk into a gay bar and feel just as comfortable as I would in any other bar. There are radio stations and television channels dedicated to their community (which are accessible in Lithuania as well). I understand the psychological ramifications of 50 years of occupation can be quite damaging, but that cannot be an excuse for these displays of hatred. Lithuania is obviously very Catholic, but religion has no place in politics. I am by no means religious, and I really don't understand why it's so difficult to separate the two. It's an indoctrination of a belief system that marginalizes people who don't subscribe to that ideology. Yet, it has governing power. I can't even comment on the Neo Nazis. That's just too depressing. There was a time when Toronto had skinheads, many of them are now reformed, and many of them were beaten to death. Either way, nothing positive can come from hate en masse. Something needs to be done about that, yesterday.
______________________
Daiva Repeckaite Of course they would not prefer it in a more welcoming environment. But work is not only about getting hired and paid. It's also about informal communication, team-building trips, celebrating a successful end of a project with your team and all that. Your position and pay may be the same, but if colleagues feel uncomfortable sitting next to you in a sauna, or sleeping in the same tent, or feel awkward in your presence in general (and such ignorance CAN be expected, as many people don't realize that LGBT persons are not solely defined by their sexuality), you may want to conceal it 'for the peace of mind'. You may want to go for a drink with a same-sex colleague and don't have others giggling that it's a date.
And think about multisexuals - learning that their friend is 'undecided' about their sexual preference makes many people very, very uneasy.
Also, remember my comment about the president's electoral campaign.
______________________
Kenny Kaunas I understand your viewpoint. Ultimately, I think it's up to the individual whether or not they want to "out" themselves. If someone who's gay is comfortable enough with one of their colleagues, I don't see why they wouldn't mention it. Just because someone is openly gay, it doesn't mean the world has to know. Frankly, it's no-one’s business really. If someone tells you they're gay, they obviously trust you implicitly. It's extremely personal. If I told someone a personal story, I would assume they'd respect the fact that it was personal, and they'd know not to blab. However, the feeling of uneasiness is fear of the unknown. That has to be confronted in order to help foster acceptance and mutual understanding. I think "knowing your audience" is key. - As vast as the waves of Lithuanian immigrants who crossed the ocean to start new lives thousands of miles from their native land
Boris Vytautas Bakunas (left)
has much good to say about
Frank Passic’s “Chicago
article” here in VilNews
(See Section 11)
Dear Mr. Frank Passic,
How can I thank you for your article How Chicago Became Lithuania’s Second Capital?
Its scope is as vast as the waves of Lithuanian immigrants who crossed the ocean to start new lives thousands of miles from their native land. .
Until I read your article, I didn’t know that Bridgeport, the Chicago neighborhood, where I spend the happiest years of my childhood, is said to have gotten its name from Ansas Portas, who owned land on the south side of the Chicago River.
Nor did I know of the 18 men who were the first Lithuanians to set foot on Chicago as part of a railway crew. I can easily imagine the grime on their faces and their calloused hands as they trudged home to their families after toiling all day in the railroad yards.
Nor was I aware of the small token “chips” that struggling Lithuanian societies issued in order to raise meager sums to support the building of their cultural institutions. Those meager sums added up and helped pay for the bricks that built institutions where Lithuanians gathered to preserve their customs and worship in their native tongue.
Your article is a source of inspiration for all Lithuanians and their descendants. It shows how fiercely Lithuanian immigrants fought to preserve their cultural heritage. With little money but with great determination, they established organizations, published Lithuanian newspapers, built churches, schools, and centers of culture.
Read more… 
- No flowers for Smetona
Frank Passic
Ohio crypt holds remains of first Lithuanian President, yet he has been forgotten here in a Mausoleum tucked away in a Catholic Cemetery east of Cleveland, USA.
There are no flowers at his crypt, although the Mausoleum is filled with them on the vaults of others nearby. He was the President, yet you would not know that by reading the simple inscription found upon his nameplate. His image was on a coin, a banknote, various stamps and medals. Yet he has been forgotten here in a Mausoleum tucked away in a Catholic Cemetery east of Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Frank Passic
Albion, Michigan
To read the article CLICK HERE
Below: Comments to the article - You were too negative
Lith Klubas,
Cleveland, Ohio
|
Where people read |
300.000 persons in
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
VilNews e-magazine is published in Vilnius, Lithuania. Editor-in-Chief: Mr. Aage Myhre. Inquires to the editors: editor@VilNews.com.
Code of Ethics: See Section 3 – about VilNews. VilNews is not responsible for content on external links/web pages.
Advertisements: SEE SECTION 8 – HOW TO ADVERTISE IN VILNEWS.
All content is copyrighted © 2011. UAB ‘VilNews’.
Powered by Skubi.lt.