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Sat, 25th May, 2013 - Posted by - (2) Comment
EXPLORING EUROPE (2 of 10)
Switzerland & Italy
Today we start our little tour of Europe. Over the next few weeks, I invite you on a journey from north to south, from east to west. Some sections will dwell with history. Some withLithuanian contact points in various countries. I have travelled across here with camera andnotepad for nearly 40 years, and hope you will enjoy seeing and reading about some of my experiences. We start today's tour in Switzerland, and then continue to the south of Italy.
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SWITZERLAND
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The best known Lithuanian politician in Europea before 1916 I have come south in Switzerland, to the incredibly beautiful Lake Geneva. I sit on the lake bank in the picturesque Montreux town, knowing that only five kilometres from here lived the best-known Lithuanian political figure on the European scene 100 years ago. Juozas Gabrys (1880-1951) was his name. This extraordinarily active personality is today little known in Lithuania and other European countries, like many other thinkers who helped to shape today‘s Europe. Visionaries like Gabrys are often neglected by history, which would not have been the case had they become presidents of their countries. Historians remember Gabrys as the organiser of the four international conferences on Lithuania between 1916 and 1918 in Lausanne and Bern. He bought a farm here in the most romantic area of Switzerland, near the town Vevey five kilometres from where I’m sitting, a region where Victor Hugo, Dostoyevsky, Charlie Chaplain, Nabokov, and others also felt at home. |
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Vevey is, by the way, the town where Henri Nestlé in 1867 invented his now famous powdered milk and set up a company that was to develop into today‘s number one coffee and chocolate producer worldwide.
But back to Juozas Gabrys. In 1977, Alfred Erich Senn at University of Wisconsin, Madison, wrote a piece about him in the journal Lituanus, stating that Gabrys was a controversial figure in the history of independent Lithuania. He continues: “Since he died in 1951, I never had the opportunity to meet him. In 1957 my father and I visited his widow in Vevey, Switzerland. She received us in friendly fashion, gave me copies of several of his books, and even presented me with a file of five issues of Gabrys' newspaper, la Lituanie Independante.
On the other hand, she would not permit me to search through his papers. She looked through several files herself and insisted that the documents were too personal to turn over to me. Unfortunately, after her death, most of the archive was destroyed. Dr. Albertas Gerutis managed to save Gabrys' manuscript memoirs, "Tėvynės sargyboj," but the rest was lost. As a result, documentation of his career has to come from other sources.
Gabrys was undoubtedly the best known Lithuanian political figure on the European scene before 1916. He had been very active in Paris for several years, and he had established a number of friendships in French intellectual circles. He published memoirs, which appeared in French in 1920, described this phase of his work in detail, but one has to turn to his unpublished memoirs, now in Dr. Gerutis' possession, to get a clearer picture of his career after 1916 when he had begun to work with the Germans.
On August 1, 1919, Gabrys published the first issue of his newspaper La Lituanie Independante, which was aimed at discrediting Provisional Government in Kaunas. In the lead article, entitled "Our Aim," Gabrys proclaimed his desire to seek Lithuanian independence on good terms with all its neighbors. The keynote of the issue was his demand for the election of a Constituent Assembly. A report on the "Present situation in Lithuania" criticized the government as lacking "any support worthy of the name." Completing the first page was the text of an open letter to President Smetona, written in May, declaring that the government feared facing elected representatives of the people.
The issue continued with a "letter from Lithuania," decrying the power of German officials in the country and denouncing the subservience of the "Smetona clique." An anonymous report on "mass discontent in Lithuania" told of moves by the government against Vincas Bartuška and others of Gabrys' friends, and it declared that meetings of Lithuanian patriots were endorsing the sentiments of Gabrys' open letter to Smetona.
Read more at http://www.lituanus.org/1977/77_1_02.htm
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Winter carnival For many, Switzerland is probably more known as a winter wonderland than a summer destination. This is the country Lithuanians and many others prefer when they go on a ski holiday. One of my good winter experiences here took place some years ago when I celebrated 'Fasching (winter carnival)' in an inn outside the capital, Bern, in a half timbered ‘gasthaus’ with a large open fireplace, packed with partying Swiss this evening. All dressed in their national leather and homespun suits. High humidity. Much beer and powerful, heavy food. Switzerland is good in so many ways. Every season! |
Montreux
is beautiful!
A
stroll along the impressive lakeside promenade in Montreux at Lake Geneva.
ITALY
Management for Presidents. Villa d’Este, Lace Como, at the Swiss-Italian border
I prefer classical architecture. Modern buildings in glass and steel
rarely appeal to me. I see them
as cold, sometimes almost hostile. The
Renaissance style is the one I admire most. This
I understood already in my school years, when I sat up three days and nights to
write an essay about Michelangelo. The
man and his work was simply so fascinating that I could not sleep.
Italian Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475 - 1564), commonly
known as Michelangelo, was the very 'renaissance guru'; a painter, sculptor,
architect, poet and engineer. Only
Leonardo da Vinci can be compared. Strange,
by the way, that so many of the contemporary geniuses of those days were
multi-talented.
During my years as a business leader in Trondheim, Norway, I used some time to
read about leadership and management. The
course ended in May-June a year in the mid 1980s, and I set my course for Villa
d'Este on Lake Como in northern Italy. I
was going on one week's final course: 'Management Course for Presidents, a
Concentrated program of study in professional management for chief executives.'
We were three persons from Trondheim arriving at Linate Airport in Milan that
late May evening. Soon I was sitting behind the wheel of a rented car, a
blue-black Lancia Gamma. On the
motorway we were met by heavy lightning and thunder, the rain pouring. Police cars with flashing blue lights
driving slowly on the highways around Milan to get other cars to take it easy. Not always easy in Italy... The weather improved when we an hour
later, following the winding mountain roads, approached the hotel on Lake Como. Soon we come to a guard shelter with a
turnpike. The guard checked our
booking information, and not long after we parked outside one of the world's
most beautiful hotels - in an incredibly stunning setting on the hillside above
the lake. Later I was told that
the reason for placing the guard a full mile before reaching the hotel, was
that business people from Milan should be notified in time to get hidden mistresses
away in case the wives came for a hotel visit...
Villa d'Este was originally a privately Renaissance palace, built in the 1500s,
since 1873 a luxury hotel. We
were here for a week, going through a busy course agenda and enjoying nature,
luxury, in one of the world's most scenic areas.
The
Renaissance Palace Villa d'Este on Lake Como, between Italy and Switzerland,
is one of the world's finest hotels.
Foto: Italianvisits.com
Pisa, Central Italy
The leaning tower of Pisa.
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its Leaning Tower (the bell tower of the city's cathedral), the city of over88,332 residents (around 200,000 with the metropolitan area) contains more than 20other historic churches, several palaces and various bridges across the River Arno .
The city is also home of the University of Pisa, wooden has a history going back to the12th century and also has the mythic Napoleonic Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa and Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies as the best Superior Graduate Schools in Italy.
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The three Renaissance Capitals of the World!
Did you know that throughout the Renaissance period, when Italy was a trading centre and a melting pot for the world’s greatest civilisations, Vilnius also became a Renaissance centre, competing with Florence and Milan? The two great nations merged when Grand Duke Sigismund the Old (1467-1548) married the Princess of the Italian city of Milan, Bona Sforza, and returned to reign in and from Vilnius as the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The royal couple created an Italian community within the court and, under the influence of the new Grand Duchess, Italian culture became the preoccupation of the Lithuanian’ elite. This was at a time when Lithuania was Europe’s largest nation, stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. See http://vilnews.com/?p=326
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District of Tuscany – city of Florence
The
Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (English: Basilica of Saint Mary of the
Flower) is the cathedral church of Florence. The Duomo, as it is ordinarily
called, was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to the design of Arnolfo di
Cambio and completed structurally in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo
Brunelleschi. The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble
panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white and has an
elaborate 19th century Gothic Revival façade by Emilio De Fabris.
The
Palazzo Medici, also called the Palazzo Medici Riccardi after the later family
that acquired and expanded it, is a Renaissance palace located in Florence. The
palace was designed by Michelozzo di Bartolomeo for Cosimo de' Medici, head of
the Medici banking family, and was built between 1445 and 1460. The
House of Medici or Famiglia de' Medici was a political dynasty, banking family
and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de'
Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family
originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside, gradually rising
until they were able to found the Medici Bank. The bank was the largest in
Europe during the 15th century.
The
Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge") is a Medieval stone closed-spandrel
segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, noted for still having
shops built along it, as was once common. Butchers initially occupied the
shops; the present tenants are jewellers, art dealers and souvenir sellers. A curious
fact regarding the words bank and bankruptcy is that they derive from the
economic activity on Ponte Vecchio. The stand, or table, that held the
merchants goods was called a "banco" (“bench”). When a merchant was
no longer able to pay his taxes, his banco was literally broken or
"rotto" into pieces, therefore creating the term
"bancorotto" which translated into the word "bankruptcy" in
English.
A room with no view
A Room
with a View is a 1908 novel by the English writer E. M. Forster, about a young
woman in the repressed culture of Edwardian England. Set in Florence and
England, the story is both a romance and a critique of English society at the
beginning of the 20th century. Merchant-Ivory produced
an award-winning film adaptation in 1985. Our hotel room in Florence faced a house wall, a room with no view, but my daughter Cassandra was able to take reading light.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and commune, with over 2.7 million residents. The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy. Rome's history spans two and a half thousand years. It was the capital city of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, which was the dominant power in Western Europe and the lands bordering the Mediterranean for over seven hundred years from the 1st century BC until the 7th century AD. Since the 1st century AD Rome has been the seat of the Papacy and, after the end of Byzantine domination, in the 8th century it became the capital of the Papal States, which lasted until 1870. In 1871 Rome became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, and in 1946 that of the Italian Republic.
The
Trevi Fountain is a fountain in the Trevi district in Rome, Italy. Standing 26
metres (85.3 feet)
high
and 20 metres (65.6 feet) wide, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city
and one
of the
most famous fountains in the world.
The
Colosseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre, is an elliptical amphitheatre
in the centre of the city of Rome, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire.
It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman
engineering. Occupying a site just east of the Roman Forum, its construction
started in 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under
Titus, with further modifications being made during Domitian's reign (81–96).
The name "Amphitheatrum Flavium" derives from both Vespasian's and
Titus's family name (Flavius, from the gens Flavia).Capable of seating 50,000
spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public
spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of
famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to
be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for
such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a
fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.
One of
many fantastic nights in Rome. My kids simply loved them.
Gargano, South Italy, has the best beaches of the Mediterranean Sea!
Gargano
is a historical and geographical Italian sub-region situated in Apulia,
consisting of a wide isolated mountain massif made of highland and several
peaks and forming the backbone of the Gargano Promontory projecting into the
Adriatic Sea. The high point is Monte Calvo at 1,065 m (3,494 ft). Most of the
upland area, about 1,200 km2 (460 sq mi), is part of the Gargano National park,
founded in 1991. It is within the Italian Province of Foggia. My good friends
are running a motel & camping close to the Adriatic Sea. A paradise for
travellers!
The
coast of Gargano is rich in beaches and tourist facilities. Vieste, Peschici
and Mattinata are world-wide-famous seaside resort locations. The two major
salt lakes of Lesina and Varano are located in the northern part of the
peninsula. Monte Gargano is the site of the oldest shrine in Western Europe
dedicated to the archangel Michael, Monte Sant'Angelo sul Gargano. Today
tourism is thriving with several hotels and campsites, in particular along the
seaside of Marina of Lesina, give the possibility of staying in this suggestive
area. Tourist attractions include the cathedral, the episcopal palace, the
Abbey of Santa Maria of Ripalta and the volcanic rocks dating back to the
Triassic era, known as "Black Stones", as well as the Sanctuary of
San Nazario.
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I will always feel gratitude towards the
Pacilli family here in Gargano. They have taught me important things about friendship, companionship, food, Italian wine and the joy of a long meal among friends when darkness falls...
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Santa
Claus and Lithuania's Grand Duchess My years in Lithuania and my many visits to Italy have put a different and very special Christmas story onto my lap. Far south in Italy, a little south of Gargano, lies the city of Bari with its Cathedral Basilica di San Nicola, built between1087 and 1197. This church was erected over the remains of St. Nicholas (270-343). His relics were originally stolen from the city of Myra in today's South-west Turkey. When Myra in the 1000s was occupied by the Saracens, the Catholic Church saw this as an opportunity to move the saint's relics to a more friendly place. According to the justifying legend which was created, had the saint himself, |
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during a voyage from Myra to Rome, arrived at the port of Bari and then selected the city as his burial place. It came to great competition for the relics between Venice and Bari. The latter won and the relics were removed just below the nose of their Greek keepers and their Muslim masters. On 9 May 1087 the remains safely arrived in Bari. A crypt was immediately made for the remains of this important saint, and a new church was started built on top of the crypt. Pope Urban II was present at the consecration of the crypt in 1089. The church, which naturally carried the saint's name, was completed in 1197
460 years pass, and the Lithuanian Grand Duchess Bona Sforza, who is now the widow after Grand Duke Sigismund the Old, comes to Bari gets to collect the debt Spain's King Philip II has to her. Instead of receiving money as agreed, she was poisoned by the Spanish king's envoy and she dies here in Bari in the year 1557. Her sarcophagus was placed in the middle of the church. The Sforza family's role in Bari was very important, and it are no wonder that Bonas sarcophagus in the St. Nicholas Church to this day symbolizes and represents this role in a grand manner.
It was duchess Bona and her mother, Isabella d'Aragona, Princess of Naples, Duchess of Milan and Bari, who had undertaken the construction of the fort here in Bari. The fort still dominates today Bari's old town, but has now turned into a cultural centre in the midst of the imposing defensive bastions. The fort also houses a gallery of plaster casts and temporary exhibits of different character
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So here they lie, St. Nicolas who later became better known as Santa Claus, and Bona Sforza, the grand duchess who was also the mother of the last two representatives of Lithuania's famous Jagailo dynasty, Sigismund Augustus and Anna Jagiellon. With them came the 300-year dynasty of the House of Gediminas to an end, and today the world knows very little about the country that was once Europe's largest, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. And ironically enough, the relics of the woman who was such a leading symbol of Lithuania's greatness is to be found, not in Lithuania, but here in southern Italy - along with the remains of the symbol of today's Christmas traditions...
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Venice shows me that architecture first of all is about life
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Venice is a perfectly beautiful city. The smells, the sounds, the narrow alleys, canals, bridges. Place suddenly, often unexpectedly, opens as you go. The music, The gondoliers’ songs, vaparettos, taxi boats. I feel well. It is as if I'm in the middle of the very architectural being. I was once one of many who believed that architecture is primarily about buildings. Venice shows me that architecture first of all is about life. Our human life. How it is the architecture which gives us the framework and background for how best to walk, sit, eat, sleep, work, meet with others, experience beauty. I understand that the spaces between buildings are as important as the houses themselves. That the widths, heights, depths and connections between everything we surround ourselves with are important. The relationship between them. Interaction. Venice makes me feel that the physical is in total harmony with life itself. Also the spiritual. It is as if the body, intellect and spirituality converge. I feel an intense happiness. Maybe this town is the world's leading symbol of what an architect should strive to achieve in his work. Maybe it has something to teach us about ourselves. About how important it is to think holistically, holistic in the way we plan our environment and our lives. "A great architect is not made by way of a brain nearly so much as he is made by way of a cultivated, enriched heart," said the famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Venice tells me that he is right. One does not become a good architect, no matter how much knowledge is acquired, without having talent and an inner inspiration that drives one to draw very good environment for real people interacting with each other. Empathy. Synergy. Proximity. Emotions. In a living symbiosis. |
“Form follows function - that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union,” says Llloyd Wright also. He emphasizes that "Art for art's sake is a philosophy of the well-fed." "Get the habit of analysis -analysis goodwill in time enable synthesis two Become your habit of mind. All fine architectural values are human values, else not valuable, "he concludes. Venice is to me proof of that.
Venice taught me to look behind facades. It was here it first dawned on me that it is the human that
is good architecture's true nature. The architect's task is to create inspiring framework that promotes,
does not conflict with or interfere with human activity. I start taking pictures of people
and situations, more than of buildings.
Photo: Aage Myhre, 1974.
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Venice is an outstanding symbol of life itself...
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Venice has been known as the "La Dominante", "Serenissima", "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water", "City of Masks", "City of Bridges", "The Floating City", and "City of Canals". Luigi Barzini described it in The New York Times as "undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man". Venice has also been described by the Times Online as being one of Europe's most romantic cities. The city stretches across 117 small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy. The saltwater lagoon stretches along the shoreline between the mouths of the Po (south) and the Piave (north) Rivers. The Republic of Venice was a major maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and a staging area for the Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto, as well as a very important center of commerce (especially silk, grain, and spice) and art in the 13th century up to the end of the 17th century. This made Venice a wealthy city throughout most of its history. It is also known for its several important artistic movements, especially the Renaissance period. Venice has played an important role in the history of symphonic and operatic music, and it is the birthplace of Antonio Vivaldi.
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Thu, 23rd May, 2013 - Posted by - (3) Comment
EXPLORING EUROPE
Join me on my journey to 26 European countries!
TOUR GUIDE: Aage Myhre, VilNews editor-in-chief
aage.myhre@VilNews.com
Early morning at Costa Blanca, Spain's White Mediterranean coast.
Text & photos: Aage Myhre, VilNews editor-in-chief
The more I travel around the world the more I realise that I am European. Although I have had good, close friends and have experienced extraordinary things in all corners of the world. Maybe my mind is not sufficiently exotic. That's ok. I have grown older now. Driving a car is the best way to experience Europe. Lithuania's border crossings to Latvia and Poland is no problem anymore. Within a day's drive you can reach most of the northern and central European countries. One more day and you can already stand and look out over the warm, slow waves of the Mediterranean Sea...
Over the next few weeks VilNews will present some glimpses of Europe ... A Europe that is now so close to everyone... The Iron Curtain is gone, forever...
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Exploring Europe |
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Switzerland & Italy |
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Along the Riviera |
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From Strasbourg to London |
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Austria & Germany |
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Finland & Scandinavia |
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En route Warsaw - Budapest |
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Moscow and further east |
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The Baltic Hanseatic route |
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Istanbul |
1 of 10: Exploring Europe
I love old towns. No matter how good a new suburb is. I, and many with me, prefer the old towns. It has something to do with the atmosphere. Details, ornaments. Human life. Sound and smell. Warmth. Joy.
Europe is the 'old town' of the entire world!
I think it primarily is about culture and history. All that Europe is so infinitely rich on. It is something about that feeling. The idea and the knowledge of the Roman Empire every time I'm in Rome. Recognition every time I visit a museum or gallery and see the many art treasures I feel is a part of my European self.
It is more to Europe I never get tired of. For example, being able to walk, touch, feel, smell. Being a tourist here is like walking on the world stage as it has provided the basis for so much over thousands of years. Fortunately, European leaders long ago realized that the human being is more important than cars. Take
Strøget in Copenhagen, bike paths in Holland and promenades along pretty much all The Mediterranean sea-coast as good examples of this.
Europe means walking around on cobbled streets. Between historic buildings.
To see. Listen. Experience. Feel. Smell. Like here in Florence.
Venice is my favourite European spot...
A stroll along the impressive lakeside promenade in Montreux at Lake Geneva.
Vienna, home of Freud and the Strauss family.
The Renaissance Sukiennice building is the central feature of the Main Market Square in Kraków Old Town.
Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.
Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė on a two-day state visit to Norway in 2011. The President was officially
welcomed at the Royal Palace, where she met with King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway,
Crown Prince Haakon and his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and Princess Astrid.
Photo: www.president.lt
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Sun, 12th May, 2013 - Posted by - (0) Comment
Section Editor
AAGE MYHRE
Norwegian. VilNews Editor-in-Chief. Has lived in Lithuania for almost 20 years. He holds a Norwegian M.Sc. of Civil Engineering (dept. of Architecture), and has 35 years of experience as a journalist and editor.
POSTGRADUATE: Architectural Psychology, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France (1982). MISCELLANEOUS COURSES: Management for Presidents, Psychology, Sociology, Marketing and Politics.
Aage Myhre has been actively involved in Lithuanian affairs since 1990 within politics, business, new investments, media, architecture and general development of the country. He is one out a handful Norwegians, among them also a former Norwegian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, having received the Lithuanian Prime Minister’s special award for support to Lithuania in 1990-91 and for later outstanding contribution to the bilateral cooperation between the two countries. If you want to contact him, please do so at aage.myhre@VilNews.com
His web page is www.VilNews.com
VLADAS LASAS
CEO/Founder of Skubios siuntos UAB Kaunas & UPS/Lithuania. Vladas Lašas studied, lectured and did research on Computer Vision at Kaunas University of Technology. He holds doctorate in Computer Science. He presented results of his research at conferences in Japan, USA, Germany, Russia and other countries. He is co-founder and/or co-owner of several companies in Lithuania, including: UPS Authorised Service Contractor in LT - Skubios siuntos UAB, Elinta UAB - Industrial and Power Plant Automation, Elinvision UAB - Computer Vision R&D, and Globaltus UAB - Global e-Commerce. Vladas is a TED Conference member and one of the 32 TED Patron’s worldwide. He is an investor in sustainable & renewable energy projects in Europe through GRE Holding. His area of interest includes innovation in technology, education and society. He actively take part in projects run by AmCham, The British Council, Save The Children, Rotary Club, universities and other organisations. He likes jogging, trekking, bicycling and adventure. If you want to contact him, please do so at vladas@ups.lt
His web page is www.ups.lt
GIEDRIUS SABALIAUSKAS
Attorney at Law. International development consultant and investment adviser with over 10 years of professional experience. Specializing in investment management, advice on investment climate improvement, PPP and infrastructure regulatory aspects. Over 5 years of ongoing focused experience in advising businesses, governments and municipal authorities on the regulatory frameworks for the establishment, management and operations of the Industrial/Special Zones and related PPP/management models. Recent development missions: Lithuania (2004-2007), Yemen (2008), Serbia (2008-2009); The Gambia (2009-2010). Over 5 years experience in managing and supervising investment projects in Lithuania (services, real estate, manufacturing) If you want to contact him, please do so at giedrius.sabaliauskas@siplaw.lt
His web page is www.siplaw.lt
DIANA KOVAL
A student of history at the Vilnius University (3rd year). She had been volunteering for VEKS projects (Vilnius – European capital of culture 2009). Currently - a member of initiative group at the Foreign Lithuanian students’ club and a member of Sakura club. Also, she is an intern for VilNews e-magazine.
Web page: www.VilNews.com
E-mail: diana.koval@VilNews.com
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Sun, 12th May, 2013 - Posted by - (0) Comment
Section Editor
VIN KARNILA
Vin Karnila is a Lithuanian American from the Boston area of Massachusetts. His professional background includes more than thirty years in the automotive industry including twenty years as an international management consultant and trainer. Vin has lived in Lithuania since 2004 and is the owner of BalticValue.com which offers items from the Baltic’s and Tarptautinis English which is an English language training and editing service. You can contact Vin at: vin.karnila@VilNews.com
His web pages are:
www.balticvalue.com
www.VilNews.com
TOMAS VENCLOVA
Born in Klaipeda, Lithuania, Mr. Venclova now resides in the United States. His education includes a Diploma in Philology from Vilnius University, Graduate Study at Tartu University and a Ph. D. from Yale University. Mr. Venclova’s professional experience includes positions as professor and lecturer in the fields of language and literature at Yale University, UCLA, Ohio University, University of California Berkeley, and Vilnius University. His fields of specialization and teaching are Russian, Polish and Lithuanian language and literature and Semiotics and literary criticism. His honors and awards include the International literary prize Vilenica, numerous Doctor honoris causa, Lithuanian National Prize, New Culture of New Europe Award and Baltic Star Award. Mr. Venclova has authored in various languages over 200 publications and 9 books in the scholarly field and 52 books of poetry and essays. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomas_Venclova
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Sun, 12th May, 2013 - Posted by - (0) Comment
Section Editor
GENE EMMER
Dr. Gene Emmer is a physiologist and an MBA. After an international career in the pharmaceutical industry which gave him the opportunity to live and work in several different countries, Gene developed the European distribution network for an American manufacturer of wheelchairs. He then founded a company manufacturing innovative wheelchair accessories which he sells from his wheelchair www.NewDisability.com website. He also runs a wheelchair www.WheelchairPride.com blog. Gene lives in Lithuania with his wife and young son.
AUDRIUS SIMAITIS
Mr. Simaitis graduated from the Medical Faculty of Vilnius University in 1990 and completed advanced training in Cardiology in 1994. In 1995 his family moved to Klaipeda and he became a member of a team that established modern Cardiology services in Western Lithuania. Currently he works as Consultant Cardiologist at Royal Cornwall Hospital, United Kingdom.
His blog link is http://simaitis.lt/
Email: nemanius99@gmail.com
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Fri, 8th February, 2013 - Posted by - (0) Comment
Author Ellen Cassedy
soon on tour in Lithuania
Ellen Cassedy, author of
We Are Here: Memories of the Lithuanian Holocaust
Dear Friends,
I will be traveling to Lithuania for the launch of the Lithuanian edition of my book, We Are Here: Memories of the Lithuanian Holocaust.
The Lithuanian edition, Mes esame čia: Atsiminimai apie holokausta Lietuvoje, will be published by Media Incognito in a beautiful translation by Rasa Krulikauskienė.
For those of you in Lithuania, I’m delighted to invite you to attend these events. For those not in Lithuania, I would be grateful if you could pass along this information to anyone who would be interested in attending:
Thursday, February 21, 2013, 5:30 p.m. (17:30)
Tolerance Center, Naugarduko g. 10/2, Vilnius
Saturday, February 23, 2013, 12 noon
Book presentation, Lithuanian edition of We Are Here
Vilnius Book Fair, LITEXPO, Laisves pr. 5, Vilnius
I will also be speaking in
- Kaunas,
- Kedainiai,
- Siauliai,
- Panevezys,
- Rokiskis
between February 25 and March 6.
For information about those events, please email SidrysI@state.gov or telephone +370 5 266 5453.
Thank you – aciu!
All the best,
Ellen Cassedy
--
Ellen Cassedy
ellen@ellencassedy.com
www.ellencassedy.com
Author of We Are Here: Memories of the Lithuanian Holocaust
(University of Nebraska Press, March 2012)
For updates about We Are Here, sign up for my mailing list or follow me on Facebook or twitter. See my new YouTube video.
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Tue, 29th January, 2013 - Posted by - (1) Comment
Lithuanians
in the World
VilNews will from time to time present Lithuanians who have left the home country and made some kind of career abroad. We are this time not so much looking for celebrity articles, more for some unusual life stories describing Lithuanians who have settled somewhere in the world. Send us your story!From Vilnius University
to modeling in Milan
Giedrė Jotautaitė, Milan, Italy
I'm from Vilnius, born and raised here. I finished school in Vilnius and afterwards I studied Business Information Management at the University of Vilnius. Two years ago, the university required us to have practice from a business, and as I have always wanted to travel more, I decided to practice outside Lithuania. I had a friend in Italy who helped me to find a company where I could do this. So I filled in all the papers and participated in an Erasmus practice competition, and won! Afterwards I came to live in Milan. I chose Italy for many reasons: Milan has always been the centre of fashion, attracting many people from all over the world. I love Italian climate, food, their basic outlook on life and ability to do less than what is needed and not be punished. Italy has everything – mountains, sea, culture and architecture, beautiful history ... They have very good taste for living, which includes everything: from clothes to where to go on vacation.
When I participated in the Erasmus programme I fell in love with an Italian guy, at first I thought it would be just a game, but after that it became a really beautiful, lasting thing.
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I came back to Lithuania after Erasmus to pass exams in Vilnius University and after I finished I thought I would go back to Italy just for the summer, but time goes very fast and I'm still here. I began working as a hostess at the Rho Fiera Milano, where I helped in the Expo for different brands and companies to sell their products and attract new businesses. The new Milan Fair Rho Pero is one of the largest fairground world-wide with 8 large pavilions for indoor exhibitions and 60,000 m² for outdoor exhibitions. Now I have a contract with a Slovenian company called Carbonin which produces carbon parts for motorcycles, so I go to all the expo and motorcycles races around Italy and Switzerland with them. I am sort of the company “face”, somewhat difficult to explain. I also do some modeling work thought these years, working for Corvino diamonds, and was the cover girl for car magazine (see picture below). Social life here in Italy is very important. Normal people go for aperitifs with friends to share the news of the day. Italians do not say much, but at home they are more open people. In my spare time I like to go out dancing in the clubs. This is my passion, without it cannot live :) In Vilnius I finished dance school, and now I miss dancing a lot. |
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I know that Italy is the place where I live, the country that I love and enjoy very much, but Vilnius will always be my hometown and Lithuania will always be my country and I will definitely come back. I think this is the case for most people who left their homeland; that parts of their hearts always will want to go back to where they were born, a place they understand all the jokes people are telling, where they know the culture and where the parents live.
As I said, I do very well in Italy, but in my plans, it is always a place for Lithuania. Now with some friends who are business partners, we are working to open an e-shop, www.adoro.lt. With all my heart I’m looking to find the activity that can help me spend half of my time here in Lithuania, where all my friends and family are.
And I can say that the last government and some intelligent people have made it easy to do business here, for example; from September last year it’s possible to open a "mazoji bendrija", which offers a very interesting option. In Lithuania we have e-signature, we have wireless networks in every public place you go so we try to look ahead and that’s a wonderful thing. Lithuania has a lot of intelligent people who might go abroad then get some practice and then come back to do Lithuanian life better.
As I see it, Lithuania is doing pretty good if I compare with Italy where you now can feel the crisis more. Strikes and incredible taxes, every day new laws, which modifies a prior completely... And now Berlusconi seems to be making a comeback… In Italy there are a million people and businesses not paying taxes and the government is trying to stop this in the most amazing ways.
Lithuania is tackling this in a much better way. My Italian boyfriend says that if it continues like this we will come to live in Lithuania :) So I cannot wait.
I come to Lithuania to see my parents and friends every month, and every morning I read the news from Lithuania. I especially like www.ekonomika.lt and also www.VilNews.com.
Now it’s also possible to join the VilNews Facebook Forum where people share information and news. I want to say thank you to Aage Myhre for his patience and time in searching such interesting information and give the rest of us a chance to know this too.
Best wishes and kisses,
Giedre :)
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Tue, 13th November, 2012 - Posted by - (0) Comment
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November/December
2012
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KAUNAS IN FOCUS 24 NOVEMBER – 26 DECEMBER 2012 |
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PRELIMINARY
LIST OF TOPICS:
|
Sat |
About Kaunas, |
- Visit Kaunas during Advent! |
Hotel: |
|
Wed |
- Innovative Kaunas |
My Kaunas: Vladas Lasas |
- Free Economic Zone |
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Sat |
- Rich cultural life - Čiurlionis Museum, movie etc |
- Kaunas Filharmonija |
Jazz |
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Wed |
Education & Science |
My Kaunas: Virginijus Kundrotas |
- Vytautas Magnus University |
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Sat |
Kaunas Old Town |
My Kaunas: Edmundas Kolevaitis |
Restaurants & Nightlife |
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Wed |
Business in Kaunas |
My
Kaunas: Romas Bričkus, |
Kraft Jacobs |
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Sat |
Sporty Kaunas |
- Basketball |
- Kaunas Sports Hall from 1939, Europe’s first basketball
arena |
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Wed |
- Political Kaunas: |
My Kaunas: Mayor interview |
Interwar presidents: |
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Sat |
Christmas traditions in Kaunas |
My Kaunas: Vytautas Valaitis |
Christmas Tree made of cones |
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Wed |
- Jewish Kaunas |
My Kaunas: Irena Veisaite (a Kaunas Ghetto survivor) |
Chiune Sugihara, |
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Thu, 1st November, 2012 - Posted by - (0) Comment
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OPINIONS
Have your say. Send to:
editor@VilNews.com
Egidijus Aleksandravičius
(b. 1956) - Lithuanian historian, assistant Ph.D., professor.
New association for Lithuanians living here and abroad?
Dalia Cidzikaite
Too many things that concern us, Lithuanian citizens, are decided not by us but by Lithuanian government, says Egidijus Aleksandravičius. That is why he is proposing to establish an association which will try to know better Lithuanians living abroad. The idea was presented during the seminar at VMU Lithuanian Emigration Institute on May 17, 2013. I am sure we will hear about it more in the future.
__________________________ Comments from our:
Facebook
Forum
Linas Johansonas Don't we already have an "association" that represents Lithuanians abroad: World Lithuanian Community (Pasaulio Lietuviu Bendruomene)?
Dalia Cidzikaite As far as I can tell, the goal of a new association would be not to represent Lithuanians living abroad, but to know them better.
Vijole Arbas as it is the World Community does not pay taxes to Lithuania, thereby crippling the country. Do we really need to know more?
Linas Johansonas Vijole Arbas: while the world community doesn't pay taxes to Lithuania, it does give Lithuania lots of money via: visiting Lithuania, sending money to family, financially supporting various charity organizations, buying Lithuanian products ....etc.
Jon Platakis Vijole Arbas, I have no idea why you are so divisive when it comes to the world Lithuanian community. As Linas Johansonas so succinctly mentioned, take away our tourism, the money we send, and support of charitable organizations, and Lithuania would re...See More
Algimantė Danilaitė Vijole, some lithuanians in Lithuania does not pay taxes too. I don't care if some of lithuanians lives abroad, it's their personal choice. I really appreciate all the efforts to make Lithuania better country. Jon Platakis well said about working together. Sometimes I feel that some of lithuanians really likes to bite each other.
Vijole Arbas I am weary of the increasing burden. More responsible citizens lightens the load for everyone. I do get angry about that. The World Community demands privileges but does not carry any burden of responsibility.
Boris Bakunas Scolding people is an ineffective way of encouraging them to do what you want. Strong people resent being told what they must do. I believe Lithuanians have proved that during their centuries-long fight for freedom.
Lithuania has signed many conventions with other countries banning double taxation. They are readily available on the internet for anyone wishing to take the trouble of googling the key words "Double Taxation Lithuania."
And why should anybody pay taxes to a government rife with corrupt politicians?
Almost all the Lithuanians I know have been sending money to their Lithuanian relatives since Krushchev allowed correspondence between Lithuanians at home and their families abroad. We thought of many ingenious ways of concealing the money so that it would not be stolen by corrupt postal officials. I won't reveal the methods used, because even today such theft occurs.
Instead of complaining, why not praise the work done by such organizations as Lithuanian Mercy Lift. Praise is a much better teacher than blame.
http://www.lithuanianmercylift.org/
VilNews must be one of the absolutely better magazines in Europe, well written and with excellent photos. Be proud!
Ivar Enoksen, Norway
Ivar Enoksen has many years experience of working in the Norwegian press, television and movie industry. He got the Norwegian Amanda Award for the series manuscript ‘Nattseilere’ (Night sailors). Enoksen has done extensive historical research related to the Arctic areas. He is represented with fiction in several anthologies, and has in recent years also worked as a teacher of film dramaturgy. In 2007 Enoksen published the book 'Tusen glemte menn og historien om den virkelige James Bond' ' (Thousand forgotten men and the story of the real James Bond).
Two new
VilNews editors!
We are pleased to announce that VilNews has got two new skilled Associate Editors, Dalia Cidzikaite and Daiva Repečkaitė. We can say with certainty that they are going to mean a lot for our worldwide, online e-publication and the accompanying wonderful network of global readers with Lithuania in their hearts. Please welcome them! See also our Section 2 and Section 3.
__________________________
Eugene Rangayah
Welcome! Looking forward to some great editorials!
Vytenis Folkmanas
welcome !!!
Dalia Cidzikaite
Thank you! We will do our best!
Algis Ruksenas
Sveikinu nuosirdziai ir linkiu visakeriopos sekmes!
Ingrida Bublys
Silciausi sveikinimai!
Teresa Boguta
sveikinimai Dalia ! Sekmes ir kurybingu metu!
Ben Kordell
Sveikinu Dalia. Viskas bus okee dokee.
Kestutis Stanciauskas
Sveikinu!!!
Dalia Cidzikaite
Ačiū visiems už sveikinimus.
Healing the heart and soul of Lithuania
By Ida Hardy, Texas, USA
Lithuania is my mother’s country. She escaped with her mother and sisters as a young child and at one point in her life she wanted to return. It seemed to me that she heard the whispers from the wind in the forests and they were calling her home. My mother taught us a little about the folk tales and the music. She taught us to meditate and a little bit about yoga and I wanted to learn more about her childhood home. But the Soviets were still reigning and it was impossible for us to go. Later, as we cried on the phone on that day in 1991 I asked her if she would like to return and she said, “You can never go back. Things are changed so much.”
Her message was about more than the structure of her home and the murder of her father. She was really talking about the broken spirits of all the people who were victims, those who were aggressors, and those who were both. There is no going back. No one can undo the evil that has taken place anywhere on the planet throughout time.
is.
Read more...
__________________________
Gordon Ross So... The Soviets are gone.... Why are you still in Texas?
Aage Myhre Ida Hardy, I think
Gordon Ross (from Scotland but already half Lithuanian), has a good point
Ida Hardy I think it's a good question...not sure I have a good answer.
Virginia Shimkute warmer in Texas is a good reason !
Ida Hardy One year I should go in July or August when it is too warm here.
Felicia Dalia Prekeris Brown I also escaped from the Soviets arriving in Lithuania (for the second time) in 1944, and I also dreamt of forests and streams from my childhood. Luckily, I've gone back over and over since we regained independence: mostly because nowhere can I get the real CEPELINAI except in Lithuania! Something about the potatoes from that black soil!
Ida Hardy Felicia Dalia Prekeris Brown have you written your story? I want to know what your life was like and what happened to you - and if you have a nice recipe for cepelinai?
Boris Bakunas @Gordon Ross. I have a good answer. Because in the free world, people have the right to live where they want. Let us remember that our wishes are not commands that others must obey.
Felicia Dalia Prekeris Brown Ida - I actually have written down the story of our family's existence under Soviets and Nazis (1939-1945), our harrowing escape from Lithuania with the Soviets at our heels, life in the DP camps... It's at the publisher's now and should be coming out this summer: called "God, Give Us Wings." I see that many of us in sunset years are setting down the history we lived before it all fades into oblivion.
Boris Bakunas @Felicia Dalia Prekeris Brown. Yes, we are. It's so important for our children and children to know what our families endured. It can be a source of strength in times of hardship. Whenever something unfortunate happens to me, I automatically say, "This is nothing compared to WWII."
Ida Hardy I will read it. I think it was too difficult to talk about and my mother didn't give too many details. She was maybe 9 when they fled. So much suffering and for so long. I don't blame her for avoiding the subject.
Boris Bakunas My family rarely spoke about the events of World War II as well. It took a lot of research to find out even the little I have learned. Some memories are so painful that people want to bury them. I believe, however, that we are better off if we face time. In time, they cease to have a hold on us. How else can we become free?
Bernard Terway We can go back a lot further than WW2 to find Lithuanians who left but were still afraid to talk about where they came from. To this day, I have no idea where my grandparents came from n Lithuania. They wold not talk about it for fear of being sent back and forced into the Russian army, I suspect.
Ida Hardy Yes, facing your fears is important but I think so many people need help in order to do it in a productive way so that they move through the difficulty instead if getting caught up in the resentment, anger, fear and stopping there. Long-held and tightly-held anger is a burden.
Felicia Dalia Prekeris Brown Ah those difficult memories! I was lucky: I TAPED my parents reminiscing about the years from 39 to 45, and they also wrote down some things to give me a good timeline. I was 7 in 1945 and remembered events but not the sequence. I also had many documents and letters: thank God my father had the soul of an archivist! Thus I had a stack of materials to guide me.
Ida Hardy And thank God your father lived to tell! God bless you for doing the work.
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