THE VOICE OF INTERNATIONAL LITHUANIA
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Archive for December, 2011
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No people No problem: "The Baltic Tigers" false prophets of economic austerity
By Prof. Jeffrey Sommers and Prof. Arunas Juska and Prof. Michael Hudson
The Baltic states have discovered a new way to cut unemployment and cut budgets for social services: emigration. If enough people of working age are forced to leave to find work abroad, unemployment and social service budgets will both drop.
This simple mathematics explains what the algebra of austerity-plan advocates are applauding today as the “New Baltic Miracle” for Greece, Spain, and Italy to emulate. The reality, however, is a model predicated on economic shrinkage as a result of wage cuts. In the case of Latvia, this was some 30 percent for Latvian public-sector employees (euphemized as “internal devaluation”). With a set of flat taxes on employment adding up to 59% in Latvia (while property taxes are only 1%), it would seem hard indeed to present this as a success story.
But one hears only celebratory praise from the neoliberal lobbyists whose policies have de-industrialized and stripped the Baltic economies of Lithuania and Latvia, leaving them debt-ridden and uncompetitive. It is as if their real estate collapse from bubble-level debt leveraging that left their basic infrastructure in the hands of kleptocrats, is a free market success story.
What then does a neoliberal “free market” mean?
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Russia’s once apolitical youth has taken to the streets of Moscow and launched the largest demonstrations since the collapse of the Soviet Union
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Demonstrators march in Moscow / AP
MOSCOW, Russia -- Shortly after seven on Tuesday evening, at the protest against the government of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Moscow's central Triumfal'naya Square, about a mile north of the Kremlin, protesters chanted, "Down with Putin!" "Putin Get Out!" "Russia Without Putin!" and, most ominously in a country where the only real leader is a strong leader, "Putin is a Coward!"
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Vilnius’ mayor cracks down on beggars and givers
Why are beggars despised?"A beggar, looked at realistically, is simply a |
 George Orwell |
By George Orwell
It is worth saying something about the social position of beggars, for when one has consorted with them, and found that they are ordinary human beings, one cannot help being struck by the curious attitude that society takes towards them. People seem to feel that there is some essential difference between beggars and ordinary "working" men. They are a race apart--outcasts, like criminals and prostitutes. Working men "work," beggars do not "work"; they are parasites, worthless in their very nature. It is taken for granted that a beggar does not "earn" his living, as a bricklayer or a literary critic "earns" his. He is a mere social excrescence, tolerated because we live in a humane age, but essentially despicable.
Yet if one looks closely one sees that there is no essential difference between a beggar's livelihood and that of numberless respectable people. Beggars do not work, it is said; but, then, what is work? A navvy works by swinging a pick. An accountant works by adding up figures. A beggar works by standing out of doors in all weathers and getting varicose veins, chronic bronchitis, etc. It is a trade like any other; quite useless, of course--but, then, many reputable trades are quite useless. And as a social type a beggar compares well with scores of others. He is honest compared with the sellers of most patent medicines, high-minded compared with a Sunday newspaper proprietor, amiable compared with a hire-purchase tout--in short, a parasite, but a fairly harmless parasite. He seldom extracts more than a bare living from the community, and, what should justify him according to our ethical ideas, he pays for it over and over in suffering. I do not think there is anything about a beggar that sets him in a different class from other people, or gives most modern men the right to despise him.
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Why are beggars despised?
"A beggar, looked at realistically, is simply a businessman, getting his living"
George Orwell (Eric Blair)
1903-1950
Best known for his novels Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-four (1949), George Orwell (pseudonym of Eric Arthur Blair) was one of the most notable political writers of his day. The following short piece has been drawn from Chapter 31 of Orwell's first book, Down and Out in Paris and London (1933), a semiautobiographical account of living in poverty in both cities. Though the word "beggars" is rarely heard nowadays, the "ordinary human beings" he describes are, of course, still with us.
By George Orwell
It is worth saying something about the social position of beggars, for when one has consorted with them, and found that they are ordinary human beings, one cannot help being struck by the curious attitude that society takes towards them. People seem to feel that there is some essential difference between beggars and ordinary "working" men. They are a race apart--outcasts, like criminals and prostitutes. Working men "work," beggars do not "work"; they are parasites, worthless in their very nature. It is taken for granted that a beggar does not "earn" his living, as a bricklayer or a literary critic "earns" his. He is a mere social excrescence, tolerated because we live in a humane age, but essentially despicable.
Yet if one looks closely one sees that there is noessential difference between a beggar's livelihood and that of numberless respectable people. Beggars do not work, it is said; but, then, what is work? A navvy works by swinging a pick. An accountant works by adding up figures. A beggar works by standing out of doors in all weathers and getting varicose veins, chronic bronchitis, etc. It is a trade like any other; quite useless, of course--but, then, many reputable trades are quite useless. And as a social type a beggar compares well with scores of others. He is honest compared with the sellers of most patent medicines, high-minded compared with a Sunday newspaper proprietor, amiable compared with a hire-purchase tout--in short, a parasite, but a fairly harmless parasite. He seldom extracts more than a bare living from the community, and, what should justify him according to our ethical ideas, he pays for it over and over in suffering. I do not think there is anything about a beggar that sets him in a different class from other people, or gives most modern men the right to despise him.
Then the question arises, Why are beggars despised?--for they are despised, universally. I believe it is for the simple reason that they fail to earn a decent living. In practice nobody cares whether work is useful or useless, productive or parasitic; the sole thing demanded is that it shall be profitable. In all the modem talk about energy, efficiency, social service and the rest of it, what meaning is there except "Get money, get it legally, and get a lot of it"? Money has become the grand test of virtue. By this test beggars fail, and for this they are despised. If one could earn even ten pounds a week at begging, it would become a respectable profession immediately. A beggar, looked at realistically, is simply a businessman, getting his living, like other businessmen, in the way that comes to hand. He has not, more than most modern people, sold his honor; he has merely made the mistake of choosing a trade at which it is impossible to grow rich.
(1933)
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The other dream team
New film about Lithuania’s 1992 basketball team
The Other Dream Team is a documentary film directed by Marius A. Markevičius (picture). The inspirational story of the 1992 Lithuania national basketball team and their incredible journey from the clutches of Communism to the Summer Olympics in Barcelona. It stars many famous basketball persons like Yao Ming, Arvydas Sabonis, David Stern, Jim Lampley, Bill Walton, Šarūnas Marčiulionis, Paul Gasol and others. The film should be released in 2012.
When you hear the words "dream team" the names such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Scottie Pippen come to your mind. That's the squad of USA national team in Barcelona Olympic Games 1992. But that wasn't the only team in Barcelona which deserves the title "dream team". The other dream team was Lithuania.
The moment of Lithuania returning to the world's basketball family and instantly winning bronze in the Olympic Games was a unique moment in the history of basketball, memories of which brings NBC Sports Broadcaster Jim Lampley to tears. The full movie features many basketball legends such as Bill Walton, Šarūnas Marčiulionis and more.
TalkBasket.net presents you the trailer of the new documentary by Marius A. Markevičius called "The other dream team". Enjoy the video.
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Lithuania cracks down on beggars and almsgivers
ASSOCIATED PRESS: A coin tossed into a beggar's hat in Vilnius can be costly charity.
Lithuania's capital recently introduced a ban on panhandling that not only punishes those who beg but those who give, with fines of up to 2,000 litas ($770).
Outraged rights groups say the ban spells misery for the needy in one of Europe's poorest countries, as winter kicks in and economic turmoil spreads across the continent. Like other European Union nations, Lithuania has been implementing severe welfare cuts that promise to hit the homeless hard.
"Begging is a human right," said Linas Kukuraitis, director of the Lithuanian chapter of Catholic charity group Caritas. "It was there long before cities emerged. There have always been those who begged and those who helped them."
But Vilnius Mayor Arturas Zuokas says the ban will help beggars to find more sustainable ways to make a living.
"Giving money to people on the street is wrong," Zuokas said. "By doing this we doom them to stay there forever."
The ordinance took effect last week, but local police in Vilnius are not issuing fines just yet. Instead they are handing out cards to beggars with addresses and phone numbers of charities and homeless shelters. Stricter enforcement is expected to begin in January.
The mayor himself rode his bicycle on the cobblestone streets of the medieval city center on Sunday, looking for violators of the ban. Zuokas made a splash on YouTube earlier this year by riding an armored personnel carrier over a luxury car as a publicity stunt for his crackdown on illegal parking.
"You are doing the wrong thing by giving them money," Zuokas told a Polish tourist who dropped coins in an old man's hat. "If you really want to help them, it is better to give food or give to charity."
He said there are plenty of homeless shelters for the poor in Vilnius, "but they stay on the streets because it is a kind of business."
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Twenty years post Soviet
Confidence in democracy and capitalism wanes...
Two decades after the Soviet Union’s collapse, Russians, Ukrainians, and Lithuanians are unhappy with the direction of their countries and disillusioned with the state of their politics. Enthusiasm for democracy and capitalism has waned considerably over the past 20 years, and most believe the changes that have taken place since 1991 have had a negative impact on public morality, law and order, and standards of living.
There is a widespread perception that political and business elites have enjoyed the spoils of the last two decades, while average citizens have been left behind. Still, people in these three former Soviet republics have not turned their backs on democratic values; indeed, they embrace key features of democracy, such as a fair judiciary and free media. However, they do not believe their countries have fully developed these institutions.
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Numerous warning lights – but who cares?
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We mention below three very distinct warning lights that Lithuanian authorities and control bodies should have reacted to long ago. These three are just the tip of the iceberg. There are many, many more...
WARNING LIGHT 1:
THE BRITISH FINANCIAL SERVICE USED STRONG WORDS ABOUT SNORAS BANK ALREADY 2 YEARS AGO
In 2009 the now nationalised Snoras bank applied to the British Financial Services Authority (FSA) to operate in the UK. The FSA refused permission to conduct business in the UK because the bank repeatedly gave “misleading and incomplete” answers to the regulator. These included failing to mention that it had been refused permission to take retail deposits in Russia and had been fined by the Lithuanian banking regulator. The FSA also attacked the record of Bankas Snoras’ largest shareholder and chairman of its supervisory board, Vladimir Antonov, whom it accused of withholding information. “These failures are not an isolated instance but are examples of an ongoing pattern of behaviour by institutions controlled by Mr Antonov,” the FSA said. These comments must have been known by the Lithuanian Central Bank (Lietuvos bankas) already by then. Why didn’t they react? And why didn’t Ernst & Young, Snoras’ auditor, react? The audit company is now conducting an internal investigation about its previous audits at the bank, but shouldn’t such an important investigation be done by a neutral party? We do, after all, talk about a scandal that will have a very negative impact for the economy of the country and its people…
Read more:
http://bnn-news.com/antonov-jailed-10-years-lithuania-3-years-latvia-41956
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-12-02/lithuania-borrowing-costs-to-surge-as-snoras-boosts-debt.html
WARNING LIGHT 2:
 The new Lithuanian parliament hall. |
 Irena Degutiene |
LITHUANIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS ARE AMONG THE BEST PAID IN THE ENTIRE EUROPEAN UNION!
BALTIC TIMES had an interesting article this week, telling that the Lithuanian parliamentarians’ 2,000 euro salary per month is at the bottom of the list of European legislator pay, but with all parliamentary allowances, benefits and salaries summed up, the entitlements skyrocket, catapulting Lithuanian legislators to a level with an average salary, on par with the very top of the best paid elected officials in the entire European Union, up to 10,000 euro per month!
“To be honest, I have never been aware of such benefits, even when I stayed at the wheel of the parliament. The Labor Party, whose deputy chairman I am now, stands for cutting down the excessive parliamentary benefits. However, I do not think this Seimas will have the guts to cut the fruitful branches it sits on,” Arturas Paulauskas, the former chairman of Naujoji Sajunga (New Union) and deputy chairman of the Labor Party presently, said to The Baltic Times.
The mid-November parliamentary deliberations over the draft on Parliamentarians’ Activity Guarantees have shown that Lithuanian legislators are far from considering any constraints on their lavish parliamentary incentives – the draft has been rejected and sent for improvements.
“I am really surprised by the legislators’ decision. Frankly, I thought the bill, upon introduction, with certain amendments and improvements would be passed. To reject it the way the parliamentarians did, walking out before the crucial vote or abstaining during the vote, means withdrawal from solving the problem. I do not know whether the politicians who voted against the bill, or simply walked out before the vote, will seek a new Seimas tenure next year. If yes, it means they are willing to further traipse in the mud we have all been stomping in so long and tediously,” Irena Degutiene, chairwoman of the Lithuanian Parliament, said with unusually strong words to express her angst.
Degutiene, nevertheless, is hopeful in bringing the revised and supplemented bill for the MPs in spring 2012. “I hope that common sense will prevail and we pass the law,” she said.
Unlike in Lithuania, in the other two Baltic countries MP salaries are recalculated every year, and politicians receive parliamentary activity compensation for transport, office, representation and professional training. In that regard, Estonia has set it such that this kind of compensation cannot exceed 30 percent of the parliamentary salary, which is 3,353 euros.
Read more:
http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/30094/
WARNING LIGHT 3:
 |
 |
LITHUANIA HAS NOW EU’S WIDEST WEALTH GAP AND HIGHEST POVERTY RISK
Lithuania’s austerity measures, which are similar in size to those facing Greece, boosted income inequality to the widest in the European Union.
The CHART OF THE DAY in a BLOOMBERG article this week shows how the proportion of people at risk of poverty in Lithuania surged to the highest level among the bloc’s 27 members after state spending was cut. The lower panel shows the gap between the nation’s highest and lowest earners is the EU’s widest after budget savings hurt the poor.
Lithuania implemented austerity measures equal to 12 percent of gross domestic product in 2009-2010. Pension cuts may be reversed after the economy grew 6.7 percent in the third quarter, the second-fastest pace in the EU. Greece, where GDP contracted 5.2 percent in the same period, is in the midst of budget cuts worth 16 percent of economic output, data from the International Monetary Fund show.
“The blow was very painful to the poor,” said Vilija Tauraite, an economist for SEB Bank in the capital, Vilnius. “Lithuania’s fiscal discipline has been extremely severe in the past three years and it’s now crucial to ease the burden because these people are hanging on the precipice of poverty. Their quality of life is far worse than the situation of pensioners in southern Europe.”
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Numerous warning lights – but who cares?
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We mention below three very distinct warning lights that Lithuanian authorities and control bodies should have reacted to long ago. These three are just the tip of the iceberg. There are many, many more...
WARNING LIGHT 1:
THE BRITISH FINANCIAL SERVICE USED STRONG WORDS ABOUT SNORAS BANK ALREADY 2 YEARS AGO
In 2009 the now nationalised Snoras bank applied to the British Financial Services Authority (FSA) to operate in the UK. The FSA refused permission to conduct business in the UK because the bank repeatedly gave “misleading and incomplete” answers to the regulator. These included failing to mention that it had been refused permission to take retail deposits in Russia and had been fined by the Lithuanian banking regulator. The FSA also attacked the record of Bankas Snoras’ largest shareholder and chairman of its supervisory board, Vladimir Antonov, whom it accused of withholding information. “These failures are not an isolated instance but are examples of an ongoing pattern of behaviour by institutions controlled by Mr Antonov,” the FSA said. These comments must have been known by the Lithuanian Central Bank (Lietuvos bankas) already by then. Why didn’t they react? And why didn’t Ernst & Young, Snoras’ auditor, react? The audit company is now conducting an internal investigation about its previous audits at the bank, but shouldn’t such an important investigation be done by a neutral party? We do, after all, talk about a scandal that will have a very negative impact for the economy of the country and its people…
Read more:
http://bnn-news.com/antonov-jailed-10-years-lithuania-3-years-latvia-41956
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-12-02/lithuania-borrowing-costs-to-surge-as-snoras-boosts-debt.html
WARNING LIGHT 2:
The new Lithuanian parliament hall. |
Irena Degutiene |
LITHUANIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS ARE AMONG THE BEST PAID IN THE ENTIRE EUROPEAN UNION!
BALTIC TIMES had an interesting article this week, telling that the Lithuanian parliamentarians’ 2,000 euro salary per month is at the bottom of the list of European legislator pay, but with all parliamentary allowances, benefits and salaries summed up, the entitlements skyrocket, catapulting Lithuanian legislators to a level with an average salary, on par with the very top of the best paid elected officials in the entire European Union, up to 10,000 euro per month!
“To be honest, I have never been aware of such benefits, even when I stayed at the wheel of the parliament. The Labor Party, whose deputy chairman I am now, stands for cutting down the excessive parliamentary benefits. However, I do not think this Seimas will have the guts to cut the fruitful branches it sits on,” Arturas Paulauskas, the former chairman of Naujoji Sajunga (New Union) and deputy chairman of the Labor Party presently, said to The Baltic Times.
The mid-November parliamentary deliberations over the draft on Parliamentarians’ Activity Guarantees have shown that Lithuanian legislators are far from considering any constraints on their lavish parliamentary incentives – the draft has been rejected and sent for improvements.
“I am really surprised by the legislators’ decision. Frankly, I thought the bill, upon introduction, with certain amendments and improvements would be passed. To reject it the way the parliamentarians did, walking out before the crucial vote or abstaining during the vote, means withdrawal from solving the problem. I do not know whether the politicians who voted against the bill, or simply walked out before the vote, will seek a new Seimas tenure next year. If yes, it means they are willing to further traipse in the mud we have all been stomping in so long and tediously,” Irena Degutiene, chairwoman of the Lithuanian Parliament, said with unusually strong words to express her angst.
Degutiene, nevertheless, is hopeful in bringing the revised and supplemented bill for the MPs in spring 2012. “I hope that common sense will prevail and we pass the law,” she said.
Unlike in Lithuania, in the other two Baltic countries MP salaries are recalculated every year, and politicians receive parliamentary activity compensation for transport, office, representation and professional training. In that regard, Estonia has set it such that this kind of compensation cannot exceed 30 percent of the parliamentary salary, which is 3,353 euros.
Read more:
http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/30094/
WARNING LIGHT 3:
|
|
LITHUANIA HAS NOW EU’S WIDEST WEALTH GAP AND HIGHEST POVERTY RISK
Lithuania’s austerity measures, which are similar in size to those facing Greece, boosted income inequality to the widest in the European Union.
The CHART OF THE DAY in a BLOOMBERG article this week shows how the proportion of people at risk of poverty in Lithuania surged to the highest level among the bloc’s 27 members after state spending was cut. The lower panel shows the gap between the nation’s highest and lowest earners is the EU’s widest after budget savings hurt the poor.
Lithuania implemented austerity measures equal to 12 percent of gross domestic product in 2009-2010. Pension cuts may be reversed after the economy grew 6.7 percent in the third quarter, the second-fastest pace in the EU. Greece, where GDP contracted 5.2 percent in the same period, is in the midst of budget cuts worth 16 percent of economic output, data from the International Monetary Fund show.
“The blow was very painful to the poor,” said Vilija Tauraite, an economist for SEB Bank in the capital, Vilnius. “Lithuania’s fiscal discipline has been extremely severe in the past three years and it’s now crucial to ease the burden because these people are hanging on the precipice of poverty. Their quality of life is far worse than the situation of pensioners in southern Europe.”
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Land of smiles or tears?
In a recent issue of VilNews I wrote that I do not share the pessimists gloomy predictions for the world's future, as I think the crisis is part of a necessary cleansing process. I am optimistic because I see that a whole new type of people is coming. New leaders. Many of today's children and young people.
What I see is forward-looking youngsters with good balance within themselves and their 'other dimension'; their divine origin.
I believe that ‘The land of smiles’ is under development. That new kids, a new human type, seem to have come to Earth with a special mission: to assist the Earth and its inhabitants in the transition and the 'rebirth' as a planet with higher awareness and better interpersonal understanding.
Aage Myhre
Editor-in-Chief
Go to Section 5 to read more…
You are all welcome to participate in the discussion!
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Many believe that we will be entering the Age of Enlightenment within the next five years… Others believe that we have already begun to make this transition
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Jurate Kutkus Burns
This week in the Friday News Minute we look at Conscious Leadership in article from Lisa Berg, a colleague and friend, and President of Global Bridge Productions. Lisa’s article highlights an important part of our workplace transference from the Information Age to the Age of Consciousness, also called the Age of Enlightenment. Many believe that we will be entering this next evolutionary stage within the next five years…others believe that we have already begun to make this transition.
The time has come for us to move past the illusion of separateness
Conscious leadership calls for inclusivity, multidimensionality, intergenerational and interdisciplinary focus and common experience that goes beyond boundaries of rank, belief systems or nationality and touches the core of who we are.
What can we do to reach this level of inner and outer harmony that comes through collective efforts rather than conflict? What do wisdom traditions offer that is relevant in our modern world?
Listen from the heart to what has meaning and lead from there. As a cross-cultural consultant I work with hundreds of corporate employees working internationally.
Rather than judge one another, we teach our clients to go beneath the surface of a behavior that differed from their own to find deeper meaning. This led to under-standing and acceptance, more productive negotiations and perhaps even a shared knowing.
For example, when a Japanese business man is silent, it is wise to note that the Japanese listen to the ‘hara’, the belly, for information rather than use superfluous words and explanations. Not rushing into an answer is wise. We can learn from each other, if we take the time to slow down enough to listen.
Appreciate what I call the Three Points of Connection: Nature, Humanity and Universal Wisdom. In the beautiful rice fields of Bali, Indonesia stands a shrine. The farmer is reminded of his connection to his fellow human beings, to Nature and to the Spirit world. The Balinese give offerings throughout the day to the Gods. The peacefulness in the air is palpable. There is a feeling of generosity and oneness. And lots of smiling.
When leaders and citizens remember to appreciate the Three Points of Connection, everything else will fall into place. We will know, from deep within, that to care for our environment is not only a privilege but natural because as we care for the earth we care for ourselves. We will know that going beyond boundaries of difference and age-old conflict enables us to make peace with our neighbors and co-create a world where children live happily and healthfully. And, when we return to source as the partner in creating our world, we will not falter in our ability to move towards a positive future that is inclusive of all sentient beings, as the great mystical traditions teach.
Creating a harmonious and inclusive future takes a village.
Gather small groups in your organization and begin to listen deeply to each other. Better yet, take a walk outside and commune with Nature. Give thanks for the beauty that surrounds you and take time to smell the roses. All things will go smoother from there.
Jurate Kutkus Burns,
Florida.
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Creating a better image of Lithuania in the world
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Let me express my warmest greetings for such a wonderful job. I’m sure it will contribute a lot to creating a better image of Lithuania in the world. We really needed something like this long ago.
Kristina Lukošiūtė, Lithuanian Business Confederation | ICC Lithuania
Director of Corporate Affairs
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New flights between Moscow and Vilnius
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Transaero Airlines will operate its flights to Vilnius Airport with Boeing 737-500 aircrafts.
More and more people fly between Russia and Lithuania, and now there will be more seats and new flights.
New Russian flights from Vilnius to Domodedovo Airport are scheduled four times a week – on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The flight duration to Moscow is 1 hour 40 min.
Initially Transaero Airlines will operate its flights to Vilnius Airport with Boeing 737-500 aircrafts providing passengers with a choice of three classes: Business class, Premium Economy and Tourist Economy.
Transaero Airlines is the first and currently the largest private carrier in Russia. Transaero’s fleet consists of 73 aircrafts. According to the German Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Center (JACDEC), the company ranked in the top 10 safest carriers among the world's 60 largest airlines. Transaero serves 116 routes in Russia, Europe, Asia, Africa and America.
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A new Iron Wolf
howling over Vilnius
Vilnius’ new Iron Wolf, on top of a nicely renovated building within the Vilnius Railway Station area.
K.Slade/A.Myhre.
There is a legend that surrounds the founding of Vilnius in 1323. The legend has it that Grand Duke Gediminas went on a hunting trip in the holy woods of the Valley of Sventaragis. Tired after a successful day of hunting, the Grand Duke settled for the night near a hill at the convergence of the Neris and Vilnia rivers. He fell asleep soundly and had a dream. A huge iron wolf was standing on top of the hill and the sound of hundreds of other wolves inside it filled all the surrounding fields and woods. After the hunting trip, Gediminas went back to Trakai (the capital of Lithuania at that time) and consulted the pagan priest (oracle), Lizdeika, to reveal the secrets behind the dream. And the priest told him: “What is destined for the ruler and the state of Lithuania, let it be: The iron wolf means a formidable castle and town which will be established by the ruler on this site. The city will stand as strong as iron and its walls will protect the land from its enemies. The massive sound dwelled inside the wolf, symbolized the fame of the city shall echo beyond their borders and proclaim throughout the centuries the glory of Lithuania.” Gediminas heeded and pleased with the priest’s reveal of his dream. He begin to summon artisans and craftsmen around the country and Europe to design and construct his new strong and beautiful kingdom, which would surround this hill where he had the dream of the iron wolf. Upon the completion Gediminas moved his home, signaling the establishment of a new capital for his country: Vilnius.
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You and you’re team have excelled
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Well done Aage ''you should be very proud'' you and you're team have excelled.
Geoff Kenny, Vilnius.
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OPINIONS
Have your say. Send to:
editor@VilNews.com
Ph. D., Chicago
A wave of unity sweeps the international Lithuanian community on March 11th every year as Lithuanians celebrated the anniversary of the Lithuanian Parliament's declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. However, the sense of national unity engendered by the celebration could be short-lived.
Human beings have a strong tendency to overgeneralize and succumb to stereotypical us-them distinctions that can shatter even the strongest bonds. We need only search the internet to find examples of divisive thinking at work:
- "Those who fled Lithuania during World II were cowards -- and now they come back, flaunt their wealth, and tell us 'true Lithuanians' how to live."
- "Lithuanians who work abroad have abandoned their homeland and should be deprived of their Lithuanian citizenship."
In Lithuania Christmas Eve is a family event and the New Year's Eve a great party with friends!
Lithuanian say "Kaip sutiksi naujus metus, taip juos ir praleisi" (the way you'll meet the new year is the way you will spend it). So everyone is trying to spend New Year's Eve with friend and have as much fun as possible.
Lithuanian New Year's traditions are very similar to those in other countries, and actually were similar since many years ago. Also, the traditional Lithuanian New Years Eve party was very similar to other big celebrations throughout the year.
The New Year's Eve table is quite similar to the Christmas Eve table, but without straws under the tablecloth, and now including meat dishes. A tradition that definitely hasn't changes is that everybody is trying not to fell asleep before midnight. It was said that if you oversleep the midnight point you will be lazy all the upcoming year. People were also trying to get up early on the first day of the new year, because waking up late also meant a very lazy and unfortunate year.
During the New Year celebration people were dancing, singing, playing games and doing magic to guess the future. People didn't drink much of alcohol, especially was that the case for women.
Here are some advices from elders:
- During the New Year, be very nice and listen to relatives - what you are during New Year Eve, you will be throughout the year.
- During to the New Year Eve, try not to fall, because if this happens, next year you will be unhappy.
- If in the start of the New Year, the first news are good - then the year will be successful. If not - the year will be problematic.
* If New Year's night is cold and starry - look forward to a good summer!
* If the during New Year Eve trees are covered with frost - then it will be a good year. If it is wet weather on New Year's Eve, one can expect a year where many will die and dangerous epidemics occur.
* If the first day of the new year is snowy - the upcoming year will see many young people die. If the night is snowy - mostly old people will die.
* If the New Year time is cold - then Easter will be warm.
* If during New Year there are a lot of birds in your homestead - then all year around there will be many guests and the year will be fun.
Christmas greetings
from Vilnius
and epic battle for the
future
Philosopher, political theorist, historian of
ideas, social analyst, and political
commentator
Ukraine was and continues to be perceived by the EU political class as a sort of grey zone with its immense potential and possibilities for the future, yet deeply embedded and trapped in No Man's Land with all of its troubled past, post-Soviet traumas, ambiguities, insecurities, corruption, social divisions, and despair. Why worry for what has yet to emerge as a new actor of world history in terms of nation-building, European identity, and deeper commitments to transparency and free market economy?
Right? Wrong. No matter how troubled Ukraine's economic and political reality could be, the country has already passed the point of no return. Even if Vladimir Putin retains his leverage of power to blackmail Ukraine and the West in terms of Ukraine's zero chances to accede to NATO due to the problems of territorial integrity, occupation and annexation of Crimea, and mayhem or a frozen conflict in the Donbas region, Ukraine will never return to Russia's zone of influence. It could be deprived of the chances to join NATO or the EU in the coming years or decades, yet there are no forces on earth to make present Ukraine part of the Eurasia project fostered by Putin.
want to learn about the
new, scary propaganda
war between Russia,
The West and the
Baltic States!
believe their government
is corrupt
students say no to
bribes for doctors
During Soviet times, government was administered for the people in control, not for the local population, court decisions were decreed, they were not the administration of justice, and academia was the domain of ideologues. 25 years of freedom and openness should have put those bad experiences behind Lithuania, but that is not so.
Today, it is a matter of expectation that court pronouncements will be governed by ideological dictates. Few, if any Lithuanians expect real justice to be effected. For foreign companies, doing business in Lithuania is almost impossible in a situation where business people do not expect rule of law, so, surely Government would be a refuge of competence?
Lithuanian Government has not emerged from Soviet styles. In an attempt to devolve power, Lithuania has created a myriad of fiefdoms of power, each speaking in the name of the Government, each its own centralized power base of ideology.
Chepstow, Wales
Doesn't that sound suspiciously like Lithuania? Ah, but I didn't mention the mountains of Snowdonia, which would give the game away.
I'm talking about Wales, that part of the UK which Lithuanians used to call "Valija", but later named "Velsas" (why?). Wales, the nation which has welcomed two Lithuanian heads of state to its shores - firstly Professor Vytautas Landsbergis, who has paid several visits and, more recently, President Dalia Grybauskaitė who attended the 2014 NATO summit which was held in Newport, South Wales.
ENGLISH VERSION OF THE
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF VYTAUTAS LANDSBERGIS.
Although Lithuanian activities have thinned over the decades as that postwar generation died out, the Lithuanian Martyrs' parish hall is crowded with many, many hundreds of visitors who come to the Lithuanian cemetery for All Souls' Day. Similarly, the Franciscan parish has standing room only for Christmas Eve mass.
Although I am firmly embedded in the literary culture of Canada, my themes are usually Lithuanian, and I'll be in Kaunas and Vilnius in mid-November 2015 to give talks about the Lithuanian translations of my novels and short stories, which I write in English.
If you have the Lithuanian language, come by to one of the talks listed in the links below. And if you don't, you can read more about my work at
www.anatanassileika.com
http://www.vdu.lt/lt/rasytojas-antanas-sileika-pristatys-savo-kuryba/ https://leu.lt/lt/lf/lf_naujienos/kvieciame-i-rasytojo-59hc.html
"My love and best wishes to all. As long as VilNews exists, there is hope for the future,"" she writes.
Irena Veisaite means very much for our publication, and we do hereby thank her for the support and wise commitment she always shows.
You can read our interview with her
Facing a new reality
Dear readers of VilNews,
For a number of years, the EU and Russia had assumed the existence of a strategic partnership, based on the convergence of values, economic integration and increasingly open markets and a modernisation agenda for society.
Our agenda was positive and ambitious. We looked at Russia as a country ready to converge with "European values", a country likely to embrace both the basic principles of democratic government and a liberal concept of the world order. It was believed this would bring our relations to a new level, covering the whole spectrum of the EU's strategic relationship with Russia.
The likelihood of Putin
invading Lithuania
.jpg "lithuania today")
Founding Director at Summer Literary Seminars
Are all Lithuanian energy
problems now resolved?
Lithuania as a country does not have significant energy resources. Energy consuming infrastructure after WWII was small and totally supported by energy imports from Russia.
First nuclear reactor begins power generation at Ignalina in 1983, the second reactor in 1987. Iganlina generates enough electricity to cover Lithuania's needs and about 50%.for export. As, prerequisite for membership in EU, Ignalina ceases all nuclear power generation in 2009
The Klaipėda Sea terminal begins Russia's oil export operations in 1959 and imports in 1994.
Mazeikiu Nafta (current ORLEAN Lietuva) begins operation of oil refinery in 1980.
Have Lithuanian ties across
the Baltic Sea become
stronger in recent years?
The two decades that have passed since regaining Lithuania's independence can be described as a "building boom". From the wreckage of a captive Soviet republic, a generation of Lithuanians have built a modern European state, and are now helping construct a Nordic-Baltic community replete with institutions intended to promote political coordination and foster a trans-Baltic regional identity. Indeed, a "Nordic-Baltic community" - I will explain later in my text the meaning of this catch-phrase.
Since the restoration of Lithuania's independence 25 years ago, we have continuously felt a strong support from Nordic countries. Nordics in particular were among the countries supporting Lithuania's and Baltic States' striving towards independence. Take example of Iceland, country which recognized Lithuania in February of 1991, well in advance of other countries. Yet another example - Swedish Ambassador was the first ambassador accredited to Lithuania in 1991. The other countries followed suit. When we restored our statehood, Nordic Countries became champions in promoting Baltic integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions. To large degree thanks Nordic Countries, massive transformations occurred in Lithuania since then, Lithuania became fully-fledged member of the EU and NATO, and we joined the Eurozone on 1 January 2015.
Have you heard about the
South African "Pencil Test"?
But that is exactly what happened to me when I came back from South Africa. I will tell you how.
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