THE VOICE OF INTERNATIONAL LITHUANIA
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36 REASONS WHY IT’S SUCH AN EXCELLENT IDEA
TO VISIT LITHUANIA THIS AUTUMN AND WINTER
Good reasons for all seasons
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To continue Soviet-style thinking, is to lose Lithuania as a country
Valdas Samonis: In the early 1990s Lithuanian President Algirdas Brazauskas, a former communist leader, lectured the international body of economists and management specialists that the Soviet system was an equally good alternative to any Western market economy and the Soviet system brought obviously great achievements to the LT people. I left that conference early not being able to cope with my shame (as a Lithuanian) before my distinguished international colleagues!
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Help us make VilNews
even more successful!
Dear VilNews Readers,
First of all, thanks to all of you for your kind words, suggestions, comments and support for VilNews. We have always felt very strongly about the wonderful potential of Lithuania in the world. It is a country of much beauty and fascinating multicultural history – a nation now represented in all corners of the world. We have been very pleased to provide a forum for a free, open and respectful dialogue about the past, present and future of Lithuania. The Staff and I have taken your advice to heart and decided to continue publishing VilNews and possibly also publishing a Lithuanian version of it. For this to occur we will need additional financial support.
We cannot continue to carry the full financial cost of publishing and disseminating VilNews on our own. We feel that all of us have a vested interest in the success of VilNews. In order to continue and expand this great publication we need your help.
If you can, please make a financial contribution to VilNews. At the present time we can only accept checks or money orders made out to UAB VilNews. Please write me if you consider contributing.
If you know of any business that should or could advertise in VilNews, please contact them. We are looking for sponsors and advertisers.
Please check your e-mail contact lists and suggest www.VilNews.com to all your friends who are interested in Lithuania. You would be surprised, how many of them have not heard of us. VilNews has also two different pages on Facebook, so go in and "like" us and participate in our ongoing debates.
I am sure that all of us working together can make VilNews even more successful than it already is.
Sincerely,
Kestutis J. Eidukonis
CEO VilNews
kestutis.eidukonis@VilNews.com
To read more, go to our SECTION 3
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Help us make VilNews
even more successful!
Dear VilNews Readers,
First of all, thanks to all of you for your kind words, suggestions, comments and support for VilNews. We have always felt very strongly about the wonderful potential of Lithuania in the world. It is a country of much beauty and fascinating multicultural history – a nation now represented in all corners of the world. We have been very pleased to provide a forum for a free, open and respectful dialogue about the past, present and future of Lithuania. The Staff and I have taken your advice to heart and decided to continue publishing VilNews and possibly also publishing a Lithuanian version of it. For this to occur we will need additional financial support.
We cannot continue to carry the full financial cost of publishing and disseminating VilNews on our own. We feel that all of us have a vested interest in the success of VilNews. In order to continue and expand this great publication we need your help.
If you can, please make a financial contribution to VilNews. At the present time we can only accept checks or money orders made out to UAB VilNews. Please write me if you consider contributing.
If you know of any business that should or could advertise in VilNews, please contact them. We are looking for sponsors and advertisers.
Please check your e-mail contact lists and suggest www.VilNews.com to all your friends who are interested in Lithuania. You would be surprised, how many of them have not heard of us. VilNews has also two different pages on Facebook, so go in and "like" us and participate in our ongoing debates.
I am sure that all of us working together can make VilNews even more successful than it already is.
Sincerely,
Kestutis J. Eidukonis
CEO VilNews
kestutis.eidukonis@VilNews.com
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Californian Rotarians visiting Lithuania
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Report written by Millbrae CA Rotarian Walter Gladwin, Millbrae Rotarians, California
The basic purpose of this trip was to visit our Rotary Club’s Sister City Club in Siauliai Lithuania, visit the Auksuciai Farm that our club has been supporting for several years, visit two Museums in Lithuania that have items donated by the Sliupas family (Vytas Sliupas is a member of our Millbrae California Rotary club).
Eventually five of us started this adventure, Denis & Marciana O’Halloran, Deirdri & Walt Gladwin and Shirley Kwok. We all planned on getting to Lithuania on July 1.
Day 2 - July 2 in Vilnius, Lithuania - Have Breakfast. Coffee (Kava) is good and strong. Shirley was delayed in Newark NJ and had to spend the night there. Her connecting flight “lost” her luggage so all she has is her carry-on. We go on our walking tour basically limited to the Old Town area, a UNESCO protected site, which is very pleasant, and maintained in a strict manner to represent the visual of the period. We then proceed to the Vilnius University Library established in 1547. A very impressive set of buildings. Next are the Gediminas Castle and its funicular lift to the top of the hill. One can see that attackers would have an extremely difficult time with this defense.
Day 3 - July 3rd Depart Vilnius and stop at the famous Trakai castle. More pictures on the road to the city of Kaunas for lunch. We visit the Pazaislis Monastery where Napoleon quartered troops on his way to Moscow 200 years ago. The horses were stabled in the church and the damage is clearly visible. One of the Nuns gives us a history lesson and surprises us with her use of a laser pointer. In town we visit the War Museum to see the tapestry that our club member Vytautas Sliupas and his wife Vanda worked on for 10 years. Then to the Ciurlionis Art Museum. One room is set as a music hall so we enjoy a few minutes of the recorded music. We are off to Klaipeda for the night. Shirley’s luggage still has not caught up to her.
Day 4 - July 4 – Happy Birthday USA!!! – which goes unnoticed where we are. We are going to tour the “Amber Coast” by a short ferry ride to the Curonian Spit (Kursiu Nerija), a narrow stretch of land from Klaipeda south to the Kaliningrad (Karaliaucius) Oblast, which currently is a part of Russia. The East side (Courland Lagoon or Kursiu Marios) has fresh water; the West side is the Baltic Sea. We stop at a popular Park. There is a walking path thru the area known as the Witches Hill (Raganu Kalnas). Along this path are various wooden carved pieces depicting mythical beings, each with a story that our guide relates. Some pieces have magical properties, one of which grants wishes. Shirley sits in one and asks for her luggage. It takes an hour to walk the entire trail. At the town of Nida have lunch outdoors in a slight drizzle and a walk to the house were the Author Thomas Mann spent summers for three years. Back to the ferry and Klaipeda. Shirley’s wish at the Witches Hill comes true, her missing luggage has arrived.
Day 5 – Off to Palanga to visit the Amber Museum. Amber is the resin from Pine Trees that hardened under pressure some 20 million years ago. It sometimes will contain vegetable or small creatures imbedded in it as it formed. See some really neat samples of carving and imbedded “bugs”. We then visit the Dr. Jonas Sliupas (Vytautas’ or Vytas’ father) Museum and his monument. Jonas was a historical person, former Mayor, Teacher, activist, Ambassador and other roles in the country’s development in the last 125 years. Onward towards Siauliai we stop in Plateliai to visit a former USSR ICBM site. It was active until the Soviet withdrawal in 1993. They took all of the rockets, warheads and small arms. The current government is restoring the base as a historical attraction and allows self guided tours of safe portions. Onward to Kursenai, we meet Aldas Kikutis the Director of the Auksuciai Farm we have come to visit. He leads our van thru miles of fields on a dusty road and we often lose sight of his car but not his dust. The farm, we learn, is quite large. A portion is the experimental crop development area where the Rotary Clubs have been involved. We examine the water system in the farmhouse; the fields, the refrigerated storage shed and return to the farmhouse where a large finger food banquet has been prepared. The resident Agriculture Student, Toma Bilyte, from the University of Siauliai has prepared far too much but we make a large dent. She keeps urging us to eat more. The recently grown fresh asparagus is sampled. Yummy!!!. There is a thunder storm approaching and we need to get out of here and onto a hard road. So Aldas leads us out to a highway that leads to our final stop in Siauliai. We are taken to our hotel which has been arranged by our Sister Club, Siauliai Rotary Klubas. There we are met by Rotarians, including the new President Rimundas Domarkas, who greet us very warmly. They host us with dinner at the hotel and give us an outline of events for the next few days. Many stories are told back and forth and a good time was had by all.
Day 6 - We have to move to a different room today. There are athletes staying here from South Africa, Macao and elsewhere. We get picked up by our Rotarian hosts, given VIP Credentials for the World Games that start today. These are the 5th TAFISA World Games for All Games sponsored in part by the International Olympic Committee. We go to the center of the city where the opening parade will take place. There is a fly over by two Polish Air Force jets assigned to NATO, at about 150 feet altitude and they are loud, then 6 sky divers parachute down right on the street in front of us. Wow!!!. Off to the Hill of Crosses. It has been a memorial for many years. During the Soviet Occupation, starting in 1945, it was destroyed on a regular basis to try to Sovietize the population. Each time the local people would install new crosses at night. Finally the attempts were abandoned by the Soviets. Today there are 10s of thousands of crosses of all sizes, from 10 feet tall to one quarter inch in size. At 7PM we go to the Opening Show for the Games. Our VIP status gets us premium seating in booths. A parade of the participating Countries, an outstanding Arial act, Gymnastic performance, a fitness performance by senior citizens, folk dancing, Stilt Walkers and a good buffet dinner during all of this.
Day 7 – Nicest morning so far. We go to the University Library to deliver a book to the Dr. Jonas Sliupas Archyvas. The book is a collection of 100 Lithuanian motive Postal Cards that Vytas sent to his family from different countries he visited during his travels. We are given a tour of the Library starting with a game of Chess in the Lobby. The board is part of the floor and the pieces are 3 feet tall and heavy. After many moves, some suggested by bystanders, the game is called a draw. We view the slide show and are shown many of the items in the Jonas Sliupas collection. Then we walk on the pedestrian boulevard which was the first ever constructed in Soviet occupied lands. We get a tour of this lovely Victorian home built in 1908 by the owner, a Mister Frenkel, of a Shoe Manufacturing business. The home was used as a hospital during the Soviet times, as the Soviet Occupation is referred to by the Lithuanians. We get a “wild” ride back to the hotel as our drivers may have had a bit too much of the beverages.
Day 8 – We visit a Church in which is an organ that was donated by Rotarian Janet Fogarty, one of our Club’s members, from her Father’s Estate. There is a wedding and christening here also, a beautiful bride, he so-so, and the Priest takes time to explain, thru our interpreter, that it takes years to rebuild churches that were damaged or destroyed during the “times”. The Siauliai Rotary Klubas donated the Carrilon Bells and the Priest has them played for us. A very special treat. Back to the Hotel to pack. We leave for Vilnius in the morning.
Day 8 – The Rotary Club President Rimundas and the party host meet us at the hotel to wish us goodbye. We exchange good wishes and thank yous and an invitation to visit our Club again, “maybe possible” we are told. Our van arrives and we are off to Vilnius. Later we go to a below ground level restaurant with an ancient staircase that winds down and you have to duck your head a couple of times. We all order a Lithuanian meal - Deirdri has Halibut, Walter has Rabbit Pie, both very good.
Day 9 – July 9 – We have a free morning before being shuttled to the airport. During breakfast we hear a military band. Outside is a formation consisting of a 40 person band, a platoon of soldiers and a platoon of sailors all smartly dressed. Officers with swords. Orders are given and the formations respond. There is a large group of civilians gathered just in front of them and they proceed into the building next door to the hotel. It turns out that it is the Defense Ministry being visited by high ranking foreigners. Just to complete the scene there are a number of guys dressed in black suits, white shirts and ties with ear pieces scattered around the area. Wana bet, Lithuanian Secret Service? Our van is a few nervous minutes late to pick us up. The plane is a turboprop, noisy but smooth and there are no travel hitches this time.
***********************
World history as taught in our schools does not get into the level of detail as told by local guides. That is our conclusion after being in the country. The earliest mention of Lithuania dates from about 1009. At one point Lithuania ruled the area from the Baltic to the Black Sea to Moscow.
We were very satisfied with the arrangements made, the flexibility of the local guides, their punctuality and their ability to answer our off the wall questions. In general the food was very good. The places we visited were interesting, the best were the Witches Hill and everything in and about Siauliai. Thank you Siauliai Rotarians for having invited us!
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New CEO of VilNews
Kestutis J. Eidukonis
Dear readers,
I am today pleased to announce that Mr. Kestutis J. Eidukonis has accepted the position as CEO (Chief Executive Officer), of VilNews. As his family name suggests, Kestutis is of Lithuanian origin, though he has lived most of his life in the USA. Kestutis replaces Mr. Torben Pedersen as CEO for VilNews.
As CEO Kestutis will be responsible for the business aspects of VilNews, whereas I will continue to be responsible for all editorial aspects, as Editor-in-Chief.
Kestutis brings a wealth of experience from his life-long career(s). He can proudly look back at a brilliant career at the US Armed Forces, which brought him to work in many countries and in many roles, including being primary adviser in political and military affairs to the Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Southern Command (Latin and Central America). His successful military career can best be illustrated by the numerous decorations for outstanding performance he has received over the years.
Kestutis’ civil career is not less impressive. He has successfully managed the improvement or turn-around of over 500 small to medium size businesses ranging in annual revenue from $500,000 - $60 million. He has successfully advised several Russian and Eastern European firms endeavoring to do business with Western Countries, and he has worked extensively in Russia, the Baltics and Scandinavia. He has been teaching Entrepreneurship, Audio Video Technology, Electronic Journalism and Media communications, and lectured at AT&T's Global Business Program, East Stroudsburg University, School of the Americas, and the Air Force War College, as well as he has presented seminars on various business topics.
It’s without any doubt that Kestutis’ achievements, credentials, skills and experiences are outstanding and impressive. However, maybe most importantly, during the last couple of months, where I have learned to know Kestutis (also) as a person, I have noticed his strong feelings for Lithuania and Lithuanians, which I’m convinced has played an important role in his decision of accepting the position as CEO of VilNews.
He shares the vision of VilNews, to develop and maintain an e-publication that should be viewed as a good, strong, independent, democratic and outspoken Fourth Estate media in and for Lithuania, be critical of the negative that is still going on in this country, while increasingly trying to find positive stories and interesting angles on events and characteristics from both past and present, and to build bridges between Lithuania and its many extraordinary fine diasporas around the world.
You might claim that his decision was made by his heart rather than by his brain, however, as long as the brain is not completely disconnected, this is not a bad combination.
Let me also take the opportunity to thank Torben Pedersen for all the efforts he has put into VilNews…so far. Torben accepted the role as CEO in connection with the establishment of VilNews, as a temporary measure, however we all know that temporary arrangements, in the worst case, tend to become permanent, and in the best case, take longer than anticipated. I know that Torben is happy that Kestutis has accepted to take over as CEO, not for his own sake, but for the sake of VilNews. Torben is also a character that doesn’t care about titles or positions, however, I am convinced that Torben will work closely together with Kestutis in the future, that they will greatly supplement each other and constitute a great management team.
Please extend a hand and help Kestutis, Torben and I make VilNews a truly successful and wonderful reading experience for all lovers of Lithuania.
Aage Myhre
Editor-in-Chief
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Lithuania may delay
its euro-adoption
SWEDBANK: Lithuania may delay its euro-adoption goal beyond 2014 because the currency area’s debt crisis is worsening and its government lacks “political determination” before a parliamentary ballot.
Lithuania may be wary of providing aid to ailing euro-region members such as Greece, Swedbank economists Nerijus Maciulis and Lija Strasuna says in an e-mailed report. While it has a good chance of meeting entry criteria by next April, neighbouring Latvia has stronger political resolve to adopt the currency the following year, they write.
“There seems to be a more unanimous agreement to meet Maastricht criteria for the sake of stability, but not necessarily in order to adopt the euro immediately” in Lithuania, Swedbank says. “There’s a probability Lithuania won’t apply formally for euro adoption in 2014 -– much of this will depend on election results in October, as well as the euro area’s progress toward a sustainable solution.”
Latvia and Lithuania are likely to meet the Maastricht criteria in early 2013 and were both expected to join the euro zone in 2014.
Thus, by 2014, the two countries may be able to take full advantage of the benefits offered by the membership in Economic and Monetary Union, according to the Swedbank economists.
According to Chief Economist at Swedbank Nerijus Maciulis, Lithuanian politicians avoid making decisions and even discussing the subject because of the recent fall of the euro popularity and the public's trust in the future of the single currency.
However, the economist points out that the risk of the euro future is not high enough to forget a long-term strategic goal of Lithuania.
The passive attitude of the responsible Lithuanian authorities is also reflected in the survey of the Eurobarometer which reveals that 60% of residents in Lithuania say that they do not get enough information about the euro.
However, the study conducted by the European Commission shows that 44% of population support the euro adoption and 5% have not decided yet. Maciulis says that the euro benefits are tangible and easily measured.
"There seems to be a more unanimous agreement to meet Maastricht criteria for the sake of stability, but not necessarily in order to adopt the euro immediately" in Lithuania, Swedbank
economists Nerijus Maciulis and Lija Strasuna said in an e-mailed report.
Lithuania and Latvia are next in line to join the 17-nation Euro Area, while other Eastern European nations such as Poland and the Czech Republic show slow preparations as the debt crisis deepens.
In 2006, Lithuania became the only nation rejected for euro adoption after it missed an inflation target by 0.1 percentage point.
Estonia became the 17th member of the Euro Area in 2011.
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The Lithuanian Cinderella
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Rūta Meilutytė (born 19 March 1997). This week, at the Summer Olympics in London, she won the gold medal in the women's 100 meter breaststroke with
a time of 1:05.47, becoming the first Lithuanian swimmer since Lithuania's Declaration of Independence from the Soviet Union in 1990 to earn an
Olympic medal in swimming.
Photo: Wikipedia
Fifteen-year-old Rūta Meilutytė is a refreshingly outstanding representative of the original spirit of sports at a time when seriousness and the business aspects of sports often takes over for joy and the more fundamental aspects of the competitions.
Rūta has managed to grow strong, athletic and competitive-focused in spite of a difficult childhood in a country where training opportunities in swimming and many other sports are bad, because here in Lithuania it’s mostly just basketball that counts.
Her gold medal in the Olympics shows that even a young girl who is not raised and trained as a professional athlete since birth, can manage to reach even the highest goals in the sports world.
She is a true Cinderella of our days!
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The Lithuanian Cinderella
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Rūta Meilutytė (born 19 March 1997). This week, at the Summer Olympics in London, she won the gold medal in the women's 100 meter breaststroke with a time of 1:05.47, becoming the first Lithuanian swimmer since Lithuania's Declaration of Independence from the Soviet Union in 1990 to earn an Olympic medal in swimming.
Photo: Wikipedia
Fifteen-year-old Rūta Meilutytė is a refreshingly outstanding representative of the original spirit of sports at a time when seriousness and the business aspects of sports often takes over for joy and the more fundamental aspects of the competitions.
Rūta has managed to grow strong, athletic and competitive-focused in spite of a difficult childhood in a country where training opportunities in swimming and many other sports are bad, because here in Lithuania it’s mostly just basketball that counts.
Her gold medal in the Olympics shows that even a young girl who is not raised and trained as a professional athlete since birth, can manage to reach even the highest goals in the sports world.
She is a true Cinderella of our days!
Rūta had just turned four years old when a terrible accident dramatically affected her and her family forever. Her mother, Ingrida, was on Easter visit to Vilnius and was about to cross a street in the pedestrian crossing when a car struck her so violently that she later died of the injuries.
Rūta's father, Saulius Meilutis, lived at this time in the United States, where he worked to support his family home in Lithuania, and Rūta started therefore living with her grandmother after her mother’s tragic death. She moved to the grandmother with her brothers Margiris and Mindaugas.
Already at an age of seven, her Kaunas coach, Giedrius Martinionis, seeing how well-built she was, told her father: ‘You must take her to swimming lessons – there will come a time when this little girl will be breaking country’s records’.
When Rūta was eight years old her father moved home from the United States. But like other returnees, it appeared difficult for him to find a decent job here, so after only three years he went west again, setting course for the southern English town of Plymouth where he got a job in a care home as a caregiver for disabled persons.
“When I left for Plymouth, my sons were somewhat grown and relatively mature, but I was worried about my daughter. After turning thirteen, Rūta had ceased listening to her grandmother. She wanted to be more independent. So I decided to take her with me to England,” her father tells to the daily Lietuvos Rytas.
Rūta had before this been showing good results in Kaunas Swimming School, so one of the most important tasks for the father was to find a good swimming club and an experienced coach in Plymouth.
He found one of England’s best swimming clubs and persuaded the coach Jonathan Rudd to work with his daughter. The road to success started.
“In addition to the sweet taste of victory, the father, however, sees the other side of the medal too, experiencing what it means to be a father not just occasionally but always. He looks after his daughter every single day of the year: from preparing breakfast, to advising what to wear,” the father tells to Lietuvos Rytas.
“Rūta loves herring or smoked bacon with onions, but I cannot treat her like that often, for such food is not good for a sportsperson. An adolescent girl undergoing a lot of physical exertion needs the proper, wholesome food. Before the afternoon training I usually prepare some pasta, which is rich in carbohydrates. While after the training it is usually a high protein meal such as meat or fish with vegetables. For breakfast she normally eats a cereal. I usually add some banana slices and nuts to them,” the father says about her diet.
“Rūta is tall, slim and has long legs. Her feet are rather long too: my daughter already wears size 43 shoes. She inherited these traits from her mother Ingrida, who looked like a model: she was slim and had long legs,” the father tells.
“Rūta’s character, however, is similar to mine: she is a very determined girl. She was supposed to be born in early April under the sign of Aries. However, she came to the world earlier than the doctors expected – on 19 March, under the sign of Pisces. Therefore I call her my little fish with a ram’s character,” laughs the father.
“Agility and physical strength marked Rūta since her childhood. She was very strong because she used to climb the trees as a child, along with her brothers. She was no less agile than the boys,” the father recalls.
Rūta stood out from the same age children with her apparent winning mentality.
Even in ball games at school she used to be a leader of her team. Her shots were very precise.
Continuous honest work also served to harden the able-bodied Rūta.
The family lived in their own house, so the girl used to help her grandmother around. Rūta used to cut the firewood and chop it with an axe, prepare garden beds and rake leaves.
Like the original Cinderella…
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Summer in Lithuania! 
Photos: Aage Myhre, Editor-in-Chief
Click HERE to see the pictures in bigger format…
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Summer in Lithuania! Photos: Aage Myhre, Editor-in-Chief
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Northern Europe’s best
summer climate!
THURSDAY 26 JULY 2012: Pilies Street, the vibrant, active pedestrian street
in the heart of Vilnius Old Town. You should come here to enjoy
Northern Europe's best summer climate. Why wait?
There are still many around the world not knowing what a wonderful summer climate Lithuania is blessed with. I myself was very surprised when I came here 20 years ago and found a country and a city, Vilnius, where temperatures and number of sunny summer days often are comparable to what you otherwise would have to travel much closer to the Mediterranean beaches to find.
What I also have seen during these 20 years is that while many neighbouring countries quite often suffer from either drought or floods, Lithuania normally avoids such disasters. We can have heavy showers, but they usually last only a few hours and rarely cause major damage. We can have temperatures up to 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit), but the normal temperature level is within comfortable 22-30°C (72-86°F).
Right now the summer is just great here, although this year we have not had as much sunshine and as high temperatures as we are accustomed to. Forecasts for the rest of July, however, are phenomenal!
The great summer weather is in stark contrast to neighbouring countries in Scandinavia and north western Europe where one this year is experiencing one of the coldest and wettest summers ever. The powerful winds and the worst rain showers from the Atlantic Ocean have virtually lost all power before they come here.
Hurricanes and severe storms are, at worst, a slight breeze on those few occasions when they reach Lithuania. Rain storms are reduced to light drizzle when they arrive here. But usually the bad weathers do not reach as far east as hereto.
Unfortunately, the winter months here are not that excellent. They can often be cold, nasty and very gloomy. Fortunately, we rarely experience heavy winds, and it is usually not too much snow. The worst of the winters here is the gloominess, and that the temperatures may well drop down to minus 25-30°C (minus 13-22°F).for extended periods.
But it often happens that in April the summer arrives in full force and remains here until November. So now we are in the middle of the fantastic weather period. No reason to complain, in other words. Winter is many months away.
Now it's time to enjoy the lovely summer here. The best in Northern Europe!
Aage Myhre
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Northern Europe’s best
summer climate!
THURSDAY 26 JULY 2012: Pilies Street, the vibrant, active pedestrian street
in the heart of Vilnius Old Town. You should come here to enjoy
Northern Europe's best summer climate. Why wait?
There are still many around the world not knowing what a wonderful summer climate Lithuania is blessed with. I myself was very surprised when I came here 20 years ago and found a country and a city, Vilnius, where temperatures and number of sunny summer days often are comparable to what you otherwise would have to travel much closer to the Mediterranean beaches to find.
What I also have seen during these 20 years is that while many neighbouring countries quite often suffer from either drought or floods, Lithuania normally avoids such disasters. We can have heavy showers, but they usually last only a few hours and rarely cause major damage. We can have temperatures up to 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit), but the normal temperature level is within comfortable 22-30°C (72-86°F).
Right now the summer is just great here, although this year we have not had as much sunshine and as high temperatures as we are accustomed to. Forecasts for the rest of July, however, are phenomenal!
The great summer weather is in stark contrast to neighbouring countries in Scandinavia and north western Europe where one this year is experiencing one of the coldest and wettest summers ever. The powerful winds and the worst rain showers from the Atlantic Ocean have virtually lost all power before they come here.
Hurricanes and severe storms are, at worst, a slight breeze on those few occasions when they reach Lithuania. Rain storms are reduced to light drizzle when they arrive here. But usually the bad weathers do not reach as far east as hereto.
Unfortunately, the winter months here are not that excellent. They can often be cold, nasty and very gloomy. Fortunately, we rarely experience heavy winds, and it is usually not too much snow. The worst of the winters here is the gloominess, and that the temperatures may well drop down to minus 25-30°C (minus 13-22°F).for extended periods.
But it often happens that in April the summer arrives in full force and remains here until November. So now we are in the middle of the fantastic weather period. No reason to complain, in other words. Winter is many months away.
Now it's time to enjoy the lovely summer here. The best in Northern Europe!
Aage Myhre
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Regina Narusiene leaves the position as President of the World Lithuanian Community now in August. Here with her husband Bernard in Vilnius’ charming, bustling Pilies gatve on a beautiful July Sunday morning.
International Lithuania
needs new blood!
Text & photos: Aage Myhre, editor-in-chief
aage.myhre@VilNews.com
“We need new enthusiasts, young people in our worldwide organization, the World Lithuanian Community (WLC). We need Lithuanians, wherever in the world they live, to participate more actively in the maintenance and development of the Lithuanian identity and heritage.”
I wander through beautiful Vilnius Old Town with Regina Narusiene and her husband Bernard, both of them successful Chicago attorneys, this sunny July morning.
We hear voices in all languages, laughter, sounds. It smells of food from all world corners around us. Vilnius has become a hugely popular destination for tourists from all over the globe. I think back on how this street looked 22 years ago, when I came here for the first time. The pictures above and below are from the same street, one taken now in warm July 2012, one taken in November 1990 when coal was still dumped on the sidewalks from the horse-drawn carriages.
The lady I walk with, Regina Narusiene, has been President of the World Lithuanian Community (WLC) since 2006. Before that she led the Lithuanian American Community Inc. (LAC) for six years and then was the president of the Board of Directors of that Community for another 6 years. Now she has finished her second term for WLC and will leave the organization in a few days, at a meeting here in Vilnius starting 6th of August, and she is concerned that the recruitment to international Lithuania has become insufficient.
For six years she has lived a busy double life. Through part of the year, she stays with husband and family in a small village 100 km northwest of Chicago, but it’s not usual to see her for long periods at her home in Vilnius, working intensely on behalf of ‘the international Lithuania’ – this nation outside the nation that includes about almost as many Lithuanians as the country’s resident population.
WLC is now suffering from what is commonly known as an "ageing population" even if there in recent times has been some amazing enthusiasm from "second, third and fourth generation Lithuanians”, not least here in VilNews. An input of new members and enthusiasts is, however, vital to ensure the long-term continuity of this important Lithuanian tradition and movement around the world. WLC needs YOU!
If you've previously taken part in other forms of organisations you'll have a good head start. Naturally, if you've been active in Lithuanian groups or institutions WLC would particularly like to hear from you. But what if you are a complete beginner? Don't worry, you'll still be made very welcome. Don't let the apparent complexity of what this organization does put you off!
I have agreed with Regina that she will be quick to answer everyone who writes her with questions, expressing any sort of readiness to participate in the works of international Lithuania.
So please do not wait, write her an email as soon as you can. Her email address is rbnar213@gmail.com
November 1990, my first visit to Vilnius: Delivery of coal to properties in Pilies g. right in the centre of the city. With horses. People pick it up in burlap sacks.
Other times, the horse driver is simply shovelling the coal out on the sidewalk in front of the buildings on his ordering list.
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JULY 2012: Regina Narusiene leaves the position as President of the World Lithuanian Community now in August.
Here with her husband Bernard in Vilnius’ charming, bustling Pilies gatve on a beautiful July Sunday morning.
International Lithuania
needs new blood!
Text & photos: Aage Myhre, editor-in-chief
aage.myhre@VilNews.com
“We need new enthusiasts, young people in our worldwide organization, the World Lithuanian Community (WLC). We need Lithuanians, wherever in the world they live, to participate more actively in the maintenance and development of the Lithuanian identity and heritage.”
I wander through beautiful Vilnius Old Town with Regina Narusiene and her husband Bernard, both of them successful Chicago attorneys, this sunny July morning.
We hear voices in all languages, laughter, sounds. It smells of food from all world corners around us. Vilnius has become a hugely popular destination for tourists from all over the globe. I think back on how this street looked 22 years ago, when I came here for the first time. The pictures above and below are from the same street, one taken now in warm July 2012, one taken in November 1990 when coal was still dumped on the sidewalks from the horse-drawn carriages.
The lady I walk with, Regina Narusiene, has been President of the World Lithuanian Community (WLC) since 2006. Before that she led the Lithuanian American Community Inc. (LAC) for six years and then was the president of the Board of Directors of that Community for another 6 years. Now she has finished her second term for WLC and will leave the organization in a few days, at a meeting here in Vilnius starting 6th of August, and she is concerned that the recruitment to international Lithuania has become insufficient.
For six years she has lived a busy double life. Through part of the year, she stays with husband and family in a small village 100 km northwest of Chicago, but it’s not usual to see her for long periods at her home in Vilnius, working intensely on behalf of ‘the international Lithuania’ – this nation outside the nation that includes about almost as many Lithuanians as the country’s resident population.
WLC is now suffering from what is commonly known as an "ageing population" even if there in recent times has been some amazing enthusiasm from "second, third and fourth generation Lithuanians”, not least here in VilNews. An input of new members and enthusiasts is, however, vital to ensure the long-term continuity of this important Lithuanian tradition and movement around the world. WLC needs YOU!
If you've previously taken part in other forms of organisations you'll have a good head start. Naturally, if you've been active in Lithuanian groups or institutions WLC would particularly like to hear from you. But what if you are a complete beginner? Don't worry, you'll still be made very welcome. Don't let the apparent complexity of what this organization does put you off!
I have agreed with Regina that she will be quick to answer everyone who writes her with questions, expressing any sort of readiness to participate in the works of international Lithuania.
So please do not wait, write her an email as soon as you can. Her email address is rbnar213@gmail.com
November 1990, my first visit to Vilnius: Delivery of coal to properties in Pilies g. right in the centre of the city. With horses. People pick it up in burlap sacks. Other times, the horse driver is simply shovelling the coal out on the sidewalk in front of the buildings on his ordering list.
Dual citizenship
These two words have come to represent Regina's premier of the heart since she took over as leader of WLC in 2006, the same year that Lithuania's Constitutional Court ruled that the country's Constitution had to be interpreted in such a way that individuals with citizenship of another country should not be allowed to have and keep Lithuania’s citizenship as well.
“The first few months after the court had made its terrible decision, at first I received almost 100 angry letters every day from Lithuanians and their descendants from around the world. They felt that the mother country had disowned them, cutting ties with them and that their efforts and desires to be citizens of Lithuania were not welcomed or respected. They felt that the mother country wanted to punish those who had emigrated, whether this occurred against the background of war, persecution or for economic reasons.”
Regina is herself a lawyer, with over 50 years legal practise in Illinois with her husband Bernard, litigating all types of court cases. Still, the ruling of the Lithuanian Constitutional Court has surprised her. She strongly argues that Lithuanian citizenship for those of Lithuanian descent is an inalienable constitutional birth right and that the government may not arbitrarily take it away.
"I maintain that people of Lithuanian heritage, who were born in Lithuania and have Lithuanian citizenship, have an inviolate birth right to citizenship. Lithuania cannot deprive them of this birth right. That right is guaranteed by the Constitution, but somehow that Constitutional right has been ignored. In my opinion, depriving Lithuanian citizenship to Lithuanians living abroad is against the best interests of Lithuania," she says, convinced that Lithuanians living abroad worldwide should be welcomed to participate in their motherland’s future through Lithuanian citizenship. The most valuable asset of a nation has is its people. When a substantial part of its people are rejected the nation dwindles. It self destructs.
She proceeds to tell me that the WLC laboured to supersede the decision statutorily, but that Presidents Adamkus and Grybauskaite declined to approve Parliament’s pro dual citizenship statutory enactments. Finally Lithuania did on 2 December 2010 enacted a new citizenship law, which allows Lithuanians citizens and their descendants to preserve their Lithuanian citizenship if they emigrated before 11 March 1990. This new legislation prohibits dual citizenship for all those who emigrated after the reestablishment of Lithuania’s independence on 11 March1990, with the exception for those who received another country’s citizenship between January l, 2003 and November 16, 2006, the date the Constitutional Court decision became effective. The ruling is not applied retroactively, only prospectively. The new citizenship law becomes effective on 1 April 2011. The World Lithuanian Community takes the position that it is incorrect to take away the Lithuanian citizenship from Lithuanian descent people and their descendants that was acquired by birth. The Community does not support an unrestricted dual citizenship Constitutional amendment.
Lithuania needs a new global strategy
In 1994 Regina Narusiene was elected President of LAC (Lithuanian American Community Inc.). She held this
position through two terms, until 2000, then she served as chairman of the LAC Board of directors for two terms until 2006, when she was elected President of the WLC. During the more than 20 years that have
passed since Lithuania regained its freedom, she has made tireless efforts for her homeland. She spearheaded the drive in the United States for the admission of Lithuania into NATO from January 6, 1994 until its official admission into NATO on 29 March 2004. She has served as an advisor on various matters to most of the Prime Ministers of Lithuania and extensively contributed her legal talents with respect to the printing and issuance of the Lithuanian currency - Litai. She is a founding member and continues to serve as a member of the Lithuanian Royal Palace Foundation.
She feels that she has always been personally well received in Lithuania.
“Recently however, I've heard some in Lithuania say that Lithuania does not need or want our help. Still I see
significant reluctance to improve the country's legal systems. It seems that some of the country's leaders
simply are not ready to or interested in implementing urgently needed reforms. I am saddened to see the public’s perception that rule of law is still not working effectively in Lithuania." Regina sighs a little deflated
when she shares those thoughts with me.
Towards the end of the conversation I ask her to express some thoughts on what it takes to get Lithuania to
grow stronger and better over the years to come. I'll let her words finish my little report from our talk:
"Let me first say that it is deeply tragic to see so many young, talented and beautiful people leave this country.
Some say that it is now no longer talk of emigration, but evacuation. It is therefore obvious that much more must be done to pave the way for good jobs and opportunities for the country's younger population. But it is
also my opinion that we need a shift in mindset among some of the country's leaders.”
“Last but not least, I yearn to see far more of the population, young and old, engaged in voluntary public oriented organizations and activities. That is exactly what democracy for a large part is about, and it does not take much. Lithuania's people should begin to take such initiatives themselves. A good, democratic society
consists of people who give of themselves to help each other. Lithuania has unfortunately still a long way to go in this respect.”
“I will conclude by saying that it is important for the nation to maintain good relations with all
Lithuanians, and their descendants, now living in other countries.”
“Lithuania needs a new global strategy, and we in the ‘Lithuanian World Community’ should do our utmost to contribute to such a strategy.
Lithuania has an enormously large group of smart Lithuanians and good hearts outside the country,
and it is important that Lithuania invite to dialogue with them and seek their support and input to promote a better future for Lithuania, the country we ALL love."
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By Aage Myhre, editor-in-chief
aage.myhre@VilNews.com
A new concept for senior apartments, with focus on warmth, dignity and joy. Custom apartments around an outdoor, enclosed patio - plus a large, common 'lobby' for food, reading, music, good talks, therapy, training and more.
Some friends of mine have a large estate just north of Vilnius centre, about 20 minutes drive from the old town and less than five minutes from the Le Meridien Hotel, with its beautiful pool, spa complex, and a great new 18-hole golf course.
The plan they have under consideration right now is to build an elegant senior complex on the site, for potential buyers both in this country and from abroad.
Quality and service will be very high, still at prices one can hardly dream of the United States, Western Europe or Australia.
The planned complex will consist of around 50 apartments and a large public centre-building that can best be compared with an international hotel lobby.
In this 'lobby' one will be met by colorful life as soon as one enters. Dining room, restaurant, cafe, bar, library, piano music, as well as rooms for health, therapy, manicure and sports is that which meets the residents which shall dwell in this totally extraordinary senior complex.
Seniors who buy an apartment here, will in other words not just get a nice place to live, but a total package of food, drinks, activities, care and necessary health care measures in accordance with their own state. Nurses will always be present in the center, and doctors will come here on short notice.
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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.
VilNews e-magazine is published in Vilnius, Lithuania. Editor-in-Chief: Mr. Aage Myhre. Inquires to the editors: editor@VilNews.com.
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