From natashamistry at mjaft.org Mon Jul 7 13:32:55 2003 From: natashamistry at mjaft.org (Natasha Mistry) Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2003 19:32:55 +0200 Subject: [KAN-Info] =?iso-8859-1?q?MJAFT!_deklarata_p=EBr_shtyp/_MJAFT!_p?= =?iso-8859-1?q?ress_release?= Message-ID: <039f01c344ad$da083db0$06c8a8c0@c1> http://www.mjaft.org Mik i dashur, Je i lutur te gjesh bashkangjitur me poshte dy nga deklaratat per shtyp te MJAFT!-it (secila ne anglisht dhe shqip). Nese ju duhet asistence e metejshme, mos hezitoni te na kontaktoni. nga MJAFT!-i Dear Friend, Please find attached the latest press release from the MJAFT! Campaign. (English is below the Albanian version.) If you need further information please do not hesitate in contacting us. Yours sincerely, MJAFT! Campaign --------------------------------------------------- Erion Veliaj mobile: (+355) (0) 68 205 5982, email: erionveliaj at mjaft.org Natasha Mistry mobile: (+355) (0) 68 273 0371, email: natashamistry at mjaft.org ----------------------------------------------------- Kongresmeni Tom Lantos mb?shtet Fushat?n MJAFT! San Francisco, 30 Qershor, 2003 - Kongresmeni i San Francisco-s, Tom Lantos i ka d?rguar nj? let?r p?rg?zimi fushat?s MJAFT! ku lavd?ron p?rpjekjet e stafit t? saj n? Shqip?ri. Pas kolegut t? tij Eliot Engel t? New York-ut, ai ?sht? kongresmeni i dyt? amerikan q? e vler?son k?t? fushat?. Tom Lantos ?sht? kongresmen q? prej 23 vjet?sh. Ai ?sht? p?rfaq?suesi i Demokrat?ve n? Komitetin e Marr?dhenieve me Jasht? dhe Kryetar i K?shillit t? t? Drejtave t? Njeriut dhe i Delegacionit t? P?rhersh?m t? Kongresit Amerikan n? Parlamentin Evropjan. Ai ?sht? gjithashtu an?tar i Delegacionit t? Kongresit Amerikan n? Asamblen? e Atlantikut Verior e vendeve t? NATO-s. Zyra e Kongresmenit Lantos ka q?ne nj? nga mb?sht?t?sit moral? kryesor? t? fushat?s MJAFT! q? n? fillimet e saj. "30 Qershor, 2003 I dashur Zoti Erion Veliaj, Staf, Vullnetar? dhe Mb?shtet?s t? MJAFT! Me k?naq?si po ju d?rgoj urimet e mia p?r pun?n tuaj me MJAFT!, fushat?n kat?r mujore q? from?zon qytetarin? aktive shqiptare. Kjo ?sht? vet?m nj?ra nga p?rpjekjet tuaja t? vazhdueshme p?r t? zhvilluar shoq?rine civile n? Shqip?ri dhe m? gjer?sisht n? Ballkan. I duartrokas dedikimit tuaj kundrejt sfid?s s? nd?rgjegj?simit qytetar ndaj problemeve sociale n? Shqip?ri si varf?ria, degradimi i sistemit arsimor, dhuna, diskriminimi dhe korrupsioni politik. Q? nga Karavani i Autobuzave me 80 veta, me t? cilin e filluat k?t? inisiativ?, dhe deri tek takimet e vazhdueshme n? komuna e bashki, koncertet dhe debatet publike, MJAFT! ka prekur shoq?rine shqiptare si brenda ashtu edhe jasht? vendit duke edukuar qytetar?t dhe duke avancuar promovimin e paqes. Ashtu si? ju e keni kuptuar, lul?zimit t? demokracise q? ju d?sh?roni p?r Shqip?rin? i duhet pjes?marrja dhe p?rkushtimi i qytetar?ve t? vet? vendit tuaj, dhe MJAFT! ?sht? nj? p?rpjekje e lavd?rueshme p?r t? inkurajuar k?t? pjes?marrje. Un? jam besimplot? q? k?mb?ngulja dhe pasioni i stafit, vullnetar?ve dhe mb?shtet?sve do t? ndihmoj? t? p?r?oj? vizionin dhe idealin e MJAFT! p?rtej fushat?s kat?r mujore. P?rzem?rsisht Kongresmeni Tom Lantos An?tar i Kongresit" ------------------------------------------------------ Congressman Tom Lantos Praises Supporters of MJAFT! San Francisco, 30 June, 2003 - Congressman Tom Lantos of San Francisco has praised the efforts of those involved in the MJAFT! Campaign in a recent letter he issued. He is the second US Congressman to commend the work of the Campaign, the first letter was issued by his colleague Eliot Engel of New York. Tom Lantos has been a senior US Congressman for 23 years. He is the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee and currently holds the Chairmanship of the Human Rights Caucus and of the Permanent U.S. Congressional Delegation to the European Parliament. He is also a Member of the U.S. Congressional Delegation to the North Atlantic Assembly of NATO member countries. Congressman Lantos' office has been one of the main supporters of the MJAFT! Campaign since its inception. "June 30, 2003 Dear Mr. Veliaj, Staff, Volunteers, and Supporters of MJAFT!, It is with pleasure that I send congratulations on your work with MJAFT!, the four-month campaign to inspire an active Albanian citizenry. This is the most recent of your continued efforts to develop civil society in Albania and the wider Balkans. I applaud your dedication to the challenging task of raising public awareness of Albanian's current social problems, such as poverty, deteriorating education systems, violence, discrimination, and political corruption. From the 80-person Bus Caravan with which you commenced the initiative, to the ongoing city hall meetings, concerts and public debates, MJAFT! has reached out to Albanian society both at home and abroad to educate the citizenry and advance the promotion of peace. As you realize, the thriving democracy you wish for Albania requires the participation and commitment of your country's citizens, and MJAFT! is a commendable effort to encourage this citizen participation. I feel confident that the persistence and passion of your staff, volunteers, and supporters will help to carry the vision and ideal of MJAFT! beyond the four-month campaign. Cordially Congressman Tom Lantos Member of Congress" From gridinsky at aukf.org Sun Jul 20 12:59:08 2003 From: gridinsky at aukf.org (Andrew Gridinsky) Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2003 18:59:08 +0200 Subject: [KAN-Info] American University in Kosovo Message-ID: <007801c34ee0$5b1c5490$cba05050@andy> AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN KOSOVO OPENS IN OCTOBER 2003 [Pristina, Kosovo] -- The American University in Kosovo (AUK) will begin its first freshman class on October 6, 2003. According to Louis Sell, Executive Director of the American University in Kosovo Foundation, "What has been a dream of the Kosovar and American organizers is now becoming reality - Kosovo will now have its own American University offering a full program of instruction in English that will prepare Kosovo's youth for the 21st century." The AUK is a private institution of higher learning with rigorous standards of admission and academic performance. The AUK will provide an American curriculum primarily delivered by American professors. Instruction, admission, and administration will be in English. The AUK will offer a quality, American education to all, regardless of ethnicity, gender, or religious affiliation. Admission will be strictly on merit through a competitive exam process. Dr. Andrew Gridinsky, Director of Academic Planning at the AUKF, noted the importance of this development for Kosovo's higher education landscape. "An American university," he said, "offers more than simply knowledge. Our goal is to enable our students to develop true critical thinking and to learn how to present themselves in a professional and credible manner. A university education should prepare students for real jobs in the real world and our curriculum has a strong career focus. We want to be part of building Kosovo's economy and our students will play a key role in that," he concluded. The AUK is established by the American University in Kosovo Foundation (AUKF), an organization registered in both Kosovo and the United States, for the purpose of creating, supporting and providing broad oversight to this American institution of higher learning in Kosovo. The AUKF is directed by a board of distinguished Americans and Kosovars. Its Chair is former Ambassador William Walker and its Vice Chair is Richard Lukaj, President of Babcock Capital Partners, Inc. The pursuit of excellence is central to the AUK's mission. To this end the AUK is partnering with the highly respected American university; Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), which will manage all aspects of the academic curriculum. Founded in 1829 and located in Rochester, New York, RIT is a private, non-profit university with more than 15,000 students. It offers over 230 academic programs, ranging from photographic arts to micro-electric engineering. Its programs, with their focus on preparing students for careers in business and industry, have a national and international reputation for excellence. Students attending AUK will earn credits recognized both in Kosovo and by RIT. Kosovo will become RIT's tenth overseas location. Within Eastern Europe, RIT has extensive programs in Dubrovnik and Prague. Initially, the AUK will offer an associate's degree, a two year program focusing on business, economics, and computers. Enrollment in the first year will be limited to approximately 120 students. A central element of the program will be the development of initiative and the practical application of management and technology to solving economic, manufacturing, and business development challenges in Kosovo. Students attending the AUK will have full access to RIT's impressive array of on-line data bases, libraries, and distance learning tools. AUK students will have the use of a large number of modern, highly capable computers at a very favorable student to computer ratio. As AUK expands its operations into its anticipated newly renovated facilities on the outskirts of Pristina, both the size of the student body and the range of course offerings will grow. It is the intention of the AUK, working with U.S. university partners, to establish a four-year American university in Kosovo, providing a full range of university programs with credits recognized in both Kosovo and the United States. Applications to AUK are available at the AUK web site: (www.rit.edu/aukadmin). All applications must be submitted on-line, through the AUK web site. All applicants will be required to take a written exam, administered by representatives of RIT and AUK, and an interview. The exam will include an English language and a math component. There is an application fee of $75, which is payable to the AUKF account at the Raiffeisen bank in Pristina. (Account number 1501001002441485.) One year's tuition to attend AUK is $5,500, which is also payable to the AUKF account at the Raiffeisen bank in Pristina. (Account number 1501001002441485.) At less than a quarter of the cost of studying in the United States, the AUK's program will give many more students in Kosovo the chance to get a quality American university-level education, without having to travel abroad. AUK offers a discount for payment in advance. Additional information about AUK can be found on its web site (www.rit.edu/aukadmin). The American University in Kosovo Telephone 038-540-197 e-mail: admissions at aukf.org Andrew Gridinsky American University in Kosova Foundation Tel: +381 38 540 196 Mob: +377 44 502 894 -------------- next part -------------- HTML attachment scrubbed and removed From natashamistry at mjaft.org Tue Jul 22 10:42:24 2003 From: natashamistry at mjaft.org (Natasha Mistry) Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 16:42:24 +0200 Subject: [KAN-Info] =?iso-8859-1?q?MJAFT!_deklarata_p=EBr_shtyp/_MJAFT!_p?= =?iso-8859-1?q?ress_release?= Message-ID: <002c01c3505f$7b491c50$06c8a8c0@c1> http://www.mjaft.org Mik i dashur, Je i lutur te gjesh bashkangjitur me poshte dy nga deklaratat per shtyp te MJAFT!-it (secila ne anglisht dhe shqip). Nese ju duhet asistence e metejshme, mos hezitoni te na kontaktoni. nga MJAFT!-i --------------------------------- Dear Friend, Please find attached the latest press release from the MJAFT! Campaign.(English is below the Albanian version.) If you need further information please do not hesitate in contacting us. Yours sincerely, MJAFT! Campaign --------------------------------------------------- Publikuar n? INDEPENDENT, e Diele, 13 Korrik Nga Andrew Mueller Nj? fjal? Shqip t? cilin e shohim gjithandej, n? postera, stikera, pra?n nj? dore t? kuqe, ?sht? MJAFT! Mjaft! ?sht? nj? l?vizje nd?rgjegj?suese e cila po mberrin momentin dometh?n?s. Q? nga fillimi I saj n? muajt e par? t? k?tij viti, aktivist?t e rinj t? MJAFT!-it kan? nd?rrmar? k?t? fushat? kund?r t? gjitha s?mundjeve kronike t? Shqip?ris? -Korrupsioni, krimi I organizuar, gjakmarrja e cila ende d?non familjet e zonave rurale me marrjen e hakut t? parardh?sve t? tyre n?p?rmjet vrasjeve t? dhunshme. Mungesa e infrastruktur?s (p?r shum? shqiptar? mungesa e ujit dhe dritave ?sht? e zakonshme). Taktikat e MJAFT!-it jan? huazuar nga situacionist?t e Parisit 1968 dhe l?vizjes studentore Serbe Otpor!, e cila luajti nj? rol t? r?nd?sish?m n? zbritjen e Milosevicit nga detyra. N? maj, Mjaft! vuri n? loj? panairin e rrug?s q? b?nte sikur ofronte arm?, drog? dhe viza t? fallcifikuara. Ata mor?n disa k?rkesa t? v?rteta. "Problemi i v?rtet? i Shqip?ris? ?sht? apatia", thot? Erion Veliaj, drejtori i fushat?s Mjaft. Veliaj, 23, ?sht? rritur n? Tiran?, ?sht? arsimuar n? Amerik? dhe ka punuar n? mbi 60 shtete t? ndryshme p?r OJQ t? ndryshme p?rpara se t? kthehej n? sht?pi. Ne i takuam Erionin dhe Arbjan Maznikun, 24, e Mjaftit n? nj? kafene franceze posht? zyr?s. Si t? gjith? shqiptar?t e tjer? q? takuam, Erioni ?sht? i vet?dijsh?m dhe i depresuar nga reputacioni i vendit t? tij. "Gj?ja m? e keqe ?sht? q? nj?r?zit k?tu kan? filluar ta besojn? k?t?", thot? ai. "Ata lexojn? gazeta t? huaja, shikojn? njoftime n? televizione italiane, dhe fillojn? t? besojn? se ne jemi t? gjithe gangstera dhe se jemi t? gjith? t? mbaruar. Mjaft ?sht? financuar nga disa qeveri per?ndimore - ambasada Angleze n? Tirana ka dh?n? nj? shum? t? paspecifikuar - dhe gjithashtu edhe nga biznese locale. Edi Rama, q? ?sht? duke b?re fushat?n p?r ri-zgjedhje n? Tetor, ?sht? par? duke mbajtur nj? sh?nj? t? Mjaft-it. "Ne nuk do komentojm? p?r k?t?", thot? Erioni, "ne nuk e mohojm? ato q? ai ka b?re. Por Edi lavd?rohet p?r rregullimin e rrug?ve dhe p?r lyerjen e pallateve - k?to jan? ato q? kryetar?t e bashkis? duhet t? b?jn?. Ekspetativat k?tu jan? shum? t? ulta dhe prandaj ai duartrokitet". Erioni dhe Arbjani jan? jasht?zakonisht t? zgjuar dhe une besoj se n?se e vizitoj Shqip?rin? mbas 20 vjet?sh, mund ta gjej veten duke ju drejtuar nj?rit prej tyre si Zoti President. T? dy mund t? ishin future n? cdo OJQ dhe t? ishin pun?suar n? sekond?. Ata duhet t? ken? arsye p?r optimiz?m. "Problemi i Shqip?ris?" thot? Arbi, "?sht? se shum? njer?z t? mencur po largohen. T? gjith? shok?t e mi u larguan mbas shkoll?s, dhe un? jam i vetmi q? u ktheva. P?r mua, ishte nj? zgjidhje midis nj? jete t? rehatshme dhe mediocre ne Kanada apo diku tjet?r dhe nj? jete k?tu duke luftuar p?r nj? t? ardhme". "P?rvec kesaj" shton Erioni, "e gjith? kjo ?sht? shume qef". P?r t? lexuar t? gjith? artikullin, shikoni: http://www.mjaft.org/shq/news/13072003_independent_full.htm -------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------- Excerpt on "MJAFT" published in "THE INDEPENDENT," A British Paper on Sunday 13 July, 2003 By Andrew Mueller The one Albanian word we see everywhere, on posters and stickers next to a print of a red hand, is "Mjaft!". "Mjaft!" is an emphatic Albanian variant of "Enough!". Mjaft! is also a consciousness-raising movement which is acquiring significant momentum. Since its launch earlier this year, the young activists of Mjaft! have campaigned against all Albania's chronic ills - corruption, organised crime, the traditional blood feuds which still condemn rural families to avenge slights against their ancestors with murderous violence, lack of infrastructure (for most Albanians, water and electricity are erratic). Mjaft's tactics are borrowed from the situationists of Paris 1968 via the Serbian student movement Otpor!, which played a significant role in bringing Milosevic down. In May, Mjaft! staged a bogus criminal street fair in Tirana, pretending to offer weapons, drugs and forged visas. They received several genuine enquiries. "Albania's real problem is apathy," says Erion Veliaj, Mjaft's Campaign Director. Veliaj, 23, was raised in Tirana, educated in America, and worked in more than 60 countries for various NGOs before coming home. We meet Erion and Mjaft's Arbjan Mazniku, 24, in the excellent French cafe downstairs from their office. Like all Albanians we meet, Erion is acutely aware of, and depressed by, his country's reputation. "The worst thing is that people here have started to believe it," he says. "They read foreign newspapers, they see reports on Italian TV, and they start to believe that we are all gangsters, and that we're all doomed." Mjaft! are funded by various western governments - the British embassy in Tirana has kicked in an unspecified amount - and by local businesses. Edi Rama, campaigning for re-election in October, has been spotted wearing a Mjaft! badge. "We don't comment about that," says Erion. "We can't deny what he's done. But Edi gets praised for fixing roads and painting buildings - that's what mayors are supposed to do. Expectations here are very low, and that's why he gets applause." Erion and Arbjan are terrifyingly bright, and I suspect that if I visit Albania 20 years hence, I might find myself addressing one of them as Mr President. Both could have walked into any NGO and been hired on the spot. They must have grounds for optimism. "Albania's problem," says Arbjan, "is that too many smart people are leaving. All my friends left after school, and I'm the only one who came back. To me, it was a choice between leading a comfortable, mediocre life in Canada or somewhere, and staying here and struggling for a future." "Besides which," adds Erion, "this is really good fun." To read the full text version, please visit: http://www.mjaft.org/en/news/13072003_full.htm From natashamistry at mjaft.org Fri Jul 25 10:35:31 2003 From: natashamistry at mjaft.org (Natasha Mistry) Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 16:35:31 +0200 Subject: [KAN-Info] =?iso-8859-1?q?MJAFT_Njoftim_p=EBr_Shtyp?= Message-ID: <017701c352ba$0acbd0f0$06c8a8c0@c1> Njoftim p?r Shtyp P?rfaq?sues t? l?vizjes MJAFT u takuan sot me Presidentin Moisiu si t? ftuar nderi n? p?rvjetorin e par? t? Presidenc?s s? tij. Bashkangjitur do t? gjeni deklarat?n p?r shtyp nga MJAFT p?r k?t? takim. Ne do ta vler?sonim botimin e k?saj deklarate nga ana juaj. Nj? deklarat? t? ngjashme leshoi dhe zyra e Presidentit Moisiu. At? mund ta gjeni n? internet n?: http://www.president.al/shqip/info.asp?id=517 P?rzem?rsisht, L?vizja MJAFT! --------------------------------------------------- Ne pervjetorin e pare te Presidences, Z. Mosiu i bashkohet Fushates "MJAFT" Tiran?, 25 Korrik 2003 - Perpara nje konference per shtyp rreth Presidences se tij, Z. Moisiu e perfundoi vitin e tij te pare si President i Republikes se Shqiperise me nje takim me perfaqesues te Fushates MJAFT!, levizjes me te madhe ne Shqiperi kunder apatise qytetare dhe politikave te deshtuara ne vend. "Jam i lumtur qe ju takoj, u shpreh Presidenti Moisiu. Ju pergezoj dhe ju inkurajoj per nje Fushate kaq te suksesshme. Nga kjo levizje, jo vetem keni ndihmuar ne ndryshimin e mentalitetit shqiptar, por i keni treguar shqiptareve se forca e qytetarise tone eshte ende gjalle. Gezohem gjithashtu per imazhin e mire qe i keni sjelle Shqiperise gjate kesaj perpjekjeje, duke iu referuar artikullit te fundit te botuar ne gazeten angleze The Independent rreth Shqiperise dhe Fushates MJAFT! si dhe per krenarine qe keni ndezur tek shqiptaret qe jetojne jashte.. Me konsideroni tuajin ne kete levizje qytetare." Drejtuesi i Levizjes Erion Veliaj shpjegoi se MJAFT! synoi te ndryshonte mentalitetin dhe te rehabilitonte sensin e protestes duke perdorur metoda alternative te te kerkuarit te se drejtes. " Fushata synoi t'i bente shqiptaret te 'grisnin certifikaten e heshtjes' dhe arriti te mobilizonte njerez ne te gjithe Shqiperine te cilet u angazhuan dhe ngriten zeritn per ndryshime ndaj nje realiteti te padurueshem per Evropen e vitit 2003. Aspekti jopolitik i fushates e beri akoma me te pranueshme ndaj asaj shumice te heshtur te popullsise, e cila eshte zhgenjyer me klasen politike shqiptare" - shtoi me tej Veliaj. Milva Ekonomi, drejtoreshe e INSTAT-it dhe udheheqese tjeter e Levizjes, shpejoi se si Fushata arriti te ndikonte ne axhenden politke, sociale dhe mediatike te vendit. Ekonomi i kerkoi Presidentit Moisiu angazhim te metejshem ne probleme endemike shqiptare si gjakmarrja apo dhe ne ato me aspekt me global si ceshtjet e ndotjes se mjedisit. "Shqiperia ka nevoje per modele publike te udheheqesve qe jane te shqetesuar sinqerisht per zgjidhjen e problemeve akute te ketij vendi" - shtoi me tej Ekonomi. "Me Levizjen MJAFT! ndermorem nje rrezik si institucion financues" - tha Hans Blankenberg, Ambasadori i Vendeve te Uleta (Hollandes) ne Shqiperi e cila financoi pjesen me te madhe te Fushates MJAFT. " Nuk dinim se cilat ishin lidhjet politike dhe se cfare efekti do te kishte mbi popullsine. Tani shohim qe te dyja keto rreziqe jane kaluar me sukses. Si rrjedhoje diplomatet dhe gazetaret e huaj qe vijne ne Shqiperi habiten pasi MJAFT ka perfaqesuar denjesisht nje fytyre tjeter, me te pashme e me premtuese per Shqiperine." - perfundoi Blankenberg. Me kete takim, Presidenti Moisiu mbylli vitin e tij te pare dhe Fushata MJAFT perfundoi fazen e saj fillestare. MJAFT tashme po shnderrohet ne nje Levizje te mirefillte qytetare e cila do te filloje serish veprimtarite e saj gjate periudhes se zgjedhjeve ne vjeshte, per te vazhduar me tej vitin e ardhshem. Per me shume informacion vizitoni: http://www.president.al/shqip/info.asp?id=517 Per me shume informacion vizitoni: http://www.mjaft.org Fushata MJAFT! synon t? bashkoj? e t'u jap? z? problemeve shoq?rore n? Shqip?ri. Esht? nj? fushat? q? i thot? MJAFT! satus quo-s? dhe synon t'i jap? form? t? ardhmes s? zhvillimit ekonomik, integritetit politik dhe begatis? shoq?rore. Per me shume informacion ju lutem kontaktoni: Erion Veliaj Mobile: (+355) 68 20 55 982 e-mail: erionveliaj at mjaft.org Natasha Mistry Mobile: (+355) 68 27 30 371 E-mail: natashamistry at mjaft.org -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 25 July_President_shq_letterhead.doc Type: application/msword Size: 43520 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.alb-net.com/pipermail/kan-info/attachments/20030725/2638cdc6/attachment.doc