From mentor at alb-net.com Tue Jan 4 08:14:38 2005 From: mentor at alb-net.com (Kosova Crisis Center News and Information) Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2005 08:14:38 -0500 (EST) Subject: [NYC-L] [Kcc-News] [KAN-Info] Serb Officials Admit Involvement Message-ID: --------------------------------------------------------------------- Kosova Crisis Center (KCC) News: http://www.alb-net.com/index.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------- next part -------------- KOSOVA ACTION NETWORK January 1, 2005 INTERNATIONAL ACTION CAMPAIGN FOR RETURN OF MISSING "WE ARE ALL MISSING THEM" SERB OFFICIALS ADMIT INVOLVEMENT INTL. KAN Statement: Another 44 bodies were returned from the morgue in Belgrade to the Rahovec morgue in Kosova (full article below), however the issue is still a long way from being resolved. Hundreds of bodies remain, inexplicably, in the hands of the Serb police authorities. All bodies should be returned without delay. As they were in East Timor, Rwanda, and Bosnia, high level UN leadership fails to represent and implement the most basic human rights of people in which they have temporary stewardship over. This failure to demand justice and an end to the cover-up of the war crimes involved in the transport of bodies from Kosovo to Serbia in April, 1999, is the result of regional and international passivity and cowardice. Now, in 2005, the time has come to demand a Truth Commission, since neither the UN nor the government of Serbia nor the ICTY has fully addressed the issue of investigation into the heinous crime of the transport, burial, and alleged incineration of more than 1,000 Kosovar Albanians. Local Serbs have been coerced into keeping terrible secrets for years. Lack of justice is a source of corruption and destabilization on both sides of the border. RETURN THE KOSOVAR BODIES IMMEDIATELY! ============================================ ================= ARTICLES ================= ============================================ Balkan Briefs Thursday December 30, 2004 Serb prosecutor admits massacre during Kosovo war BELGRADE (AFP) - Some 800 ethnic Albanians exhumed from a mass grave near Belgrade following the 1998-99 war in Kosovo were the victims of mass executions, Serbia?s war crimes prosecutor said yesterday, in the first such admission from a Serb official. "In (the Belgrade suburb of) Batajnica were found the remains of people who had been victims of mass executions in Kosovo," prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic was quoted as saying by Beta news agency. Vukcevic?s statement confirmed long-held claims by non-governmental organizations as well as Kosovo Albanian officials that ethnic Albanians were the victims of mass executions during the conflict. "Following the exhumation and autopsy, it has become clear that those people were not killed by bomb explosions, but their wounds showed that they had been executed," Vukcevic said. The prosecutor said his office "will this year make public what happened there." ========================================== >From Humanitarian Law Center, Belgrade December 28, 2004 Humanitarian Law Center Research and Documentation Nata?a Kandic, the executive director of the Humanitarian Law Center The cover-up of the war crimes committed in Kosovo in 1998 and during the NATO bombardments was, above all, a police activity carried out by the most trustworthy men of the late of the head of Ministry of Interior Affairs of Serbia, Vlajko Stojiljkovic, of the former President of the Government of Serbia, Nikola Sainovic, of the one time head of the Public Security, Vlastimir ?ordevic, and the former head of the State Security, Rade Markovic. In the south of Serbia, the trustworthy person was Dragomir Tomic, a high official of the Government and the Parliament of Serbia at the time of Slobodan Milo?evic, the owner of Simpo Company today, whose understanding and support were essential for the organization and transport of the corpses from Kosovo to the area of Vranje and Surdulica. In the implementation of this "patriotic duty", from Kosovo via Bujanovac, members of the Special Operations Unit [Red Berets], local heads and chiefs of the State Security, and the director of the Mackatica factory, its owner today, took part. In Surdulica, everybody knows that, in the said factory, during NATO bombardment, corpses from Kosovo were incinerated. (full report below) ========================================== Parts of UNMIK Local Media Monitoring 28 December 2004 Body Remains of Kosovo Albanians Exhumed in Serbia to be Repatriated in January The human remains of 44 Albanians that have been exhumed in Serbia will be handed over to members of their families on January 15. A total of 836 bodies were exhumed from several mass graves in Serbia during 2001, out of which 398 have so far been handed over after the process of identification. UNMIK took over 44 bodies from the Serbian authorities in mid-December. The Forensic Medicine Institute in Orahovac will hand over these bodies to their families. There are still 3,192 people missing in Kosovo, and out of this number 2,460 are Kosovo Albanians, 523 Kosovo Serbs and 203 are members of other ethnicities. http://www.unmikonline.org/press/2004/mon/dec/lmm281204.pdf ========================================== LOCAL PRESSURE CONTINUES- PRISHTINA KAN and family groups staged a demonstration in front of UNMIK administration buildings posting photographs of missing persons ========================================== -------------- next part -------------- ______________________________________________________________ If you wish to unsubscribe, send a blank message to: kcc-news-unsubscribe at alb-net.com , or visit KCC-NEWS's page at: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/kcc-news From jeton at hotmail.com Sun Jan 9 14:26:35 2005 From: jeton at hotmail.com (Jeton Ademaj) Date: Sun, 09 Jan 2005 14:26:35 -0500 Subject: [NYC-L] Seized in Mac Message-ID: This story from today's NYTimes is very disturbing, partly because it suggests that Albania and Macedonia have both been succesfully enlisted to engage in human-rights violations...at the likely behest of the USA. i fear this could backfire in too many ways to count... http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/international/europe/09kidnap.html?pagewanted=all&position= January 9, 2005 German's Claim of Kidnapping Brings Investigation of U.S. Link By DON VAN NATTA Jr. and SOUAD MEKHENNET UNICH - On the afternoon of Dec. 31, 2003, Khaled el-Masri was traveling on a tourist bus headed for the Macedonian capital, Skopje, where he was hoping to escape the "holiday pressures" of home life during a weeklong vacation. When the bus reached the Serbia-Macedonia border, Mr. Masri said, he was asked the usual questions: Where are you going? How long will you be staying? Mr. Masri, a German citizen, did not think much of it, until he realized that the border guards had confiscated his passport. The bus moved on, but an increasingly panicked Mr. Masri was ordered to stay behind. A few hours later, Mr. Masri, a 41-year-old unemployed car salesman, said he was taken to a small, windowless room and was accused of being a terrorist by three men who were dressed in civilian clothes but carrying pistols. "They asked a lot of questions - if I have relations with Al Qaeda, Al Haramain, the Islamic Brotherhood," recalled Mr. Masri, who was born in Lebanon. "I kept saying no, but they did not believe me." It was the first day of what Mr. Masri said would become five months in captivity. In an interview, he said that after being kidnapped by the Macedonian authorities at the border, he was turned over to officials he believed were from the United States. He said they flew him to a prison in Afghanistan, where he said he was shackled, beaten repeatedly, photographed nude, injected with drugs and questioned by interrogators about what they insisted were his ties to Al Qaeda. He was released without ever being charged with a crime. The German police and prosecutors have been investigating Mr. Masri's allegations since he reported the matter to them last June, two weeks after his return to Germany. Martin Hofmann, a senior national prosecutor in Munich who handles terrorism cases and is in charge of the Masri investigation, and another official, a senior organized crime investigator in southern Germany, say they believe Mr. Masri's story. They said investigators interviewed him for 17 hours over two days, that his story was very detailed and that he recounted it consistently. In addition, the officials said they had verified specific elements of the case, including that Mr. Masri was forced off the bus at the border. Still, much of Mr. Masri's story has not been corroborated. His assertion that he was held by Americans in Afghanistan, for example, is solely based on what he said he observed or was told after he was taken off the bus in Macedonia. Mr. Masri said he was confounded by his captors' insistence that he was a Qaeda operative. He attends a mosque in Ulm, Germany, that has been closely watched by the authorities because several suspected terrorists have worshiped there. But those authorities say Mr. Masri has never been a suspect. Mr. Masri's lawyer, Manfred R. Gnjidic, said he suspected that his client was swept into the C.I.A.'s policy of "renditions" - handing custody of a prisoner from United States control to another country for the purposes of interrogation - because he has the same name, with a slightly different spelling, as a man wanted in the Sept. 11 attacks. The policy has come under increasing criticism as other cases have come to light recently. Although the German authorities say they have no specific suspects in the Masri case, they say they are looking into the possible role of the United States and other countries. "It is an unusual case," Mr. Hofmann said. "The political dimension is huge. Under German law, we can charge a person with kidnapping, but not a country. Countries cannot kidnap people." Officials at Germany's national intelligence agency said they are also investigating. They said they asked the F.B.I. for assistance last fall but have received little help. A senior administration official said the Bush administration had been aware of these allegations for some time, but he referred questions to the F.B.I. and the C.I.A. In a series of interviews, neither the C.I.A. nor the F.B.I. would deny or confirm Mr. Masri's allegations. A C.I.A. spokeswoman said the agency would not comment at all. Senior F.B.I. officials in Washington acknowledged that they received a request for help from the Germans last October, and said they were assisting in the investigation. The officials disputed that they had not worked aggressively on the case. "This is a very ongoing thing, and we are working together with the Germans to resolve it," a senior official said. "Our hope is we can get to the bottom of it." The official declined to discuss whether the bureau had had any contact with the C.I.A. or Pentagon about the allegations. Golan Pavlovski, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry of the Republic of Macedonia, said he had no information about Mr. Masri's case. When he returned home last June, Mr. Masri said, he felt relief but also rage. Asked whom he blames, Mr. Masri, a burly, soft-spoken man, looked at his hands for a long moment before saying, "Of course, I blame the Americans first." Similar Cases Mr. Masri's allegations bear similarities to the case of Maher Arar, a Canadian born in Syria who was suspected of being a Qaeda operative. Mr. Arar, who was detained in New York in 2002, says he was sent by the United States to Syria, where he says he was repeatedly tortured during 10 months in prison. A second detainee, Mamdouh Habib, an Australian, has asserted in court papers that he was tortured in an Egyptian prison for nearly six months in 2001 before being transferred to Guant?namo Bay, Cuba. The allegations were contained in a motion filed with a federal court recently. Mr. Habib's lawyer has asked the federal district court in Washington to block the Bush administration from sending him back to Egypt, asserting that he would be tortured again there. The C.I.A. began the renditions program in the early 1990's, but its use has increased since the Sept. 11 attacks. Human rights organizations, who say the policy is tantamount to government-sponsored kidnapping, estimate that dozens of "high value" detainees are being held in secret locations around the world. C.I.A. officials have acknowledged that the agency conducts renditions, but say they do not condone the use of torture during interrogations. Mr. Masri, who had not gone public with his case, agreed to give an interview last month after being approached by The New York Times. During the interview, he spoke without notes, and in great detail, about his case. He said he was able to recount his time in captivity because he wrote down his experiences right after he was released. The timeline was corroborated by documents, including a bus ticket and a stamp on his passport in Albania on May 29, the date he said he was released. He returned to Germany on June 3. His account also matched details in a report about his case written by Amnesty International, whose officials interviewed Mr. Masri on June 21. "Mr. Masri had been questioned twice for a lot of hours, and he always has said the same things, he never changed details," Mr. Hofmann said in an interview about his country's investigation. "Therefore I don't think it would be possible that someone could invent such a story." Mr. Masri said his ordeal began after he decided to go on a short vacation without his family after arguing with his wife, choosing Skopje because it was inexpensive and friends had recommended it. After being interrogated the first night in Macedonia, Mr. Masri, who speaks German and Arabic, was taken to a motel on the outskirts of Skopje, where he said several men held him for 23 days. "They told me: 'You are not arrested. You aren't handcuffed, are you?' " Mr. Masri recalled. But he said he was not permitted to leave. Questions About Al Qaeda He said the men continued to question him about Al Qaeda. After several days, Mr. Masri said he lost his temper, demanded to speak with officials from the German government and tried to escape. "One man put his pistol in his hand and showed it to me, to stop me from leaving," Mr. Masri said. Another week went by, he said, before another man arrived to question him. "He was nice to me," he recalled. "He said we'll make a deal - you say you are an Al Qaeda member, and sign a paper saying that, and we'll put you back on a plane and you will be deported to Germany." Mr. Masri said he refused. The man left but returned two days later, he said, and this time he was more combative. "He said I'm not cooperative, I bring problems on myself, they know everything about me," Mr. Masri said. He said the man asserted that Mr. Masri was originally from Egypt and had been to a Qaeda training camp in Pakistan - allegations that Mr. Masri said he repeatedly denied. After three and a half weeks, Mr. Masri said he was told that he could return to Germany. The Macedonians took a statement from him on videotape to show he was in good health when he left their country, he said. Afterward, Mr. Masri said, he was permitted to leave the motel, but a few steps down the road, a pickup truck pulled up next to him, and several men grabbed him. Mr. Masri said that a hood was put over his head but that he believed he was driven to the airport because he could hear the roar of planes. He said he was taken to a room and beaten. He said his clothes were cut off with knives, and he heard the sounds of cameras taking pictures. "After I was naked they took off my mask so I could see, and all the people were in black clothes and black masks," he said. "There were seven or eight people." Mr. Masri said a couple of men put him in a blue warm-up suit, handcuffed him and tied his hands to his belt, put plugs in his ears and blindfolded him. He said he was put on a plane, where he was forced to lie on the floor. Someone injected his arm, he said, and he fell into a deep sleep. After an unknown number of hours, he said, he awoke to find that the plane had landed. He said he was taken to a building and imprisoned in a tiny, cold cell. "Everything was dirty - a dirty blanket, dirty water, like from a fish aquarium," he said. On the walls in his cell were words written in Arabic and what he believed was Farsi. Mr. Masri said that his captors and fellow prisoners told him he was in Kabul, Afghanistan. That first evening in prison, Mr. Masri said, a man he assumed was a doctor, wearing a thin black mask, came to his cell to take a vial of blood. He said he believed that the doctor was American because he spoke English. Mr. Masri said he was repeatedly punched in the head and neck by several guards who accompanied the doctor. He also said he was forced to run up and down stairs with his arms shackled behind his back. The following morning, Mr. Masri said, an interrogator walked into his cell and, in a thick Lebanese accent, began shouting at him. "He told me, 'Where you are right now there is no law, no rights, no one knows you are here, and no one cares about you.' " Mr. Masri said the man had a stack of documents and told him they knew "everything" about him, including that he was an associate of Mohamed Atta, one of the Sept. 11 hijackers, and Ramzi bin al-Shibh, who is believed to have helped the hijackers. They also accused him of being a senior Qaeda operative who was trained in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, he said. "I denied everything - I kept saying, 'No, no, no.' " His lawyer, Mr. Gnjidic, said he thought that his client had been confused with the Sept. 11 suspect Khalid al-Masri, because that man is believed by American authorities to have had contact with Mr. bin al-Shibh and Mr. Atta and to have been partly responsible for directing them to a Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan. It was there that the two men met Osama bin Laden, who enlisted them for the Sept. 11 mission. More weeks went by, and Mr. Masri said he then met a man who presented himself as a top lieutenant at the prison. He believes that man was also an American, based on his accent. "They asked me about Ulm, how many people go to the mosque, how often do they pray," he said. "I told them. When I asked why I was there, I never got an answer." A Hunger Strike In March, Mr. Masri said he began a hunger strike. On the 35th day, he said an Afghan prison guard told him, "The Americans don't care if you live or die." Two days later, he said, he was beaten again and forcibly fed liquid through a tube shoved down his throat. Mr. Masri said he then ended his hunger strike. He said he was getting to know his fellow prisoners - there were two Pakistani brothers and a man from Tanzania who had been there for several months. He also said there was a Pakistani man who had been there nearly two years. "I'm sure those men will take revenge, after what was done to them," Mr. Masri said. "Some said to me - we hope to get out of here and then have the power to make something happen against the Americans." Weeks went by. In May, Mr. Masri said he met a man he believed was German and who was introduced as "Sam." The man posed the same series of questions - mostly about any dealings he may have had with Mr. Atta and Mr. bin al-Shibh. "He was friendly," Mr. Masri said. "So I said, 'Can you please tell me if my family knows where I am?' And the German said, 'No, they don't know.' " The German authorities said they were unable to confirm Mr. Masri's account of a German agent. The Return Home A week later, Mr. Masri said, he was blindfolded, taken to the airport and put on a flight, and then placed on a bus and driven for six or seven hours. His blindfold was removed, and a man told him to walk down a deserted, winding mountain road, he said. "I had the feeling after a few steps, they'd shoot me in the back." He walked around the bend and came upon a border crossing, where three men in uniforms waited for him, he said. Mr. Masri said he told one of the men about his five months in captivity. "The man was laughing at me," he said. "He said: 'Don't tell that story to anyone because no one will believe it. Everyone will laugh.' " Mr. Masri asked where they were; the man said in northern Albania, near the Macedonian border. The border officer handed Mr. Masri a plastic box containing the belongings that were taken from him on the first day of his captivity, including his passport and cash, he said. The man told him he was free to go, and his passport was stamped by the nation of Albania, on May 29, 2004. >From there, he bought an airplane ticket and flew to Frankfurt. Once in Germany, Mr. Masri said he returned to his hometown, Ulm, but his wife and four sons, ages 2 to 6, were not at home. "I feared the worst - I feared something happened to my family," he said. Four days later, he found them at his wife's mother's home in Lebanon. In an interview, Mr. Masri's wife, Aischa, said she had moved back to Lebanon after not hearing from her husband. She said she began thinking, "Maybe he has gone to marry another woman." Mrs. Masri, 29, said she did not expect to see him again. "The boys have cried a lot in Lebanon. They always have asked me, "Why are we here, Mom, and where is Daddy?' " she said, and then began to weep. "From time to time, I called his friends in Germany and asked them if they heard anything from him or about him. But no one knew anything." Mr. Masri said he was still trying to rebuild his life. He said he had no steady employment, and almost no friends. "The phone doesn't ring - people have heard, and they don't want to see me," he said. It was not until last August that Mr. Masri was told by his lawyer that he had the same name as the Sept. 11 suspect. Mr. Masri said he was bedeviled by questions that he and the German authorities still could not answer. "There are so many questions," he said. "How did it happen? Why did it happen? I don't know." From eb246 at columbia.edu Mon Jan 10 12:31:38 2005 From: eb246 at columbia.edu (Erkanda Bujari) Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 09:31:38 -0800 Subject: [NYC-L] Kosova TELECOM : Design of New Logo and Slogan Message-ID: <41E2BBFA.9080409@columbia.edu> FYI. ------------------------ Dear Friends and Readers, We at Expat Services wish all of you a Happy New Year 2005 ? where ever you?re at! With this in mined, we will start the New Year out with a little different twist than just ?Job Alerts?. We have been asked by UNMIK in Kosovo to let everyone know the Telecom of Kosovo announces a ?15,000 competition for the design of a new logo and slogan for the new corporate identity of Telecom. Please read below and keep us informed if you inter the competition. TELECOM OF KOSOVO ANNOUNCES A ?15,000 COMPETITION FOR THE DESIGN OF A NEW LOGO AND SLOGAN FOR THE NEW CORPORATE IDENTITY OF TELECOM OF KOSOVO Publication Reference: TK/NEW LOGO/2004 As a result of the ongoing incorporation of the publicly owned enterprises in Kosovo, the Fixed Telephony Network of the PTK will become ?Telecom of Kosovo?. As part of the process of establishing itself as a new / separate business entity, the Fixed Telephony Network has to develop its corporate identity, and needs to adopt a new logo as the first step in creating a new image. Telecom of Kosovo is seeking proposals for a logo and slogan that: - Illustrates the main business goals of the company, and its position on the market - Reflects the core values of the company - Is unique, visually attractive and easily identifiable - Is consistent / in line with the logos of the other business units of PTK - Can be easily applied to a variety of supports (printed materials, promotional items, website, uniforms etc.) For further information regarding the Mission, Vision and Values of PTK, please visit www.ptkonline.com Competitors have the flexibility to submit a proposal that consists of either a) Logo and Slogan b) Logo only c) Slogan only All submitted proposals that include a graphic logo and/or a slogan must be presented in the following formats: letterhead business card website brochure car firm (premises) Ownership All submissions will become the property of Post and Telecommunications of Kosovo. A Statement of Authenticity will be required from the designer. PTK will retain Copyright of all used elements of Logo and Slogan PTK retain the right to use any part or whole of all submissions Award The winner(s) will be awarded a one off payment in accordance with the award criteria listed below. PTK will not pay any subsequent license or copyright fee(s) to the winner(s). Award Criteria The Award Criteria will be based upon the selection by the review panel and the subsequent use in the final product. As PTK reserves the right to use individual elements of the proposal the award criteria is as follows: Winner of Logo and Slogan - ?15,000 Winner of Logo - ?7,500 Winner of Slogan - ?7,500 Winner of Part of Logo (no more than 2) - ?3,500 Winner of Part of Logo (no more than 2) - ?3,500 Winner of Part of Slogan (no more than 2) - ?3,500 Winner of Part of Slogan (no more than 2) - ?3,500 Submission of bids Submissions are to be made in two sealed envelopes, enclosed in a further sealed cover marked: ?Submission for the Design and Selection of a New Logo?. Submitted designs in printed form and as computer files are to be sealed in one envelope (envelope A). The name and contact details of the competitor are to be sealed in the other envelope (envelope B). Both sealed envelopes are to be marked with a code known to the competitor. The competitor?s name is not to be marked on the outside of either of the envelopes or the cover to ensure impartiality. Unsuccessful designs will not be returned. Submissions must be delivered on or before 1st February 2005 at 12:00 hrs local time to: Mr. Fatmir Rushiti, Procurement Manager PTK Headquarters, Dardania n.n. Prishtina, Kosovo The winning design will be chosen based on the degree to which the submissions reflect the values and meet the criteria stated above. The Official Public Opening of envelope B of the winning design will be on 1st February 2005 at 12:30 hrs local time at PTK Headquarters. Please address any queries and requests for further information to: Attn: Mr. Fadil Buqaj, Procurement Officer Tel/Fax: ++ 381 (0) 38 545 744 E-mail: Fadil.Buqaj at ptkonline.com ------ End of Forwarded Message ------ From dardan at alb-net.com Mon Jan 10 10:35:19 2005 From: dardan at alb-net.com (Dardan Blaku) Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 10:35:19 -0500 (EST) Subject: [NYC-L] Kosova TELECOM : Design of New Logo and Slogan Message-ID: How about "Telecom of Kosova" - Five years of robbing you blind! It is ridiculous how the telecom services in Kosova (one of the poorest regions in Europe) are more expensive when compared to any other country in the area (and possibly the world). While their executives build mansions in western countries, drive vehicles that many executives in western Europe and the US cannot afford, and when they are caught, they can easily afford to pay 50,000 Euros in bail and never hear from the courts again, ordinary citizens have to pay hundreds of Euros JUST TO GET A PHONE LINE that was damaged during the war... Then they hire an allegedly U.S. company (no one has heard of) to set up wireless services for the province (and somehow, they trick Kosova's president to attend the signing ceremony - hmmm, is he involved as well?) Give me a break... a "publicly owned enterprise" should work for the public, not for the few unqualified nepotists on the top. The only way they can change "as part of the process of establishing itself as a new / separate business entity" is by dropping their ridiculous rates... Dardan Erkanda Bujari wrote: === NYC-L: New York City Discussion Forum === FYI. ------------------------ Dear Friends and Readers, We at Expat Services wish all of you a Happy New Year 2005 where ever youre at! With this in mined, we will start the New Year out with a little different twist than just Job Alerts. We have been asked by UNMIK in Kosovo to let everyone know the Telecom of Kosovo announces a 15,000 competition for the design of a new logo and slogan for the new corporate identity of Telecom. Please read below and keep us informed if you inter the competition. TELECOM OF KOSOVO ANNOUNCES A 15,000 COMPETITION FOR THE DESIGN OF A NEW LOGO AND SLOGAN FOR THE NEW CORPORATE IDENTITY OF TELECOM OF KOSOVO Publication Reference: TK/NEW LOGO/2004 As a result of the ongoing incorporation of the publicly own ed enterprises in Kosovo, the Fixed Telephony Network of the PTK will become Telecom of Kosovo. As part of the process of establishing itself as a new / separate business entity, the Fixed Telephony Network has to develop its corporate identity, and needs to adopt a new logo as the first step in creating a new image. Telecom of Kosovo is seeking proposals for a logo and slogan that: - Illustrates the main business goals of the company, and its position on the market - Reflects the core values of the company - Is unique, visually attractive and easily identifiable - Is consistent / in line with the logos of the other business units of PTK - Can be easily applied to a variety of supports (printed materials, promotional items, website, uniforms etc.) For further information regarding the Mission, Vision and Values of PTK, please visit www.ptkonline.com Competitors have the flexibility to submit a pro posal that consists of either a) Logo and Slogan b) Logo only c) Slogan only All submitted proposals that include a graphic logo and/or a slogan must be presented in the following formats: letterhead business card website brochure car firm (premises) Ownership All submissions will become the property of Post and Telecommunications of Kosovo. A Statement of Authenticity will be required from the designer. PTK will retain Copyright of all used elements of Logo and Slogan PTK retain the right to use any part or whole of all submissions Award The winner(s) will be awarded a one off payment in accordance with the award criteria listed below. PTK will not pay any subsequent license or copyright fee(s) to the winner(s). Award Criteria The Award Criteria will be based upon the selection by the review panel and the subsequent use in the final product. As PTK reserves the right < BR>to use individual elements of the proposal the award criteria is as follows: Winner of Logo and Slogan - 15,000 Winner of Logo - 7,500 Winner of Slogan - 7,500 Winner of Part of Logo (no more than 2) - 3,500 Winner of Part of Logo (no more than 2) - 3,500 Winner of Part of Slogan (no more than 2) - 3,500 Winner of Part of Slogan (no more than 2) - 3,500 Submission of bids Submissions are to be made in two sealed envelopes, enclosed in a further sealed cover marked: Submission for the Design and Selection of a New Logo. Submitted designs in printed form and as computer files are to be sealed in one envelope (envelope A). The name and contact details of the competitor are to be sealed in the other envelope (envelope B). Both sealed envelopes are to be marked with a code known to the competitor. The competitors name is not to be marked on the outside of either of the envelopes or the cover to ensure impartiality. Unsuccessful designs will not be returned. Submissions must be delivered on or before 1st February 2005 at 12:00 hrs local time to: Mr. Fatmir Rushiti, Procurement Manager PTK Headquarters, Dardania n.n. Prishtina, Kosovo The winning design will be chosen based on the degree to which the submissions reflect the values and meet the criteria stated above. The Official Public Opening of envelope B of the winning design will be on 1st February 2005 at 12:30 hrs local time at PTK Headquarters. Please address any queries and requests for further information to: Attn: Mr. Fadil Buqaj, Procurement Officer Tel/Fax: ++ 381 (0) 38 545 744 E-mail: Fadil.Buqaj at ptkonline.com ------ End of Forwarded Message ------ ____________________________________________________ NYC-L: A discussion and information list of the Albanian community in the New York City Metro Area. To post to the list: NYC-L at alb-net.com For more information: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/nyc-l From vbelegu at hotmail.com Tue Jan 11 13:39:53 2005 From: vbelegu at hotmail.com (Visar Belegu) Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2005 12:39:53 -0600 Subject: [NYC-L] Kosova TELECOM : Design of New Logo and Slogan In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Does anyone know people that have majored in the field of communication and/or business? It would be great if someone better educated on this matter could prepare a proposal about rebuilding the antiquated telecommunication company! I am almost ceratain that with the right proposal and proper lidership a few of us could develope a very proposal that will gain support of the Kosova's parlament as well as as the UN administrators there. Perhaps, it is an idealistic approach but I thing this is a great opportunity for anyone to get involved in fixing a very specific and important problem in Kosova instead of just bitching about things. If nothing else it will be a great exercise for someone who intends to run a business like this in the future. If anyone is intrested in working on something like this please contact me at this email: vbelegu at hotmail.com (ALL proposals will be accepted just please be at least half serious about it) Thanks, Visar From Dea2608 at aol.com Wed Jan 12 15:42:32 2005 From: Dea2608 at aol.com (Dea2608 at aol.com) Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2005 15:42:32 -0500 Subject: [NYC-L] (no subject) Message-ID: <69CF981A.41CA88FC.001612F6@aol.com> A di gje njeri se ku mund te behet konvertimi i diplomes Shqiptare ne Amerikane ne New York? From jetkoti at hotmail.com Wed Jan 12 18:44:24 2005 From: jetkoti at hotmail.com (X.A.) Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2005 18:44:24 -0500 Subject: [NYC-L] (no subject) References: <69CF981A.41CA88FC.001612F6@aol.com> Message-ID: www.globelanguage.com 212.227.1994 www.wes.org 212-966-6311 ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2005 3:42 PM Subject: [NYC-L] (no subject) === NYC-L: New York City Discussion Forum === A di gje njeri se ku mund te behet konvertimi i diplomes Shqiptare ne Amerikane ne New York? ____________________________________________________ NYC-L: A discussion and information list of the Albanian community in the New York City Metro Area. To post to the list: NYC-L at alb-net.com For more information: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/nyc-l From key_86k at hotmail.com Thu Jan 13 05:30:33 2005 From: key_86k at hotmail.com (kemajl mustafa) Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2005 10:30:33 +0000 Subject: [NYC-L] (no subject) Message-ID: hej a ban me dit qka jan keto sene qishtu _________________________________________________________________ Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today it's FREE! http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/ From vanchristo at frosina.org Thu Jan 13 12:03:13 2005 From: vanchristo at frosina.org (Van Christo) Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2005 12:03:13 -0500 Subject: [NYC-L] (no subject) In-Reply-To: References: <69CF981A.41CA88FC.001612F6@aol.com> Message-ID: <41E6A9D1.4040302@frosina.org> Advisories Here you will find many categories of useful information for Albanian and other immigrants. Sources for the Evaluation of Diplomas from Foreign Universities to Determine USA Educational Equivalency Date posted: Tuesday, August 3, 2004 Author: Ms. Solveig Turner of the Center for Educational Documentation Albanians newcomers to the USA who have received diplomas as graduates of universities or institutes of higher learning in Albania and other countries of Europe should have their diplomas evaluated to determine their equivalency to degrees offered by USA colleges and universities. This is important when seeking to continue with academic studies or for professional employment purposes. Evaluation standards for reviewing foreign diplomas are those recommended by the National Council on the Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials. In response to many inquiries, The Frosina Foundation is pleased to list the following organizations that are qualified to review foreign diplomas and to issue certification of their USA equivalency: Center for Educational Documentation Solveig M. Turner, Director PO Box 236 Boston, MA 02130-0003 Voice: (617) 522-4738 / Fax: (617) 983-5232 World Education Services Mariam Assefa, Executive Director PO Box 745 Old Chelsea Station New York, NY 10011 Voice: (212) 966-6311 / Fax: (212) 966-6395 Educational Credentials Evaluators James Frey, Executive Director PO Box 92970 Milwaukee, WI 53202-0970 Voice: (414) 289-3400 / Fax: (414) 289-3411 Josef Silny & Associates Josef Silny, President PO Box 248233 Coral Gables, FL 33124 Voice: (305) 666-0233 / Fax: (305) 666-4133 Academic Credentials Evaluation Jasmin Saidi, President PO Box 6980 Beverly Hills, CA 90212 Voice: (310) 275-3530 / Fax: (310) 275-3528 Foundation for Educational Services Jack Hoover, President 200 West Mercer St., #503 Seattle, WA 98119-3950 Voice: (206) 298-0171 / Fax: (206) 298-0173 Frosina Thought of the Month (Mendimi i Muajit) "Eshte e veshtire te deshtosh: por eshte me keq kur nuk ke provuar kurre te arrish sukses." It is hard to fail; but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. -Theodore Roosevelt (Teodor Rusvelt) - The Frosina Information Network / 162 Boylston St. / Boston, MA 02116 / Tel: 617 482-2002 / Fax: 617 482-0014 eMail: VanChristo at frosina.org WebSite: www.frosina.org X.A. wrote: > === NYC-L: New York City Discussion Forum === > > www.globelanguage.com > 212.227.1994 > www.wes.org > 212-966-6311 > > ----- Original Message ----- From: > To: > Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2005 3:42 PM > Subject: [NYC-L] (no subject) > > > === NYC-L: New York City Discussion Forum === > > A di gje njeri se ku mund te behet konvertimi i diplomes Shqiptare ne > Amerikane ne New York? > ____________________________________________________ > NYC-L: A discussion and information list of the > Albanian community in the New York City Metro Area. > To post to the list: NYC-L at alb-net.com > For more information: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/nyc-l > > ____________________________________________________ > NYC-L: A discussion and information list of the > Albanian community in the New York City Metro Area. > To post to the list: NYC-L at alb-net.com > For more information: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/nyc-l > > > -------------- next part -------------- HTML attachment scrubbed and removed From buki79 at yahoo.com Thu Jan 13 20:00:48 2005 From: buki79 at yahoo.com (buki79 at yahoo.com) Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2005 17:00:48 -0800 (PST) Subject: [NYC-L] Tung nga Dibra (Maqedoni) Message-ID: <20050114010048.93272.qmail@web52801.mail.yahoo.com> Desha te pyes nese ka dikush nga ju ose kushdoqofte qe eshte i interesuar te bleje Aksione (stock) ne kapitalin e "Banjave te Dibres" - Diber te cilat jane tash me te privatizuara dhe pronar eshte Dibran,por ai ka 56 % kurse 44 % tjera jane te punesuarve prane kesaj Kompanie.Gjithashtu edhe pasuri te paluajtur (si shtepi,place etj..) ne f.Banjisht ku edhe gjinden Banjat (llixhat) shume te njohura (te renditura te 3 ne Bote per nga sherimi i semundjeve te ndryshme). Nese eshte dikush i interesuar le te lajmerohet tek personi Burimi nga Dibra me e mail buki79 at yahoo.com ose 0038970325029 Cdo te mire nga Burimi --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! ? Get yours free! -------------- next part -------------- HTML attachment scrubbed and removed From vbelegu at hotmail.com Sun Jan 16 22:14:56 2005 From: vbelegu at hotmail.com (Visar Belegu) Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 21:14:56 -0600 Subject: [NYC-L] Kosova TELECOM : Design of New Logo and Slogan In-Reply-To: Message-ID: HTML attachment scrubbed and removed -------------- next part -------------- HTML attachment scrubbed and removed From mentor at alb-net.com Sun Jan 16 23:38:02 2005 From: mentor at alb-net.com (Mentor Cana) Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 23:38:02 -0500 (EST) Subject: [NYC-L] Kosova TELECOM : Design of New Logo and Slogan In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Visar, Few years back, individuals with world expertise in telecom and business did offer their services to help the reconstruction of the Kosova telecom infrastructure. But, none of that mattered, because as Dardan explained in his previous e-mail the people involved who could make the decisions where not interested in fixing the issues so people can enjoy affordable telecom services. -- Mentor On Tue, 11 Jan 2005, at 12:39 -0600, Visar Belegu wrote: > === NYC-L: New York City Discussion Forum === > > Does anyone know people that have majored in the field of communication > and/or business? It would be great if someone better educated on this matter > could prepare a proposal about rebuilding the antiquated telecommunication > company! I am almost ceratain that with the right proposal and proper > lidership a few of us could develope a very proposal that will gain support > of the Kosova's parlament as well as as the UN administrators there. > > Perhaps, it is an idealistic approach but I thing this is a great opportunity > for anyone to get involved in fixing a very specific and important problem in > Kosova instead of just bitching about things. If nothing else it will be a > great exercise for someone who intends to run a business like this in the > future. > > If anyone is intrested in working on something like this please contact me at > this email: > vbelegu at hotmail.com (ALL proposals will be accepted just please be at least > half serious about it) > > Thanks, > Visar > > > ____________________________________________________ > NYC-L: A discussion and information list of the > Albanian community in the New York City Metro Area. > To post to the list: NYC-L at alb-net.com > For more information: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/nyc-l > From mentor at alb-net.com Sun Jan 16 23:43:33 2005 From: mentor at alb-net.com (Mentor Cana) Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 23:43:33 -0500 (EST) Subject: [NYC-L] (no subject) In-Reply-To: <69CF981A.41CA88FC.001612F6@aol.com> References: <69CF981A.41CA88FC.001612F6@aol.com> Message-ID: Dea, Please note that in the USA there is no standardized process or an official agency mandated by the federal or the state governments for the conversion of diplomas. Instead, do check with the institution (corporate or educational) about what they would accept as a converted transcript. There are some private organizations that claim to do such conversions, but i do not believe that they can guaranty that the US firms accept them. -- Mentor On Wed, 12 Jan 2005, at 15:42 -0500, Dea2608 at aol.com wrote: > === NYC-L: New York City Discussion Forum === > > A di gje njeri se ku mund te behet konvertimi i diplomes Shqiptare ne Amerikane ne New York? > ____________________________________________________ > NYC-L: A discussion and information list of the > Albanian community in the New York City Metro Area. > To post to the list: NYC-L at alb-net.com > For more information: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/nyc-l > From dardan at alb-net.com Mon Jan 17 00:20:23 2005 From: dardan at alb-net.com (Dardan Blaku) Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2005 00:20:23 -0500 (EST) Subject: [NYC-L] Kosova TELECOM : Design of New Logo and Slogan Message-ID: Visar, I'd really hate to bust your bubble, but the time when things were done in the name of "solidarity for the homeland" has passed years ago. Without a secure return on investment, no one would take a chance to invest his/her time on this initiative. I am confident that is the reason why no one responded. PTK is a monopoly, and as long as they remain a monopoly, there will be no mechanism that will be able to change their present way of operations. While I am personally plagued by mismanagement of utility companies in the region, right now it is virtually impossible to rid them of the corrupt individuals. Between the socialist way of thinking and the absence of adequate laws, there is a multitude of factors that make the above impossible, but also, they make it impossible for the competition (which unfortunately is more educated and efficient) to offer services. If we decide to collectively return to the homeland and decide to violently take over the utility companies and reorganize them from the ground up, we would be closer to the reality. Otherwise, we should stick with designing logos and slogans for them. Now you can call this bitching, but this is the impression that I received from the year that I spent in Kosova, trying to "help". You can help if you have a relative in one of the ministries, and of course, you must belong in the political party that oversees that particular ministry. Resume is optional. Since this is the New York City forum, these are my last two cents on this issue on this list. If anyone wants to discuss this issue further, I encourage them to do so on the Information Technology list at: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/info-tech Thanks, Dardan Visar Belegu wrote: === NYC-L: New York City Discussion Forum === Aboslutely. Someone send out an email informing us that PTK is looking for a new logo and sloan that would best reflect their business or something like that. Following that another person send an email critizing PTK or Kosova TELECOM as a ripp-off company. Before say more, let me be clear on one thing that being I know nothing about organizing a business structure such as telecommunication company. With that being said, it is very clear that the PTK, the major telecommunication company of Kosova is a very inefficiently operated corporation. Since the end of the war the company this company has been managed by persons whose intrests did not lie with what was best for the company (several were recently charged with all kinds of fraud). So the forcast for the future of this company is fairly bleek. On the other hand, there seem to be a large number of Albanian students that have recieved business degrees in many foreign countries. Therefore, I thought it would be a good intellectual excercise if a few persons with decent knowlege of business would get together and study the structure of this corparation with the idea of designing a business paln that would turn this antiquated telecommunication giant into a modern profitable company. Such a business plan would inculde amongst others an evaluation of the current managerial structure and corporate accountability as well operational structure, cost and efficiancy. The this group would generate ideas as how to improve PTK or Kosova TELECOM at all levels of the corporation. The persons invovled would decide how indepth they want to get with the project but I would encourage them to be very serious because if they come up with good ideas and proposals I would like for the proposal to be seem by persons that could implement the suggested reforms. My involvment with this group would be minimal, more like a cheerleader as I am trained as a scientist and have a very superficial interst in business. My reasons for proposing such a crazy thing is so that it will give a group of persons an intellectual outlet to all their frustration and hopefully it will entice people that bitch a lot to get up and DO SOMETHING. So far no takers though! Kind of dissapointed about that but I am hoping that some soul outher will take this head-on. Visar can you please be more specific on what are you looking for and what is your proposal, because the description doesn't match with the "Subject" of your email. Thanks Beni >From: "Visar Belegu" >Reply-To: "Albanians in New York City Discussion Forum (New York City, USA)" >To: nyc-l at alb-net.com >Subject: Re: [NYC-L] Kosova TELECOM : Design of New Logo and Slogan >Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2005 12:39:53 -0600 > > === NYC-L: New York City Discussion Forum === > >Does anyone know people that have majored in the field of >communication and/or business? It would be great if someone better >educated on this matter could prepare a proposal about rebuilding >the antiquated telecommunication company! I am almost ceratain that >with the right proposal and proper lidership a few of us could >develope a very proposal that will gain support of the Kosova's >parlament as well as as the UN administrators there. > >Perhaps, it is an idealistic approach but I thing this is a great >opportunity for anyone to get involved in fixing a very specific and >important problem in Kosova instead of just bitching about things. >If nothing else it will be a great exercise for someone who intends >to run a business like this in the future. > >If anyone is intrested in working on something like this please >contact me at this email: >vbelegu at hotmail.com (ALL proposals will be accepted just please be >at least half serious about it) > >Thanks, >Visar > > >____________________________________________________ >NYC-L: A discussion and information list of the >Albanian community in the New York City Metro Area. >To post to the list: NYC-L at alb-net.com >For more information: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/nyc-l > ____________________________________________________ NYC-L: A discussion and information list of the Albanian community in the New York City Metro Area. To post to the list: NYC-L at alb-net.com For more information: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/nyc-l From jeton at hotmail.com Tue Jan 18 02:56:35 2005 From: jeton at hotmail.com (Jeton Ademaj) Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2005 02:56:35 -0500 Subject: [NYC-L] K telecom In-Reply-To: <20050118060025.D90F510C8322@alb-net.com> Message-ID: ahhh, flame flame, lovely flame! Visar, you have a point about sustaining forward momentum and maintaining a positive outlook in the face of discouragement. I'm sorry Dardan harshed-your-buzz but he has a point...are you willing to concede that any idealistic, talented young alb who's presented with this task should ALSO be presented info regarding EXACTLY who he/she is doing it FOR? Your enthusiasm for encouraging educated young albs to put their talents to use on a K related issue is admirable but having confessed that *you're not actually looking to do this work YOURSELF, just 'cheerlead' ("sis Boom BAH! K*T*C -- K*T*C rah! Rah! RAH!"), you're in no position to dismiss someone with real experience of Kosova Telecom with a trite spewing of "pop a prozac". the issue is more serious than that, and if you desire to catalyze KTC to reform (or even just 'cheerlead') you should be taking Dardan and Mentor's feelings into account. They HAVE earned that right. You *were a tad snappish there, Dardie, but who am i to point that out? ;) Mentor, to your point I would respond that all political matters are plastic, and can be warped and altered with the right *temperature* and pressure at the right *area(s)*...tho i'm not clear exactly what that temperature would be in the case of K telecom. Who are the company's principals connected to politically? does anyone have leverage on them, and is it an ethical leverage? How destabiliziing to anything of import would it be to twist their arm? What can be done to prod UNMIK or Alb pol's to replace the companies principals outright? I certainly don't know right now... btw Visar, i hope i dont actually have to inform you that Kosovar politics bear little resemblance to the scholarly process, or good teaching practice. this logo/slogan contest resembles the re-arranging of deck-chairs on the Titanic. If you want to hijack that contest into something that produces a viable, credible 'plan of reform' (let alone have that plan gain political heat) I'm afraid you might have to do more than 'cheerlead'... or get snappish yourself. aight, everybody as u were... :) j From vbelegu at hotmail.com Tue Jan 18 09:15:35 2005 From: vbelegu at hotmail.com (Visar Belegu) Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2005 08:15:35 -0600 Subject: [NYC-L] (no subject) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Jeton, A person has to know their limitations and that goes for idealists such as myself, too. That is why I am willing to get couple of talented and/or knowledgable people together and hopefully learn something from them. At this point that is the best I can do unless the issues of neuronal stem cells can somehow help Kosova Telecom. But I think just listening to our young person's ideas is a step in the right direction. The reason I am snapish is because it truely pissess me off when persons, especially quasi intellectual Albananias such as I and others , are so willing to shoot down ideas without even attempting to see their merit primarily becasue they have been disappointed by someone or something in Kosova related matter. Now that I actually am senior to couple of Albanian persons in the US, I want to be one that encourages them to be involved in things that are intellectually stimulating and if these projects do not end up saving the world or Kosova, then that is fine too; at least, couple of our young people got together exchanged ideas and hopefully learned a thing or two. THAT IS IT since even dumbasses like me realize that you cannot save the world everyday. The concept of what I proposed has very little to do with changes in real life. It has to with giving young people a forum to express their ideas if nothing else amongst themself. Heaven forbid, if a good one pops out WE (all of us) can embrasse it and advertise it since WE will ALL benefit from propelling our quality people forward in life. True our politicians are not the greatest of scholars (that goes for Rugova too) however their desire to emulate American politicans is teaching them that they too have to surround themselfes with talented people (of course they are not excatly there yet but they are getting there). This thing where we discuss so fiercely the issue of having a discussion about a serious issue is getting SO OLD. Let's focus in getting our people and others together and talking about ways to change and improve things. Now that we have a government (and do not go into how bad and blaw blaw blaw it is), we can work toward something and my firends that is a lot more than you could say in the winter of 1998. I'll admit that I am wrong about everything, I'll admit to being arrogant, violent, a dumbass or anything you want me to be but let's get over talking about ME or YOU or HIM/HER and turn the discussion into what WE can do not just for Kosova but for ourselfs, each other, the whales, science, business, let's just talk about good ideas and especially let's give young people the opportunity to speak. We can start with a discussion of where Kosova Telecom is and where we things it should go. . . how about them apples!!! Oh, Prozac is very serious too by the way. . . if anyone has any let me know. From bleron at yahoo.com Tue Jan 18 11:17:41 2005 From: bleron at yahoo.com (Bleron Limani) Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2005 08:17:41 -0800 (PST) Subject: [NYC-L] Re: Telecom In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20050118161741.65333.qmail@web41721.mail.yahoo.com> Hi everyone, I thought I'd join this topic, because it is getting very interesting. I think Visar's enthusiasm would not be so big, if he really came down here and tried to change things in the right direction. Because he would have to talk to CEO-s/Directors who don't know the albanian alphabet, don't know how to turn the computer on, who are not interested to see the company/institution they are running advance, and above all think that they are the ultimate brain of the world. However, by trying to kill somebody's optimism absolutely nothing will be achieved. In fact, one enthusiast can't change maybe a thing, ten of them will change things a very very tiny bit, a hundred will start doing something, but if the number of 1000 enthusiasts can be achieved, then definitely we would have something moving. I think we should focus on this thing. Many people tried to contribute to Kosova individually, but as I said, they had terrible obstacles called: albanians in positions(don't misunderstand, there are some good albanians in some positions). But besides these albanians in positions, there are people both in kosova and in diaspora who are REALLY WILLING to do good things for this place. Ok, now I'll try to get to the point. Helping the PTK technically won't do much, because they can put the newest technology themselves by contracting a foreign company. And in this year's budget, they are spending 5 million euro just for staff training, and out of those 5 million probably at least 2.5 million will go in the pockets of their directors. The directors at PTK are not interested to have advices which can help the PTK advance, because they are simply NOT INTERESTED. They are stealing enough money this way, so why bother and ACTUALLY work something? The better way to help PTK and Kosova in general, I think, is to have a youth or whatever movement which will pressure the government and government institutions to work more effectively. Right now, people in positions(mayors, ministers, directors, etc.) are doing whatever they want. For example, the mayor of Prishtina considers our municipality as if it was his family business. So when there is a Tender for anything, he gives the tender to his relatives although his relatives make the most expensive offer. But the mayor doesn't care, his relatives earn good money, he earns good money out of that deal too, and tax-payers are screwed. And what happens next? Next comes the next tender, and the procedure continues. They are able to do anything, and not bother. What Kosova needs is an organization that will not allow the mayor to do this. Kosova needs an organization that will hunt the mayor legally until he is forced to resign or sent to jail for corruption. Kosova needs an organization that will raise the awareness of its citizens, and not allow politicians do whatever they want to do. I believe that such an organization/network can be created by young albanians inside and outside Kosova. And diaspora can especially help in this direction by establishing contacts with similar movements in areas where they live, and thus learning from them. And, at times, even maybe get some of the funding from them. But unfortunately, historically we as albanians are not used to work together to resolve major issues. Individually many try to but ,as it has been proven in this very list, fail. I think the best way to contribute is by joining all enthusiasts/professionals.etc, and creating a huge positive force which will do good to this country. Me nderime, Bleron Limani http://www.pr-tech.net __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. Learn more. http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250 From jeton at hotmail.com Tue Jan 18 12:46:02 2005 From: jeton at hotmail.com (Jeton Ademaj) Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2005 12:46:02 -0500 Subject: [NYC-L] a quic*K* note... Message-ID: i think this is an especially relevant paragraph, and i'm glad you're thinking along the lines of what i'm thinking...with one caveat: any such organization **************MUST MUST MUST MUST *M*U*S*T*!!!!************** be IMMUNIZED to pressure from politicians, corporate leaders or ANY other interests...ESPECIALLY organized crime! If we can achieve THAT then this effort could succeed in establishing a reform movement. to add to what u said, Bleron, we could seek advice from other such reform movements as to how they've insulated themselves from behind-the-scenes influence of any kind...and we should cast a wide net, inquire into as many succesful movements as possible so that we can ferret out general techniques (as opposed to getting advice that could only work in a specific set of circumstances). Now THAT would make some people nervous (and thats overdue...)! Visar, i'll respond to your points later i just wanted to pop-in....and u weren't being 'violent' that i know of, but hey watch that prozac...it's got a history thataways... j >>>>>>>>>>> Kosova needs an organization that will hunt the mayor legally until he is forced to resign or sent to jail for corruption. Kosova needs an organization that will raise the awareness of its citizens, and not allow politicians do whatever they want to do. I believe that such an organization/network can be created by young albanians inside and outside Kosova. And diaspora can especially help in this direction by establishing contacts with similar movements in areas where they live, and thus learning from them. And, at times, even maybe get some of the funding from them. From oconnorr at washpost.com Wed Jan 19 11:18:49 2005 From: oconnorr at washpost.com (Rita O'Connor) Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2005 11:18:49 -0500 Subject: [NYC-L] Re: Telecom Message-ID: I agree. Rita Bleron Limani cc: Sent by: Subject: [NYC-L] Re: Telecom nyc-l-bounces at alb -net.com 01/18/2005 11:17 AM Please respond to "Albanians in New York City Discussion Forum (New York City, USA)" === NYC-L: New York City Discussion Forum === Hi everyone, I thought I'd join this topic, because it is getting very interesting. I think Visar's enthusiasm would not be so big, if he really came down here and tried to change things in the right direction. Because he would have to talk to CEO-s/Directors who don't know the albanian alphabet, don't know how to turn the computer on, who are not interested to see the company/institution they are running advance, and above all think that they are the ultimate brain of the world. However, by trying to kill somebody's optimism absolutely nothing will be achieved. In fact, one enthusiast can't change maybe a thing, ten of them will change things a very very tiny bit, a hundred will start doing something, but if the number of 1000 enthusiasts can be achieved, then definitely we would have something moving. I think we should focus on this thing. Many people tried to contribute to Kosova individually, but as I said, they had terrible obstacles called: albanians in positions(don't misunderstand, there are some good albanians in some positions). But besides these albanians in positions, there are people both in kosova and in diaspora who are REALLY WILLING to do good things for this place. Ok, now I'll try to get to the point. Helping the PTK technically won't do much, because they can put the newest technology themselves by contracting a foreign company. And in this year's budget, they are spending 5 million euro just for staff training, and out of those 5 million probably at least 2.5 million will go in the pockets of their directors. The directors at PTK are not interested to have advices which can help the PTK advance, because they are simply NOT INTERESTED. They are stealing enough money this way, so why bother and ACTUALLY work something? The better way to help PTK and Kosova in general, I think, is to have a youth or whatever movement which will pressure the government and government institutions to work more effectively. Right now, people in positions(mayors, ministers, directors, etc.) are doing whatever they want. For example, the mayor of Prishtina considers our municipality as if it was his family business. So when there is a Tender for anything, he gives the tender to his relatives although his relatives make the most expensive offer. But the mayor doesn't care, his relatives earn good money, he earns good money out of that deal too, and tax-payers are screwed. And what happens next? Next comes the next tender, and the procedure continues. They are able to do anything, and not bother. What Kosova needs is an organization that will not allow the mayor to do this. Kosova needs an organization that will hunt the mayor legally until he is forced to resign or sent to jail for corruption. Kosova needs an organization that will raise the awareness of its citizens, and not allow politicians do whatever they want to do. I believe that such an organization/network can be created by young albanians inside and outside Kosova. And diaspora can especially help in this direction by establishing contacts with similar movements in areas where they live, and thus learning from them. And, at times, even maybe get some of the funding from them. But unfortunately, historically we as albanians are not used to work together to resolve major issues. Individually many try to but ,as it has been proven in this very list, fail. I think the best way to contribute is by joining all enthusiasts/professionals.etc, and creating a huge positive force which will do good to this country. Me nderime, Bleron Limani http://www.pr-tech.net __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. Learn more. http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250 ____________________________________________________ NYC-L: A discussion and information list of the Albanian community in the New York City Metro Area. To post to the list: NYC-L at alb-net.com For more information: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/nyc-l From elonagj at yahoo.com Sat Jan 29 12:03:28 2005 From: elonagj at yahoo.com (elona g) Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2005 09:03:28 -0800 (PST) Subject: [NYC-L] Kosovo's media should take advantage of its freedom of info. act! Message-ID: <20050129170328.92457.qmail@web54607.mail.yahoo.com> http://www.kosovo.com/news/archive/ticker/2005/January_14/9.html The Great Bazaar TOL Kosovo 14. 01. 2005. TRANSITIONS ONLINE (CZECH REPUBLIC) by Marek Antoni Nowicki 13 January 2005 Kosovo's media should take advantage of the province's freedom of information act as a vital tool to expose corrupt practices that often relate to basic life issues, says the region's ombudsman. Corruption is not limited to higher political and business circles or mafia networks but exists within all of Kosovo's institutions, from schools and courts to hospitals and other public services. On any given day, Kosovars must haggle and bargain just to get ordinary things done. In fact, one would be hard-pressed to encounter an individual who did not have to pay some form of kickback at some point. These exchanges are so trivial they rare ly come up when corruption is discussed. It is not uncommon to hear chilling stories from families about doctors or nurses refusing to treat urgent cases unless an additional, sometimes considerable "fee" was paid--in cash, on the spot. Stories of students buying their exams abound. Nor is it uncommon to hear from people who have taken a case to court and received an emergency decision, only to see the same judge reverse the decision after an intervention by the opposite party. One wonders in such cases: how can judges known for their lengthy procedures render a judgment within weeks, or days? These abusive practices are so pervasive that corruption, paradoxically, becomes difficult to prove. People become slaves to this situation: since corrupt practices are so widespread and often relate to basic life issues, most people keep silent for fear of having even bigger problems next time around. Rules of silence and re venge are significant contributing factors. Kosovo is a small, tightly knit community of families, and not just on the ethnic Albanian side. Those living in small towns know intimately these characteristic social dynamics. Under these circumstances, is anyone able to speak openly about this, ready to talk about such practices in concrete terms? Can you imagine angering a doctor by alerting the police (assuming they respond) to his demands for extra payments, or even refusing to pay, only to find that the next time you need urgent medical care you will be forced to fend for yourself? Ironically, in an environment in which people have to top up legitimate fees in order to get results, the society begins to rely on such a kickback system in order to trust at least the basic quality of the service for which they are paying. People who follow the system are rewarded, while those who refuse to pay up appear foolish. The matter of illegal construction provides a good example. In some neighborhoods, zoning rules prohibit the construction of additional floors. Needless to say, nearly every house there has had a second floor added. A resident wants to build a floor legally and approaches the municipality to request the necessary permit. He is promptly refused because the law states that such an addition is illegal. He can't help but wonder how so many others add floors to their homes without the slightest trouble, when not all of it can be explained by nepotism. If violations of construction law and urban planning are openly tolerated while people asking for permission are rejected, many will inevitably ask, how much and to whom? Illegal construction not only perpetuates a system of extortion payments but has other implications as well. In this example, neighboring houses are often damaged when nearby residents illegally develop their property. The co mmunity inevitably suffers because of the passivity and neglect of public officials who follow their own entrepreneurial instincts rather than their mandates. Victims of this system are left without any means of legal redress. Those who can't pay are left without access to public services. The rules of how to function in a society are irrevocably altered when the law is rendered irrelevant and institutions devalued. That's the situation facing Kosovars today. How can the losers in this system be made to talk about it? There are legal tools and mechanisms at the public's disposal, but the problem is that law alone does not change society; it only helps advance a process of transformation that must come out of society itself. A key role here falls on the media, especially the independent media. They have the potential to act as a tool of public opinion, by questioning, investigating, and exposing the dark corners of public life. It is their obligation and civic mission to bring to the attention of the general population all important social issues. The media have the unique power to demand transparency in the operations of governments, public institutions, and business. But while the media have this power, it is not clear that they use it. One year ago, Kosovo adopted a legal procedure that allows anyone to gain access to official documents. This freedom of information act is an important tool to monitor authorities and hold them accountable. It is also considered a vital anti-corruption instrument. For this tool to become meaningful, it must, of course, be used. Given the existence of this law, how am I to interpret the fact that after one year, I have not received a single complaint concerning a refusal of this access? Does this mean that all such requests have been granted without difficulty--that public institutions h ave become fully transparent already? That would be rather naive. The reason is probably a lack of public awareness about the existence of this law and of understanding of its exceptional importance. And this speaks very much to the media, to journalists. Journalists must have the constitution and the drive to be tough, to push, ask questions, be unpopular, and take risks. The role of the media in Kosovo is especially critical because Kosovo hasn't had any robust opposition until now: the media, in a sense, have to act as such an opposition and not simply as a mouthpiece for the status quo, which is all too often the case. After five years in Kosovo and one heart attack, I'm weary of being the only entity considered as a form of opposition. Who is going to step forward to reinforce this work? Everyone suffers from corruption, and everyone has a stake in combating it. Marek Antoni Nowicki is the ombudsman of Kosovo. His column, Off the Record, from which this piece is adapted, is published every first and third Friday in Koha Ditore. Kata Mester also contributed to this column. Please send your comments to: ombudspersonkosovo at ombudspersonkosovo.org. --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Search presents - Jib Jab's 'Second Term' -------------- next part -------------- HTML attachment scrubbed and removed From danny at vertigony.com Sat Jan 29 19:46:16 2005 From: danny at vertigony.com (danny at vertigony.com) Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2005 19:46:16 -0500 Subject: [NYC-L] Fw: [Art-Cafe] Albanian cellular phone store in queens.... Message-ID: <00e501c50665$1bb7a190$ced8ed04@vertigo1> ----- Original Message ----- From: Vertigo Mobile To: Art-Cafe: Albanian Arts & Entertainment List ; nyc-l at alb-net.com Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2005 12:54 PM Subject: [Art-Cafe] Albanian cellular phone store in queens.... --- Art-Cafe: Albanian Arts & Entertainment List --- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello Everyone, I have just opened up a new cellular phone store in Bayside (Queens) New York, and wanted to let everyone know that anyone from the New York/New Jersey/CT area is welcome to come in if you are interested in purchasing a new phone or accessories for any cellular phones you may already have. You can also call and ask questions about special plans going on at the moment or to resolve any problems you may have your your service/phone. My name is Deni Blloshmi, I am the owner, and of course I speak Albanian as well :) Vertigo Mobile Exclusive Wireless Solutions 78-35c Springfield Blvd, Bayside, NY 11364 t. 718.464.4664, f. 718.464.2299 e. info at vertigomobile.net Thank you, I hope to see you soon, and forgive me for spamming this list, if indeed I am. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ______________________________________________________________ www.artcafe-albania.com -------------- next part -------------- HTML attachment scrubbed and removed