She and her husband were invited to come to Vlora where the Adriatic Sea meets the Ionian Sea. They were to serve as visiting professors teaching a course to Albanian students titled "Democracy and Participation". The couple also planned a side trip to Qyteza, the village her grandfather left in 1921 and the father of comedy genius, John Belushi, departed in 1934.
http://theamericanscholar.org/qyteza...go-connection/
This was a very informative article.
I learned.....
Comrade Hoxha built 600,000 above-ground bunkers to defend a population of less than three million
whenever you come upon a panoramic vista in Albania, a slit in a mushroom bunker will share the view.
Everyone over 14 years of age—men and women alike—received instruction in the fine art of firing from the eyes of a bunker.
Comrade Hoxha not only censored religion beliefs but he banned beards. BEARDS ? LOL
Private automobile ownership was strictly forbidden NO CARS ? I want to see the day an American president decides to take away our cars.
All flights into the country were prohibited,
Entering vehicles had to pay a $3 disinfection fee and drive through a pool of disinfectant before crossing the border. Disinfecting cars? What? Did Hoxha suffer from OCD?
Anyone bearing an American passport was not allowed to visit Albania.
There has been a significant Albanian community living in Chicago for a number of years. (mostly Orthodox Tosk)
Mother Teresa was born in Macedonia and never actually lived in Albania
The Enver Hoxha pyramid, designed by Hox*ha’s daughter Pran*vera, is now a coffee house and headquarters for Albania’s leading private television station
Serbs own and operate the Pyramid Cafe as part of a restaurant chain
Albanians are enthusiastic about Serbian food even after the Kosovo conflict
Kosovars may fly the Albanian flag, but to date, no major Albanian politician has embraced the cause of a greater Albania
There's a larger number of Albanians live outside of Albania’s present borders than within them. There plight is similar to the Kurds scattered over Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey.
American President Woodrow Wilson was involved in the birth of the nation of Albania
Streets are only sporadically paved in Tirana
There are very few street signs
Situation is a postal nightmare and a challenge for the stabilization of democracy as well.
How can free and fair elections be held when many potential voters have no proper street addresses?
Prime Minister Fatos Nano promised an address for every citizen by February 2005,
Many of Tirana’s shops and services are still identified by only a phone number, often a mobile.
Southern Albania’s villages form a patchwork quilt of mosques and orthodox churches
At the time of my grandfather’s emigration, the Greeks and the Albanians struggled bitterly over where the Greek-Albanian frontier should lie
Fearing foreign invasion, Hoxha intentionally built up a network of narrow roads with endless hairpin turns that tanks could not possibly traverse. Renting a car and driving yourself around is out of the question; you need a professional driver who knows the roads and just where and when the pavement is going to evaporate
Despite the stunning natural beauty and tourism potential, the new Albania is scarred by trash and refuge everywhere
After the fall of Communism the newborn market economy encouraged Albanians to invest their funds. Isolation prior to communism’s demise made Albania a perfect target for swindlers of all nationalities. Albanians felt confident that the government would back an enterprise in which practically every Albanian was involved. Pyramid managers, after all, had direct ties to then Democratic Party President Sali Berisha. Riots followed the crash in early 1997; thousands of arms were stolen from army depots and used to exact revenge on old enemies. The anarchy that ensued as citizens slowly realized they had lost everything did not provide an auspicious foundation for building the rule of law.
The Catholic intellectual and poet Pashko Vasa (1825–1892) crystallized the culture and uniqueness of his people when he wrote that “the religion of the Albanians is the Albanian nation.” Hoxha co-opted the sentiment in his quest to censor all religion from Albania and Vasa’s words are still quoted to reassure Western visitors that the vast majority of Albanians want to belong to Europe more than Islam.
Who is this observant insightful person who came to Albania to teach and discuss democracy and pay homage to her grandfather? Let me introduce you to Allison Stanger, professor of international politics and economics at Middlebury College in the United States. Her remarkable expose, "One Nation Under Contract: The Outsourcing of American Power and the Future of Foreign Policy" has become arguably the most important and controversial analysis of our military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. I will be posting on this subject in a future thread.
Allison Stanger's summary of her observations about the young people and emerging democracy in Albania.
"As I ponder what these impressive young people really believe, it dawns on me that at a certain point it doesn’t really matter. If you say it out loud often enough and are rewarded for doing so, you begin to believe it. If Nazi Germany and fascist Japan can evolve into stable and prosperous democracies under the watchful eye of Western minders, why can’t other countries that are emerging from dictatorship?"
Democratization and self-betterment, after all, ultimately depend on both incentives for hard work and the trust of individuals with certain ideals. A world that cannot be envisioned cannot be brought into being. If opportunity only beckons from across an ocean, dreams cannot help but reside there as well. When Albania’s dreamers are able to imagine American-style opportunity at home, the same impulse that once drove my grandfather to Chicago will become the foundation for Albania’s self-betterment.
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Ajo dhe burri i saj u ftuan pėr tė ardhur nė Vlorė ku Detit Adriatik takon detin Jon. Ata ishin tė shėrbejė si mėsim profesorė njė kurs pėr studentėt shqiptarė tė titulluar "Demokracia dhe Pjesėmarrja". Ēifti gjithashtu planifikuar njė udhėtim anė tė Qyteza, fshati gjyshi i saj u largua nė 1921 dhe babai e gjeniut komedi, John Belushi, u largua nė vitin 1934.
http://theamericanscholar.org/qyteza...go-connection/
Kjo ishte njė artikull shumė informative.
I mėsuar ....
Shoku Hoxha e ndėrtuar mbi tokė 600.000 bunkerė pėr tė mbrojtur njė popullsi prej mė pak se tre milionė
sa herė qė ju vijnė nė njė vėshtrim panoramik nė Shqipėri, njė prerje nė njė bunker ndėrtesė do tė ndajnė pikėpamje.
Tė gjithė mbi 14 vjeē, burrat dhe gratė barabartė, mėsimin e vijonin nė arteve tė bukura tė gjuajtur nga sytė e njė bunker.
Shoku Hoxha jo vetėm qė censuruar besimet fetare, por ai e ndaluar mjekra. Mjekrat? LOL
Pronėsi private automobilave ishte e ndaluar rreptėsisht pa makina? Unė dua tė shoh ditė njė presidenti amerikan vendos tė marr me vete makinat tona.
Tė gjitha fluturimet nė vend ishin tė ndaluara,
Automjetet qė hyjnė kishte pėr tė paguar njė tarifė $ 3 dezinfektim dhe me makinė pėrmes njė pishinė tė dezinfektues para se tė kalojnė kufirin. Dizinfektimin makina? Ēfarė? A vuajnė nga OCD Hoxha?
Ēdokush duke pasur njė pasaportė amerikane nuk u lejua tė vizitojė Shqipėrinė.
Ka pasur njė jetė tė rėndėsishme tė komunitetit shqiptar nė Ēikago pėr njė numėr vitesh. (Toske kryesisht ortodokse)
Nėnė Tereza ka lindur nė Maqedoni dhe nuk kanė jetuar nė tė vėrtetė nė Shqipėri
Enver Hoxha piramidale, tė dizajnuara nga vajza e Pranvera Hoxhės, ėshtė tani njė shtėpi kafe dhe selia pėr stacionin kryesor televiziv privat nė Shqipėri
Serbėt e vet dhe tė veprojė Cafe Piramida, si pjesė e njė zinxhiri restorant
Shqiptarėt janė entuziast nė lidhje me ushqimin serbe edhe pas konfliktit tė Kosovės
Kosovarėt mund tė fluturojnė flamurin shqiptar, por deri mė sot, asnjė politikan i madh shqiptare ka pėrqafuar kauzėn e njė Shqipėri tė madhe
Ka njė numėr mė tė madh tė shqiptarėve jetojnė jashtė kufijve tė tanishėm tė Shqipėrisė se sa brenda tyre. Nuk gjendja ėshtė e ngjashme me kurdėt shpėrndara mbi Irakun, Irani, Siria dhe Turqia.
Presidenti amerikan Woodrow Wilson ishte i pėrfshirė nė lindjen e kombit tė Shqipėrisė
Rrugėt janė vetėm nė mėnyrė sporadike tė shtruara nė Tiranė
Ka shumė pak shenja rrugė
Situatė ėshtė njė makth postare dhe njė sfidė pėr stabilizimin e demokracisė si.
Si mund tė zgjedhjeve tė lira dhe tė ndershme do tė mbahet kur shumė votues potencial nuk kanė adresat e duhur rrugė?
Kryeministri Fatos Nano premtoi njė adresė pėr ēdo qytetar deri nė shkurt 2005,
Shumė nga dyqanet e Tiranės dhe shėrbimet janė identifikuar ende nga vetėm njė numėr telefoni, shpesh njė celular.
Fshatrat e jugut tė Shqipėrisė formojnė njė jorgan lara-lara e xhamive dhe kishave ortodokse
Nė kohėn e emigrimit gjyshit tim, grekėt dhe shqiptarėt luftuan ashpėr gjatė ku kufitare greko-shqiptare tė gėnjejė
Duke iu trembur pushtimit tė huaj, Hoxha qėllimisht ndėrtuar njė rrjet tė rrugėve tė ngushta me formė u-je pafund kthen se tanket ndoshta nuk mund tė pėrshkojnė. Marrė me qera njė makinė dhe ngarje veten rreth ėshtė jashtė diskutimit, keni nevojė pėr njė shofer profesionist qė e di rrugėt dhe vetėm ku dhe kur trotuar do tė zhduket
Megjithė bukurinė mahnitėse natyrore dhe potencialin e turizmit, Shqipėria e re ėshtė scarred nga plehra dhe strehė kudo
Pas rėnies sė komunizmit ekonomisė sė porsalindur tė tregut tė inkurajuar shqiptarėt qė tė investojnė fondet e tyre. Izolimi para vdekjes komunizmit bėrė Shqipėrinė njė objektiv i pėrsosur pėr mashtruesit e tė gjitha nacionaliteteve. Shqiptarėt ndjehen tė sigurt se qeveria do tė mbėshtesė njė ndėrmarrje nė tė cilėn praktikisht ēdo shqiptari ishte i pėrfshirė. Menaxherėt Piramida, pas tė gjitha, kishte lidhje tė drejtpėrdrejtė me pas i Partisė Demokratike Sali Berisha President. Trazirat pasuan rrėzimin e nė fillim tė 1997, mijėra e armėve ishin tė vjedhura nga depot e ushtrisė dhe tė pėrdoret pėr hakmarrje e saktė mbi armiqtė e vjetėr. Anarkisė qė pasoi si qytetarė tė ngadalė kuptuan se kishin humbur ēdo gjė nuk ka dhėnė njė themel mbarė pėr ndėrtimin e sundimit tė ligjit.
Intelektuale katolike dhe poet Pashko Vasa (1825-1892) kristalizuar kultura dhe unike e popullit tė tij, kur ai shkruan se "feja e shqiptarėve ėshtė e kombit shqiptar." Hoxha kooptuar mendimi nė kėrkimin e tij pėr tė censuruar tė gjitha fenė nga Shqipėria dhe fjalėt Vasa janė cituar ende pėr tė siguruar vizitorėt perėndimorė se shumica e shqiptarėve duan tė takojnė nė Evropė mė shumė se Islami.
Kush ėshtė ky person i vėmendshėm Insightful i cili erdhi nė Shqipėri pėr tė mėsuar dhe pėr tė diskutuar demokracisė dhe tė paguajnė homazh pėr gjyshi i saj? Mė lejoni tė prezantoj me Allison Stanger, profesor i politikės ndėrkombėtare dhe tė ekonomisė nė Middlebury College nė Shtetet e Bashkuara. Shquar i saj vė nė dukje, "One Nation Under Kontratė: Delegimi i pushtetit amerikan dhe e ardhmja e Politikės sė Jashtme" ėshtė bėrė ndoshta analizat mė tė rėndėsishme dhe tė diskutueshme tė pėrfshirjes tona ushtarake nė Irak dhe Afganistan. Unė do tė postuar nė kėtė temė nė njė fije tė ardhmen.
Pėrmbledhje Allison Stanger e vėzhgimeve tė saj pėr tė rinjtė dhe demokracisė nė zhvillim nė Shqipėri.
"Si unė peshoj atė qė kėta tė rinj me tė vėrtetė mbresėlėnėse besojnė, ajo lind pėr mua qė nė njė pikė tė caktuar nuk ka rėndėsi. Qoftė se ju thonė me zė tė lartė tė mjaftueshme dhe shpesh janė tė shpėrblehet pėr tė bėrė kėshtu, ju filloni tė besoni atė. Nė qoftė se Gjermania naziste dhe fashiste Japonia mund tė evoluojnė nė demokraci tė qėndrueshme dhe tė begatė nėn syrin vigjilent tė minders perėndimore, pse nuk mund tė vendeve tė tjera qė po dalin nga diktatura? "
Demokratizimi dhe vetė-pėrmirėsim, pasi tė gjithė, nė fund tė fundit varet nga si nxitje pėr punėn e vėshtirė dhe besimin e individėve me disa ideale. Njė botė qė nuk mund tė parashikuara nuk mund tė sjellė nė jetė. Nėse vetmja mundėsi beckons nga e gjithė njė oqean, ėndrrat nuk mund tė mos qėndrojė edhe atje. Kur ėndėrrimtarė tė Shqipėrisė janė nė gjendje tė imagjinohet stilit amerikan mundėsi nė shtėpi, impulsi e njėjta qė dikur gjyshi im ēuan nė Ēikago do tė bėhet bazė pėr vetė-pėrmirėsim tė Shqipėrisė.
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