Macedonia - Timeless

For further info please visit :http://www.macedonia-timeless.com/

My little one...

When day time still remains to get away
In my dreams i pray
One more time to see your face again,
That i will follow way.
Just one more time to see your eyes
Then you can go down to sleep
Just once to hold you,
That i will follow way.

You said: my little one don`t you cry
There was no time for me to say goodbye
A force beyond my choice was calling me
It was my destiny.
So many things more i need to do
Then if it looks like it`s stealing me from you
You got it always deep down in your heard
That we will never be apart.

Memories are always here to stay,
You gonna be holding on
You gotta be strong
That i will follow way
Just one more time to see your eyes
And i leave go down to sleep
You are too young
That i will follow way.
I`ll dry these tears, chase these fears this road you need to take
And angels are showing you the way
You wake up now in another world
But the promise you won`t brake
You`ll be watching me every step i take.

You said: my little one don`t you cry
There was no time for me to say goodbye
A force beyond my choice was calling me
It was my destiny.
So many things more i need to do
Then if it looks like it`s stealing me from you
You got it always deep down in your heard

The Land of Colours

Music
By Dragan Dautovski

This video is courtesy of Publisher - Zona

Ethno Music (Part 2)

Macedonian Ethno Music..

Vo Nashe selo - In our Village

Coming home

How can I connect with these people, how can I
How can I tell who is friend or foe
Who will call me Bulgarian, Greek or non existent
Or embrace me as their own

Who will challenge, argue or deny me
Professing, to know more about me, than I, myself
Forcing me to instantly, brace myself
Against well known hurt, as now

It is not the prodigal daughter, returning to Ellada
With a false face, smile and heart
But a banished child of Macedonia, home
To pay homage, to my mother

The language here is foreign
Alien, inconsistent with the land
I strain to here something familiar
Native to my land

Time has passed, the weakened are now stronger
I see, I see, I see
The truth, will eventually surface
And it will set, Macedonia, free

By Lita G.

Lita is a Macedonian, born in Aegean Macedonia, now living in Australia. Lita remembers that, as a kid, she and other Macedonian kids were forced to learn Greek right from the first day in school, and that it was forbidden to speak Macedonian language.

That's Not my Name

The Ting Tings: That's Not My Name

Four letter word just to get me along
It's a difficulty and I'm biting on my tongue and I
I keep stalling, keeping me together
People around gotta find something to say now

Holding back, everyday the same
Don't wanna be a loner
Listen to me, oh no
I never say anything at all
But with nothing to consider they forget my name
ame .. ame .. ame

They call me hell
They call me Stacey
They call me her
They call me Jane
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name

They call me quiet girl
But I'm a riot
Maybe Joleisa
Always the same
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name

I miss the catch if they through me the ball
I'm the last kid standing up against the wall
Keep up, falling, these heels they keep me boring
Getting glammed up and sitting on the fence now

So alone all the time at night
Lock myself away
Listen to me, I'm not
Although I'm dressed up, out and all with
Everything considered they forget my name
ame .. ame .. ame

They call me hell
They call me Stacey
They call me her
They call me Jane
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name

They call me quiet girl
But i'm a riot
Maybe Joleisa
Always the same
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name

Are you calling me darling?
Are you calling me bird?
Are you calling me darling?
Are you calling me bird?

My country's name is "Republic of Macedonia". It is a basic human right to choose a name for yourself and to express your nationality. Please respect that and call me by my name. Say: Macedonia!

R.I.P. Mahmoud Darwish (13 March 1941 - 9 August 2008)

Identity Card (1964)

"Record!

I am an Arab

And my identity card is number fifty thousand

I have eight children

And the ninth is coming after a summer

Will you be angry?

Record!

I am an Arab

I have a name without a title

Patient in a country

Where people are enraged . . ."

Quotations:

"I thought poetry could change everything, could change history and could humanize, and I think that the illusion is very necessary to push poets to be involved and to believe, but now I think that poetry changes only the poet."

"We should not justify suicide bombers. We are against the suicide bombers, but we must understand what drives these young people to such actions. They want to liberate themselves from such a dark life. It is not ideological, it is despair."

weather forcast..how funny can it get ?

Ohrid, Where Time Stopped

Ohrid is slowly leaving behind its past, which embraces Medievalism, Revivalism and Communism.

When asked about Ohrid, people from other parts of Macedonia tell the following story: After God created the world and lay down to rest, the Devil got to work and set up Ohrid with all its beauties - the splendid lake, the steep mountains where the Galičica National Park is now located, a moderate climate and a fertile soil.

God woke up and looked around in astonishment. “What have you done, Devil?” he asked. “Your deeds are supposed to be evil!” “Oh, just wait, God!,” Satan replied. “You haven't seen Ohrid's citizens yet.”

Ohrid is said to have 365 churches, one for each day of the year. In reality, they are fewer, but the number is certainly large – a remnant from the time when the place was the residence of the Ohrid archbishops. Theoretically, they were under the authority of the ecumenical patriarch in Constantinople. In fact, however, they acted in such an independent way that in 1676 the Ottoman sultan abolished the archbishopric at the patriarch's request.

Earlier, something far more interesting had happened in Ohrid and because of it you now have problems reading any road sign written in Cyrillic. What appears to you to be the enigmatic alphabet of Macedonia, Bulgaria and Russia was invented here by St Clement of Ohrid. He was one of the students of Cyril and Methodius, the brothers who created the first Slavonic alphabet, the Glagolitic.

Outside the town, on the south bank of the lake and nearly at the Albanian border, lies a more well-preserved monastery. St Naum boasts a miniature church with medieval frescos and a well maintained yard, which is the favourite walking area for tourists and peacocks.

Locals say everything in Ohrid is as it used to be a century ago, and changes happen very slowly. As if to show this, a 800-year-old plane tree stands in the middle of the cobbled square by the old market and the Ali Pasha Mosque. The only difference between now and 100 years ago is that the hollow in its huge trunk is no longer used as a barber's shop or a café; now, it is filled with cement.

This article is courtesy of the Bulgarian magazine Vagabond.

The Drama on the Greek Border

We must never forget, never forget!

"Together with another two women and 40 children, on March 26, 1948, we abandoned the village after the attack by government troops, who kidnapped 13 children whose parents were in the DAG divisions, while we hid ourselves with the other women and children. They also bombed the village. We traveled through the snow and winter at night, while hiding during the daytime.

"Near the village Trnovo, two government planes shot at us, but luckily nobody was injured. We joined a group of about 400 children being led by a few women. They were from the vicinity of Kostur (present-day Kastoria in Greece) and the women told us that their group had been repeatedly attacked by government planes, and had lost four children as a result. Near the village of Mavrochori, more refugees joined us, women and children from four villages (Dolno Kotori, Lagem, Turija, and Tren)."

This dramatic re-telling of the children's eight-day journey from their birthplaces to the villages of Dolno Dupeni and Ljubojno near Prespa (in present-day Republic of Macedonia) is by Lena Sulevska from the village of Gorno Kotori, near Lerin. Misko Kitanovski and Gjorgji Doneski are retelling her story together with the traumatic testimony of other mothers regarding the uprooting of 28,000 children from Aegean Macedonia (present-day northern Greece) from their birthplaces in the book "The Child-Refugees of Aegean Macedonia."

Sulevska said that at the time 20 women and 500 children gathered and traveled towards the north, moving only at night. "Throughout the journey we each carried three children, two in our hands, and one on our backs. From the village of Konomladi strong snows and heavy winds trailed us. We massaged the children's feet to avoid frostbite," recalls Sulevska, who was a replacement mother for 25 of the children.

When they arrived at the village of Strkovo, a surprise air attack forced them with the children and local population to seek shelter in the mountains, where they remained the entire day. "The children were crying from fear and cold, and we were forced to light a fire. But then the planes came back, and we had to throw our clothing and the children rocks to put out the fire," says Sulevska.

Fear of the airplanes prevented them from lighting fires again. At nightfall, they continued their journey and in two days reached the village of German; the following day, they unknowingly crossed the Yugoslav border. At daybreak, women from the Yugoslav Red Cross met them and wept at their hungry and barefoot state. The refugees were fed and transported to Bitola.

"The difficulties of traveling in the cold left visible traces on the children. Even after arriving in Bitola (in present-day Republic of Macedonia), our children cried loudly, the same way they did during the entire journey. Many of them were vomiting, we women had tears in our hands and necks and shoulders from carrying them, and our backs and chests had dark bruises. The children were flea-ridden and dirty because they could not bathe the entire way, and the path was 100km and eight days long. Their eyes were bloodshot and only had rags for clothing," recalls "mother" Lena Sulevska.

Elena Eftova who fled from the village of Turje, also near Lerin (present day Florina in Greece), with 114 children tells a similar story. "The monarcho-fascists bombed the village with cannons. Six houses were destroyed and 34 houses were burned completely. Then they invaded the village, looted it, and let loose 500 sheep, while we watched hidden in the mountains. Our soldiers were nowhere, and the anger of the monarcho-fascists was unleashed on a few of the remaining villagers. During the bombing, a 10-year old girl named Lefterija Doneva was hit in the chest and wounded in her stomach. In her serious state, they took her to the basement of the house, while the bombing lasted. After the bombing, we took the girl from the village, but she died in the mountains in agonizing pain, and so we buried her near the village of Rula. The mother of this girl fled with us, though we lost track of her later and I don't know where she is now," says Eftova.

Vasilka Delova from Lagen fled with two other women and a girl, leading 71 children. "While the attacks by the government troops lasted, we hid in the trenches outside the village. We went into the village at night looking for food. By the village of Konomladi, we joined a second large group, and together we fled to Yugoslavia. Even after five months, even though the children were put up in orphanages, they could not free themselves from the trauma of the attacks on the village and the difficulties and tortures they endured while fleeing that military hell," she says.

After the death of her husband, Jordana Jančova, from the village of Trsje, near Lerin, was left alone with her five children. Fearing that she too would be murdered, she decided to flee across the border. "At the time the mothers in the village left their children in my care to save them from the fearsome bombings of the American, British, and Greek planes," she says.

"And thus came that black day - March 24, 1948. During the nighttime, the drama of goodbyes began. Near the school in my village of Rudari about 100 children gathered, divided in groups of 25; I was in charge of one of those groups. Among these children were two young brothers, Vasil and Goce. We gathered them into harnesses and left. The mothers ran after us to give the children their final messages: "Sandra, remember your mother;" Hrisula, daughter, don't cry, we'll come back;" "Kosta, be careful, son,'" tells, "mother" Stoja Jankovska, who was with the first group of 500 children.

Around midnight they arrived at German, and on morning of March 25, they left for Bela Voda, on the Yugoslavian-Greek border, where they met the other groups from German, Medovo, Rabin, Strkovo, and where they hid all day from the airplanes. They met three guides who brought them bread and cheese, a final goodbye from the mothers they left behind.

"At dusk, when there were no more of the black "birds" in the sky (who were unsuccessfully looking for us all day), we left for the border, on the path of our long-sought freedom. We reached a large opening, laid the children down together, and covered them with whatever we had, rags, leaves, branches. Some of the other guides and I went looking for our border guards," tells "mother" Stoja.

After arriving in Dolno Dupeni and Ljubojno, they were transferred onto trucks to Brailovo, and from there by train to Skopje. "On the platform at the old train station in Skopje there was a warm and heartfelt welcome for the children from Aegean Macedonia. They got off the train for a short break, while the women in white - the women from the Red Cross and from the AFZ gave them candies for the first time in their lives. What joy that was! My children didn't know that they had to unwrap the candy from the wrapper" recalls "mother" Stoja, who added that despite the outstanding living and work conditions, despite the outpouring of care they gave to the children, regardless, even when they matured, they still cried and sought their mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters.

"Later, when the decision was made to reunite the families, we sought the parents of the children, via embassies and consulates, through the Red Cross and via letter-writing campaigns. We wrote letters, to which we received many replies. Thus began the correspondence between the children with their mother, father, sister, or brother," says "mother" Stoja.

(To Be Continued)

Jordan Festival - w ba3den ?

Reading Al-ghad’s article and reading the comments left by the readers regarding the Jordan festival, many questions popped up in my mind. I wonder till when we will have zeal to boycott musical and cultural events more than the zeal to improve ourselves and stop complaining and nagging about stuff everybody previously agreed.

For the past 25 years, the Jerash festival was an event that put Jordan on the map. It was a rich fusion of cultures, traditions and art bringing nations from all over the world. Did any one complain back then? Do you remember those evergreen Milhem Barakat’s and Majida el Roumi’s wonderful concerts on the south theatre in Jerash?

After an extreme failure in the past few years, the administration of the festival had to do something to revive the event. Although I admit it, there were some organizer’s faults in those failures but they did a great job reviving the festival by creating a new name, a new logo and a new theme. Celebrating the novelty they decided also to bring probably the most famous singers and performers in the Arab world.

Isn’t it all performed in Jordan? Isn’t it designed to serve Jordan and Jordan’s tourism and economy? So whether the company that organized everything is French or Arabic, that doesn’t matter at all and whether the company also organized the celebration of the Israeli state that’s totally irrelevant. We have been dealing with companies that somehow are related to Israel one way or another since the peace treaty but people didn’t argue because they were “satisfied” money wise.

So the real question in my opinion is who is desperately in need of money to the extent that he is willing to use patriotism as excuse to wage such war against Jordan’s interest and benefit. I’ve always believed and still believe that patriotism can’t be expressed with boycotting music, patriotism is that shivering feeling you get when you see Jordan’s flag up high and when you are ready to do anything just to raise the flag even higher everyone to see. But apparently many believe that by singing Omar Abdallat’s songs they are entitled to use the Patriotic adjective. Which resulted in an interesting turn of event, as of yesterday Omar Abdallat won’t be participating in the festival… because of the whole banana French issue! Or is it banana money issue… mmm...

Quit playing with people’s minds and let Jordan be part of the cultural and musical scene. Lets face it this is not the way to end the Israeli occupation but on the opposite its destructive act towards Jordan. And yea there is something called find proves before accusing randomly and let’s stop following every single rumor!

peace

Conflicts within the European Union

One may think that the European Union is a strong, self-sustained, powerful and fault free Union. But the reality states a worse situation, the EU is in a strong crisis ever since the EU Constitution was rejected and until now they are struggling to turn down the tension. But aside of that constitutional or let me say existential problem they are also facing a lot of problems within themselves and with other European countries - non members or candidate countries.

Belgium (EU member) for example lately ran away from the possibility of partitioning its land between the French speaking community and the Dutch speaking community which may either lead to gaining independence or respective accession to either France or the Netherlands. After the June 2007 Elections they went into deep crisis spending a long time constituting their new Government. In March 2008 they managed to create a fragile government that many still wonder how long it will last.

Slovenia (EU member) has a major dispute with Croatia (EU candidate) over marking the border between them. Ever since their break up from the former Yugoslavia they haven't yet reach an agreement over that issue although Slovenia has several times warned their neighbour that this issue may jeopardize the EU candidacy.

Cyprus (EU member) is the only country in EU that has territories under Turkish occupation (as they consider) after the Turkish invasion in the 1970s. Although the United Nations tried to solve the issue before Cyprus' accession to the EU in 2004 with a referendum but the Greek population in Cyprus rejected the re-unification of the Mediterranean island whereas the Turkish population agreed. Whats more interesting is how Greece is meddling in between Cyprus and Turkey and Greece has warned Turkey several times that they will face a Greek Veto if Turkey doesn't withdraw its troops from northen Cyprus.

Greek-Turkish Dispute also referred to as Aegean dispute. The term Aegean dispute refers to a set of interrelated controversial issues between Greece and Turkey over sovereignty and related rights in the area of the Aegean Sea. This set of conflicts has had a large effect on the relations between the two countries since the 1970s. This led twice to crises coming close to the outbreak of military hostilities, in 1987 and in early 1996. And the dispute is also jeopardizing Turkey's aspirations to gain EU full membership.

Greenland which is until now under Danish rule but is granted home rule authority is seeking a way to declare independence since it is not part of EU and that will lead to a great loss for the Danish Economy.

Gibraltar, Spanish territory conquered by Britain in the 1700s. Spain attempted to recapture the territory militarily, with a number of failed sieges, and reclamation of the territory by peaceful means remains Government policy until today.

Greek- Macedonian naming dispute over the name of the Republic of Macedonia. Greece is still opposing the right of a nation of self-identification and is absurdly trying to impose a name to another nation just to cover Greece's massacre over ethnic Macedonians who were living in Greece during the Greek civil war (1950s). They consider that by denying the existence of a Macedonian state they can deny the existence of a Macedonian minority within its border. Greece's recently VETO-ed Macedonia's candidacy to NATO just because they don't like the name. Negotiations are still occurring under the patronage of the UN.

South Ossitia. (non EU member) is a self proclaimed Republic between Russian and Georgian Border that is still seeking UN recognition. It has been used by Russia as Trojan Horse in Georgia. The later still considers South Ossitia to be part of its territory and the dispute is still waiting for a solution. Recently Georgia expressed their intention to Join the NATO alliance to which Russia strongly opposed considering it a threat to Russia's Territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Bosnia and Hercegovina. Country consisted of two entities : Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Hercegovina. The entities, based largely on the territories held by the two warring sides at the time, were formally established by the Dayton peace agreement in 1995 due to the tremendous changes in Bosnia and Herzegovina's ethnic structure. It is unclear till now till when this fragile union will last having three different ethnicities (Serbian , Croatian and Bosnian) and it is a possible war source.

Kosovo is another self-proclaimed defacto independent State, although Serbia still considers it part of its territory. So far about 40 something country recognized its independence but the new born country has a lot of to fight in order to get full UN recognition since they are facing a strong opposition from Russia who is Serbia's strongest Ally. Still waiting for a solution that also may reach a critical war level.

الحق ما بيموت

لبنان رح يرجع

والحق ما بيموت

والشمس رح تتطلع تزين سما بيروت

"I will always love you" - Balkan Remix :D

I came across this video the other day and thought of sharing it with you. Maybe Whitney Houston has sth to say regarding this remix :)

Performed by a Bulgarian Singer called Nena Tzoneva in the Bulgarian Idol.




What do you think? Whose better our Arabic Super star / Star Academy or this one ? :D

peace

When part of your childhood disappears...

In memoriam - Toše Proeski 1981 - 2007


It was winter 1998, raining heavily.. had a fight with my dad because i wanted to go out and he wanted me to stay home away from the rain, but no.. i had to go.. it was Toše Proeski's first visit to my city.. his first concert in Esperanto Disco... and i wanted to take his autograph so badly.. so i gathered all what i had in my 13 years of courage and decided to go for it..

Streets were full, girls were screaming , wish to touch Toše's hand or have the chance to take a photo with him.. the excitment was growing, i had all the lyrics memorized.. just waiting for the concert to start. Somehow me and my cousin Jasmina, somehow managed to be in the first few rows..

We all went home with a big smile on our faces.. wondering when will be his next concert because i couldn't get his auto-graph. Then we went to Krushevo with my school... Toše's hometown.. the surprise of the trip was his un-expected performance in the Hotel we were staying for the entire school but yet somehow he was evacuated quickly as soon as he finished; because it was becoming very crouded.

Aaah... the Eurovision song contest.. my all time favourite show.. in 2004 he proudly presented Macedonia.. and even though i was in Jordanhaving my tawjihi exams.. i couldn't miss his performance.. i cheered for him and was simply proud.. and still looking forward to attend at least one of his concerts in the Gradski Stadium in the capital Skopje...

My attachment and home-sickness never been stronger when the Ethno- Macedonian Folklor album was released by Toše.. with the ever lasting "Zajdi Zajdi" he wrote his name with bold letters in the history of the Macedonian identity and made me anxiously wait the day when i will go to Macedonia and attend his concert and get his autograph.

That small 13 years old kiddo grew up.. but still has the wish.. 9 years after this Star rose on the Macedonian and Ex- Yugoslav sky it tragically left us... took with him all my hopes and wishes to go to Gradski in Skopje and enjoy with all his fans an ever-green concert..

A significant part of my childhood went with him.. May your soul rest in peace.. Every True Macedonian will remember you along with all the Icons of our History. You won't be forgotten .. your music will always be played and sang that i can promise.

You still owe me an auto-graph

Yours Samer

The Hardest Thing - Toše Proeski

Song performed by the late Macedonian singer Toshe Proeski. He didn't have the chance to hear it in the world's radio stations as his very first english song. But we -Toshe's fans - are here to spread his angelic voice and his everlasting music.
Rest in Peace Toshe.
You won't be forgotten

i will leave you with the vedio clip made after his tragic death by MTV Adria.

Ethno Music

I'd say its the soul of a nation put in musical notation.

Sometimes you don't need to actually visit a country

to experience its culture and elevate to their spiritual patriotism.

You don't have to know the people,

you don't have to know their background,

you don't have to understand their language,

just close your eyes and listen.

Elections

Its interesting how different countries experience the Elections phenomena. There are ofcourse some general observations everywhere... that it's an event that takes the country's attention for couple of weeks or even a year...

Here in Jordan, this phenomena haven't changed much since it started 20 years ago; streets filled with candidates' names, mansaf, knafe, pink promises and ofcourse the Radio begging vote for me method. Its worth mentioning that within last year's elections campagne new more technologically inhanced methods were used like Facebook ads, or lets say Internet in general.
But hey lets take a look how other countries experience elections.. aside of our arab world.

In the United States -as we can see these days- the competition between Hillary and Obama has not only become a world wide discussio topic but also an entertainment for the US' citizens. Every meeting and debate between the leaders are widely followed at least by those who are interested in politics. All the candidates for the upcoming presidential elections in the US use professional agencies just to conduct their campagne moreover to take care of every little detail from the color of the balloons to the candidates speech. Ofcourse all that needs money to fund all these activities.
So since they don't need Mansaf or Knafe to feed the voters, they spend their money to make sure everything goes perfect in any meeting with the voters.

Lets take another example of a little bit modest campagne compared to the American one. This year, actually on the 1st of June , the Republic of Macedonia will go into its first early general elections. Their approach of campagning was different this year. In order to attract youth to vote, they decided to pull the popular singer and performers into singing a campagne song that carries the Party's main objective and moto. In every public apperance of the party they make sure to start their meeting with those singers performing the coalition song live which in a way secretly makes sure that the singer's fans will vote for that party.

Here is their song... i wonder if that will give a result on the 1st of June.

Eurovision Song Contest

The Eurovision Song contest is probably the biggest musical event in Europe that has been occuring for the past 53 years. It's a contest between all the members of European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The winning song is selected by televoting, each country can give points from 1 to 12 but don't have the right to vote for its own song. The Country that gathers the most points wins the Contest and the Winning country becomes the new Eurovision Host.

Many famous singers kicked their carrier from this contest to name a few: ABBA, Celine Dion (as Swiss participant), Jonny Logan, Helena Paparizou, Dima Bilan and many others. This contest is usually organized in the second or the third week of May each year. During the previous 3 months each country organizes internal selection for their entry for the contest.

Due to the increasing number of participating countries (43) as of this year there were 2 semifinals in which the participants perform their songs and the best 10 songs from each semifinal proceed to the final with the Big 4 (UK,France, Germany and Spain - who go directly to the Final becoz they fund the contest) and the winning song from the previous contest.

It is a trend that the winning song or at least the participating songs become a Hit sometimes within europe other times to the whole world like the case of Greece's winning song "My number one" by Helena Paparizou that was extremely popular here in Amman (though i doubt that people new that it was an ESC winning song :) )

Its interesting to point out that Jordan Radio Television JRTV used to broadcast it live until 1999. Due to political reasons.. in 1998 Israel won the contest and the Israeli Television brought the contest to Jerusaelm and since then JRTV stopped the broadcast.

Another political trivial thing was the application of Lebanon to the contest 2 years ago, but because according to the contract the Lebanese channel had to broadcast all the songs including the Israeli song they withdrew. But it is expected to see Lebanon in 2009 since the applicant Television has changed.

Its also worth mentioning the technically Palestine has the right to participate since its an official member in the EBU, so who knows maybe we will see the contest in Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

Last year's winner was Serbia (which many thought that it was Europe's way to tell Serbia that we appericiate you although we will take Kosovo from you) and they Hosted this years contest in their capital Belgrade. It was a magnificent show and for one week Belgrade was the center of Europe hosting thousands of young europeans from all over Europe.. from UK to Armenia..

Here is a small interval act during which the Televoting was occuring in this years Eurovision SOng contest . The music played is composed by a famous Serbian musician Goran Bregovic who is popular with his folk serbian music.




You can find more about the contest following this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision#Participation

Palestine (حقٌ يأبى النسيان)

Many people through out the world, don't know what exactly happened on that 15th of May 60 years ago. As much as i tried to explain how cruel and inhuman was the Jewish act back then... still it isn't enough to express the agony, the homesickness, the sadness and anger our grandparents felt for being kicked out of their own country, their own houses, their own rooms, gardens, mosques and churches.

If only my grandma is still alive to ask her about those days...Ah she used to remember how every house looked like... and where each family lived in the small city of Ramlah. With a shining glance of hope her eyes can tell you what is Palestine... She passed away but her hope hasn't yet...I'm sure the key of the house is still hidden somewhere...

I truely admire the spirit of hope our grandparents still carry for so they are the best example of how to be patriotic, of how to love your land, your neighbours and your people. I pray to God to give me strength to keep that spirit and deliver it to my children incase i don't get the chance to see Palestine liberated.

My dear friends... No occupation lasted in the world... all nations at the end gained freedom.. thats what history taught us. No matter how many years is needed.. at the end it will be over. So be happy Grandma.. coz we will go back someday.

60 years of hope... are enough for this cause to be continued till the end of times..

Viva Palestine..

Lebanon Part 1 : Journalism w Mawdo3eyyeh

International Fair at the University of Jordan

Within the University of Jordan's campus, the University celebrates it's students' diverstiy, culture and background. Please Join me to celebrate the World's harmony and our determination to spread peace through out the world.

Traditional food.. traditional music...Tourist attractions.. travelling experiences.. traditional dance.. and more.

More than 20 countries...

Make sure to visit Macedonia's corner.. :)

Time and Place:

University of Jordan Campus

Wednesday 7th of May 2008 (from 11:00 till 16:00)

Thursday 8th of May 2008 ( 9:00 till 16:00)

Unworthy EU Member

by Gunnar Nissen Danish newspaper Morgaenavisen Jyllands-Posten 2/26/1999

If this chronicle gives rise to conflicts or trouble, it is not the fault of the Macedonians, nor me. When the politicians in EU countries don't speak out, it is due to ignorance or indifference. Denmark is a member of the EU. It remains a mystery that Greece is too. The member countries must recognize human rights and minorities rights. Those are the demands put in front of the central European states and they must abide by them. That has been hard on Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania who are brought to recognize national minorities, especially that large Russian one. Slovenia is on that point influenced by the Yugoslavian constitution of 1974, an exemplary country with full recognition of small Croatian and Italian minorities. But Greece - Oh Dear! From official Greek side it is bombastically announced: Only Greeks live in Greece. Nonsense! In southeast Europe, not a single state exist of one nationality alone. In Greece, you find a large Turkish minority (who do not wish to be presented as Greeks that has converted to Islam) in Thrace, a small Albanian minority in Epiros and finally a Macedonian minority in Aegean Macedonia, who numbers somewhere between 75.000 and 500.000. An exact estimate doesn't exist, since Greece persistently deny there existence.

If one put some pressure on high ranking civil servants and self-proclaimed experts, one may achieve an admission that "a small Slavic speaking minority exist in Greek Macedonia", but they "do not wish to be a national minority; they can freely use their language". A pack of lies! For many years I have had a friendly relation with numerous Macedonians in Aegean Macedonia - a people that officially doesn't exist. I do speak Greek, but I speak fluently Macedonian. Almost every time I take the train south, over Munich to Balkan, I run into Macedonians from Greece (2. generation of workers). The same happens when I traverse the Greek border. Some people speaks only Greek, but a lot, really a lot, speaks additionally Macedonian ("our mother tongue") which is forbidden as language in school. Last year a couple of shop owners were taken to court -their "crime" was that they had written some words in Macedonian in their shop windows.

When I sit on cafe's in villages in Aegean Macedonia, the conversation always ends at "the Macedonian identity". "What do you in the rest of Europe know about us?" I must admit that it's very little. "We would like to have some Macedonian schools" the man continues at the cafe. "I speak my Macedonian mother tongue, but my son is struggling, although he watches Macedonian TV, Televizija Skopje". He, and the others speak in a low voice, while glancing towards the neighboring table where a man is picking up his phone. Moments later, two angry police officers enter and the gathering around my table splits up. The border control between the Macedonian Republic and Greece are, known to be among the toughest in Europe. Certainly the slowest. Not on the Macedonian side, where the border police take a peek at the Danish passport, after which it's over. But on the other side of the border, the border police confiscate all passports and later we have to spend a long time, be it snow storm or bumming hot, cueing to get the passport back. With particular thoroughness, the custom control ransack the luggage of travelers from the Republic of Macedonia. Foreigners can not be sure to get a travel permission, even when born in Aegean Macedonia in Greece. It has happened that a Canadian bus full of Macedonians with Macedonian names, but born in Aegean Macedonia, were not allowed to enter the country.


The Greeks gave as a reason for not recognizing the Republic of Macedonia, that " we have a Macedonia here in Greece and thus there cannot be a Macedonia just on the opposite site of the border". The logic in this is absurd and I'm ashamed that so many ignorant journalists quoted the Greek reason without comments. Apparently they were unaware that Macedonia is split between three different countries. After a meeting in Brussels, where the EU-recognition of the state of Macedonia was postponed, although Macedonia fulfilled all requirements for recognition, the then Danish foreign minister, Uffe Elleman-Jensen, in a final salute as EU chairman, commented to the Greeks that they had to get themselves together and get the problem solved, concerning the name Macedonia and called it despicable of the Greeks to treat the Macedonians in this way. The former Danish foreign Minister Elleman-Jensen stated in 1993 "not Macedonia is a problem for Europe, but our member Greece". The Greek spokespersons reacted violently, amongst them the former Greek vice prime-minister Athanasios Kannellopoulos, who angrily pronounced "with his comments, Mr. Jensen is a very bad example of the other foreign ministers. Mr. Jensen said that he'd be ashamed to be Greek because we're against that the new Skopje republic's use of the name Macedonia. To that my answer is: We'd be ashamed if Mr. Jensen was Greek!" In "Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten" the MP Ame Melchior published a letter to the editor that exhibited his lack of knowledge about the populations in the Balkan peninsula under the title "Show concern for our Greek allied". He was answered by "Jyllands-Posten"s correspondent Per Nyholm "Show concern for the Macedonians". Finally the Greeks accepted the name of Macedonia, but only in the form of The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, FYROM.

Now to the decisive point that journalists ought to have oriented "themselves about: In ancient times and in the Osmanian era, Macedonia was an area without internal borders, where the people after the 6 century had the south Slavic language Macedonian as mother tongue. It was in Macedonia the Cyrillic alphabet came to life, named after the monk Kyril. The bible was translated by the Macedonians to old-church-Slavic, that had the same influence on ecumenical language in eastern Europe as Latin had amongst the Catholics in western and central Europe. The Cyrillic alphabet spread not only to Bulgaria and Serbia, but also to Russia and other eastern Slavic countries. "Genuine" Hellenes described the ancient population of Macedonia as barbarians and Phillip II and Alexander the Great greekness are rather dubious. Albanian historiansname them Illyrians, the oldest nation on Balkan and the Albanians are arguably their ancestors. Of higher importance was the Slav's immigration to the Balkan area in the 6 century. The Slavic tribe that settled in Macedonia took name after the province and preserved their language to modem times (with some grammatical exceptions...)

After the Balkan wars of 1912 and 1913, Macedonia was split in three. Aegean Macedonia came under Greece, Vardarmacedonia under Serbia and Pirimacedonia under Bulgaria. Vardarmacedonia was in 1945 after a heroic partisan war, one of the six republics in the new federal Yugoslavia and as promised by Tito, the republic got full national and cultural independence - with due acknowledgment of it's compact Albanian and small Turkish minorities. As Yugoslavia split in 1991, the country had 23 Mio. inhabitants. Had all of Yugoslavia had the birthrate of the Albanians in western Macedonia and Kosovo, they would have been at 50 Mio! Kosovo and western Macedonia would have had to let the Albanians migrate to the rest of Serbia and Macedonia with resulting unemployment rates around 50%. The Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia are not oppressed. They have all rights - except the one to rise the Albanian flag and get an Albanian university - which wouldn't make a lot of sense as soon as they again can study at the large university in Prestina in Kosovo, Tito's pride. By the way, the ambassador of the Republic of Macedonia in Denmark is Albanian, the much respected Muhammed Halili. Could one imagine the situation: the government of the North German federated state Schleswig Holstein declare: Schleswig is German and in Germany, Germans are living. Thus with no further notice, the Danish schools, including the "Duborgskolen" high school and "Jaruplund" high school, the Flensburg newspaper, Danish libraries and other foreign institutions will close. The Danish language is declared "not-wanted"? How about the opposite situation - if everything German was forbidden in southern Denmark? Unthinkable of course!

When a person misbehaves, it is in the first line the closest people's duty to intervene. National oppression is taking place in many countries outside the EU. But Greece is an EU member and is thus a "part of the family". But do we intervene, we, the closest people? No, we shut up. Of ignorance or misunderstood solidarity with the Greek leaders, who as the Serbs, consider themselves "superbalkanian". Other people knows more about the oppression than I, but I know a great many and every year more ignored and oppressed Slavic Macedonians in the Greek part of Macedonia. Can we justify our silence? I'm sure that Greece' unwillingness to accept the Republic of Macedonia is due to their black conscience over the oppression of Macedonians in Greece. Greece is (yet another) unworthy member of the EU.

All rights reserved to Mr Gunnar Nissen Danish newspaper Morgaenavisen Jyllands

Greece’s Foreign Minister: The US must change its name to ‘United States of Central North America’

Greece’s Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis announced today that Greece would veto the US’s continued membership of NATO unless the US changed its name to ‘United States of Central North America’. ‘Greece is nothing if not consistent’, Ms Bakoyannis said at a press conference today, ‘Just as we object to FYROM [the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia] being the sole claimant to the name of the entire area of Macedonia, so we object to FBCOA [the Former British Colony of America] claiming sole use of the name of “America”.’

She pointed out that the territory of the FBCOA covers less than half of the continent of North America, which in turn is only one of two American continents: ‘We are concerned that the FBCOA’s use of the name “America” implies territorial claims on neighbouring states.’

My Bakoyannis added: ‘The leaders of this new country of 300 million insist on calling their homeland “America” even though that is a name that has been part of Native American history and culture for thousands of years.’ She then asked rhetorically, ‘Was Pocahontas an Anglo-Saxon ?’
UN mediators have been struggling to find a solution to the ‘name dispute’ acceptable to both sides, one that would allow the US to remain in NATO. UN envoy Matthew Nimetz has tabled several proposals, including ‘Democratic United States of America’, ‘New United States of America’ and ‘United States of America (Washington D.C.)’, but these have all been rejected by Athens.

President George W. Bush has accepted that at this week’s NATO summit in Bucharest, the US may have its membership of the alliance terminated at Greece’s demand. ‘We shall continue to seek a negotiated solution to this question’, President Bush said today.

Ms Bakoyannis has indicated that Athens is considering asking the United Kingdom to change its name as well, pointing out that ‘Britain’ is the name of a neighbouring French administrative region. There has been speculation that Greece may insist that the UK be renamed ‘United Kingdom of Northern Britain and Northern Ireland’ if it wishes to remain in NATO, although Athens has yet to issue a formal demand.

(Greater Surbiton News Service)

Greece’s policy of trying to crush the sovereignty and national identity of a European country has nothing to do with democratic ... Stop this nonsense.. We will keep rocking our name.. Go Macedonia

New Palestine

Red and dark sky
the door bell is ringing, silence
a soldier and a small kiddo are standing behind it
but only one of them is real...

Children are screaming in agony
mothers are falling in despair
houses are torn down
this is the 21st massacared Palestine

The door is opened
the soldier comes in
tired from all the fired gun shots
the kiddo goes to the kitchen
it all seemed to him new

exhausted mothers walk together
holding pictures of that small kiddo
with pain, anxiety and desperate looks
but with pride, dignity and heroism

Our kiddo thanks the soldier
for so he helped him to go to paradise
for so he made Paradise our new Palestine
filled with innocent looks and honest hearts

Thats our new Palestine
from there comes our support
we will not give up
you will not be forgotten

European "Democracy"

Words can be loaded
Who knew being a polyglot could get you in trouble even when you’re the pope? When Pope Benedict XVI gave Christmas greetings Dec. 25 to Rome and the world in 63 languages, one of those idioms turned out to be a mini-minefield.
A former government minister and now head of Greece’s small Democratic Revival party reportedly sent a critical missive to the pope for giving Christmas well-wishes in Macedonian. The Italian news agency ANSA reported yesterday it had obtained a copy of the two-and-a-half-page typed letter the Greek politician sent to the German pontiff.
Apparently the letter admonished the pope for using Macedonian which, the author asserted, is not a language but a Slavic dialect. The letter, according to ANSA, reportedly gives numerous reasons this Cyrillic-lettered lingo does not exist.
But a quick search on the Vatican Web site shows papal season’s greetings were given in Macedonian every year going back at least until 1997.
ANSA attributes the critique as just the latest sparring resulting from this Balkan nation’s use of the name Macedonia since it gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Greece objects to this landlocked state north of Greece taking the name Macedonia for a variety of reasons, including the fear Skopje might have territorial claims on Greek Macedonia. You can read about the complex name controversy here.