the loma weekly herald volume 1 issue 2

The League of Macedonian-AmericansVolume 1, Issue 2

5/3/2015 _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Interested in joining LOMA? Do you have ideas to share or a project you want to work on? Or do you want

to contribute an article or section to The Loma Weekly Herald? Contact us at

[email protected] and visit our website at www.leagueofmacedonians.com.

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Recap of the Week...............1

Next Weeks Goals...............1

Test Your Knowledge...........1-2

Did You Know?...................2

Macedonian Crossword............2

Narodna Song of the Week......3-4

Letter Campaign...............4-5

Decided.........................5

To Be Decided...................5

Quotes about Macedonia..........6

Where Our Members Live..........6

News from Macedonia.............6

Recap of the Week

We had another productive week. Some of our highlights include:

Created a logo

Created a letterhead

Wrote 2 letters

Received 1 response

Added an @gmail.com e-mail account

Next Weeks Goals and Projects We hope to continually build our groups

activities and efforts. Heres some of what we

have planned for next week:

Increase membership

Continue the letter writing campaign

Create a variety of sections for the newsletter that do not necessarily appear every week

Contact other Macedonian organizations and groups to seek collaboration on initiatives and projects

Test Your Knowledge about Macedonia!

Last weeks answers: 1. Belovite, Vratnica, ile Jaince Janite , Jegunovce, Kopance, Oraje, Podbrege, Preljubite, Raotince, Ratae, Rogaevo, Siriino, Staro Selo, Tudence, emevo 2. Lerin 3. Lake Ohrid 4. Krushevo Republic 5. Goce Delcev 6. Krste Missirkov 7. In the T section because Greece prevented Macedonia from sitting in the M section; and the f in the fYRoM is not capitalized. Thus, Macedonia sits next to Thailand. 8. Left-wing 9. Gregory Malenkov 10. Vojo Stojanovski

This weeks questions:

Whoever submits their answers first and gets the most right will get a shout-out in next weeks issue, which will also include the correct

answers. Good luck!

1. Who was the first president of Macedonia after it broke off from Yugoslavia?

2. What is the second biggest city by

population in the Republic of Macedonia?

3. Which Macedonian town has recently

received a lot of international press for its pagan carnival?

4. Which Macedonian dialect is the modern Macedonian literary language primarily based on?

5. True or false: Lake Mavrovo is man-made?


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6. In which part of Macedonia is Solun located: Aegean, Pirin, Prespa, or Vardar?

7. What are the names of the two Macedonian-Orthodox churches in Michigan?

8. What was Alexander the Greats mothers name?

9. Who said the following: For many

years, since the decade of the '90s, we have been making efforts so that the name 'Republic of Macedonia' is not recognized.

10. What Macedonian singer is famous for

the song Biser Balkanski?

Submit answers to: [email protected]

In the 1930s and 1940s, there was a very active Macedonian-American organization called the Macedonian Peoples League. It was eventually

shut down by the US government because it was considered a communist-affiliated organization. Also, in the 1940s and 1950s there was a Macedonian-Australian organization called the Macedonian-Australian Peoples League. They eventually voted to decentralize, thus ending their reign as a national organization. These two groups have formed the inspiration for a peoples movement that LOMA is seeking

to revitalize among Macedonian-Americans.

Macedonian-English Crossword Fill in the correct English translations for the following words:

Across

5. stan/

7. kukja/

9. balkon/

10 vrata/

11. ogledalo/a-

Down

1. doma/

2. treva/

3. kujna/

4. banja/

6. stol/

8. krevet/

12. soba/

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11 12


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Narodna Song of the Week This weeks song is Shto Mi E Milo, Em Drago. The lyrics in English are as follows (the chorus repeats after every line; but to avoid repetition, it is placed at the end): How it pleases me and makes me happy to have

a small shop in Struga;

To have a small shop in Struga and to sit by the

window shutters;

To sit by the window shutters and watch the

girls of Struga walk by;

To watch the girls of Struga walk by when they

go to fetch water;

When they go to fetch water with their colorful

pitchers.

CHORUS: Oh my darling, I am dying and

perishing for you!

There are countless renditions of this famous folk song. An excellent version of it performed by The Pennywhistlers on Pete Seegers television show The Rainbow Quest in the 1960s can be found online.

LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN

Letter to the website www.qz.com regarding

their use of FYROM.

April 27, 2015 Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to you with regards to the article In charts: heres why Greece is making a

mistake by turning to Russia for help by Pankaj

Ghemawat. In this article, Mr. Ghemawat placed the acronym FYROM in parenthesis after

Macedonia. We recognize the Mr. Ghemawat may not be aware of how offensive this term is to Macedonians worldwide. The citizens of Macedonia chose the Republic of Macedonia as

the name for their country, and over two-thirds of the worlds countries recognize Macedonia as the Republic of Macedonia. However, in the mid-1990s, Macedonia was forced by Greece, through sanctions and blockades, to enter the United Nations under the name of The former

Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. This name is

insulting because it attempts to strip away the national characteristics and identity of the Macedonians. For decades, successive Greek governments have waged a campaign to eliminate the Macedonian identity. They refer to Macedonians as anything but Macedonians, and to Macedonia as anything but Macedonia. For Macedonians, the term FYROM represents that

animosity and discrimination. Of course, as with all international and regional issues in the world, history is complex and complicated, with different peoples having different interpretations and views. However, what should be undeniable is that people have the right to self-determination especially to determine their name and identity. Thus, in this regards, not only is the term FYROM offensive,

but it is a symbol that reminds Macedonians that they do not have the freedom to determine their own identity and name, whereas all other UN members do. We, the League of Macedonian-Americans, feel that writers, journalists, and academics should do their best to eliminate the term FYROM from their vocabulary because it opposes those ideals and principles for which a democratic society stands: freedom and equality. We would greatly appreciate, and think it to be appropriate and fair, if your website could remove the term FYROM from this article and

any other future article. It would be a sincere and respectful gesture. On behalf of LOMA, I want to thank you for your time and consideration.


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Letter to the website www.turkishweekly.net

regarding their use of FYROM.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hope this letter finds you well. In the article Police raids the area near the Kosovo border,

the author twice used the term FYROM for

Macedonia instead of using Macedonia. We

noted that the author used Macedonia a few other times in the article. The two times that FYROM was used was related to Mirsad Ndrecajs comments about current events in

Macedonia. However, because the authors were not quoting Mr. Ndrecaj when using FYROM,

we feel that the authors should have used Macedonia or the Republic of Macedonia, as

that is the constitutional name of the country chosen by the people.

We understand that this may have been an error on the authors part because he/she may have

been referring to Macedonia as Mr. Ndrecaj referred to Macedonia; but it is not evident in the article whether Mr. Ndrecaj used FYROM of if the author chose FYROM. The term

FYROM is an unjust and disrespectful name

forced on the people of Macedonia by Greece two decades ago as a condition for Macedonia to join the United Nations, and Macedonians worldwide would like to see it eliminated from the medias vocabulary. The League of

Macedonian-Americans would greatly appreciate it if The Journal of Turkish Weekly ceases using the discriminatory term FYROM

from now on and instead uses only Macedonia

or the Republic of Macedonia.

Thank you for your time and consideration of the points addressed in this letter.

Their response to us:

Dear Sir, Thank you very much for your email. We will immediately delete the news. We do apologize, one of our reporters made this mistake. Turkish Republic and our editorial board recognize your country as Republic of Macedonia. Kindest Regards, Firat

Decided

1. We will forego the sign-up sheet for now. 2. We will continue using the yahoo.com e-mail address and see if it affects our goals and needs. We also added a gmail.com e-mail address. 3. We are not going to support or oppose any political parties. However, we will support or oppose certain statements or actions made by people, whether or not those people are affiliated with any particular political party.

To Be Decided

1. Should LOMA stay away from discussing and writing about history? a. Yes history is very complicated and complex and it is very easy for even academics and historians to get it wrong. Further, there is a chance that writing about certain historical events could offend some people and prevent people from getting involved with more fundamental initiatives of LOMA. b. No history is an integral and inseparable part of identity and culture. Without it, it would be very difficult to understand current events and the context/meaning of certain cultural aspects. Further, how far back in history should we avoid? 1 year? 10? 100? 1000? Understanding the history of Macedonians is a necessary element for fulfilling our mission.


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Quotes about Macedonia Let us not expect freedom either from the Greeks or the Bulgarians; it is we, the Macedonians, who should fight for our Macedonia ourselves. Nikola Karev, 1902 Instead of Macedonia, celebrated by Alexander of Macedon, consecrated by the Apostle St. Paul, dignified by the activity of the holy brothers SS. Cyril and Methodius....instead of united, integral and free Macedonia, European diplomacy, and alongside it, you, too, our brothers - allies and liberators, are tearing us into pieces and defiling our sacred ideals....Remember, brother Bulgarians, Serbs and Greeks, that you were reborn to start a new life only after 14 bloody wars of Russia against the Ottoman Empire...Remember that a dismembered Macedonia will be an eternal apple of discord among you. Remember that also in the past times of history one [state] after another perished in the struggle for Macedonia and do not continue the bloody list of the dead in the present time.... Macedonia should be an independent state within its ethnographic, geographical, cultural and historical boundaries We hope that our words will reach your hearts and minds. Makedonskii Golos (a Macedonian newspaper based in Russia), June 7, 1913 Assembled at its plenary session and working in the name of the whole of the Macedonian people, without serving any foreign policy, [we] energetically protest against the clause allowing the Macedonians the right to opt for Bulgarian nationality. We do not want to be made instruments of Bulgarian irredentism in Macedonia. Macedonia has never been a part of the present Bulgarian Kingdom. The Bulgarian diplomats, who bear part of the responsibilities for the misfortunes of the Macedonian population, are by no means qualified to intercede in favor of our cause and have no right to do it. General Council of the Macedonian Societies in Switzerland, November 18, 1919

News from Macedonia

The Energy Community in the European Union stated that Macedonia has failed to liberalize its energy market in accordance with its obligations under the Energy Community Treaty. Macedonia is accused of protecting the current suppliers monopoly on the market and for violating consumers rights. The EC gave

Macedonia two months to address these issues. ----------

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) conducted a fact-finding mission in Macedonia to gain information on the current political situation of Macedonia.

---------- The German Ambassador to Macedonia, Christine Althauser, said that Macedonian officials involved in the political scandals should resign from office.

---------- The Macedonian government has formally indicted Macedonias opposition leader, Zoran

Zaev, for wiretapping and antigovernment activities.

*News generated from a Google news search

Where Do Our Members Live?

Illinois

Michigan

NewHampshire

New Jersey

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