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With its piles of garbage, diesel fumes and cement dust, Tirana is hardly an environmentally friendly city. According to a recent report from the BBC though, the environment is starting to become a political issue:

"This is not only a problem of flowers or birds or plants," says Dzemal Mato.

"The environment can be a big cost economically. The government and people now realise that getting it wrong means they have to pay."
Journal Chretien, a French religious journal, carries the story of Fatmir Kaloshi, a thug and gun runner who became a Christian.

The Guardian reported on the recognition of an Albanian family by the Anti-Defamation League for their rescue of Jews during the Second World War.

The league posthumously honored a Muslim Albanian man and his son for protecting six Jewish families during the war.

The organization presented its Courage to Care Award to three relatives of the late Mefail Bicaku and his son Njazi. The two led the six families - a total of 26 people - to safety in the mountains of central Albania.

For months, the Bicakus shared their home and food with the families, the league said.

The award was presented to Mefail's son Muhamet and Njazi's daughter, Elida Hazbiu, and son, Qemal Bicaku.

With Kohen translating, Muhamet Bicaku thanked the Anti-Defamation League said he was greatly honored to accept the award on his father's behalf. His father was jailed in 1961 for "collaborating with Jews'' and died in 1969, he said.

"I'm very proud of what he has done,'' he said.

Finally, selfmaderadio contacted me a little while ago and persuaded me to answer a few questions about ourmanintirana. If any of you want to know a little more about this blog and why I keep it, you can find some of the answers over at selfmaderadio.

Comments

© DAI - 2004-2014 said…
Alwyn,

just read the write up at selfmaderadio and wish to congratulate you for your well expressed and beautifully articulated sentiments that reflect so well your style across your entire blog. Bravo!

Like you I started blogging stricly to allow friends to share mostly my traveling experiences. Would love to better organize my site, but, unfortunately, this must wait. Have been and am extremely busy with other activities (not yet ready to be made public -- I'm not a spy either... ;-) , but, may be, when I'll be in Tirana again (soon), you could give me some points on how to rearrange my material and add some features.

I'm a faithful reader of yours, and thankful for the good work you keep up with. Enjoy, as I do, Albania the way it is, but with contributions of all kinds on the part of everyone, such as yours, it can change only for the better!!

Drita
5:39 pm
Ll.T. said…
Well, I was way off on the age but at least I learned something :)

You must be a patient man, I would have gone crazy being out of work!
12:45 am
olli said…
Drita, thanks for you kind words. I would love to catch up next time you are in Tirana. I would be happy to offer any help I can with your blog.

Llukan, yes it does require a lot of patience and one thing blogging does is help put the time in for me, especially when the weather is bad and I can't get out as much. But when we came here I knew it would be difficult to find work.
7:01 pm
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