tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40370232475103269902024-03-13T04:22:45.457+02:00Vilnius DiariesLithuania Through the Eyes of U.S. Embassy Officials, Interns, Guests and FriendsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-11890130285351518432016-10-02T17:00:00.000+03:002016-10-03T08:27:12.104+03:00Embassy Celebrates 25th Anniversary in Vilnius<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">On this date
(October 2) 25 years ago, George H. Bush was the President of the United
States, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch were sending out “Good Vibrations”
across American airways, and Darryl N. Johnson opened the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Wm-2mCLtRVxzB5RUrnP4aepu1Ga-WkaJeSdsOhxUI5J6i9QO3dIZtDMSmYHuFaHoHZigFQ14U-lJv_fI8n4VpATTbkpxXjvnLX9r4AbCEO7gI2aAEtguWV9XfyqbY5S0aKLB4WRTd90/s1600/0_a.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Wm-2mCLtRVxzB5RUrnP4aepu1Ga-WkaJeSdsOhxUI5J6i9QO3dIZtDMSmYHuFaHoHZigFQ14U-lJv_fI8n4VpATTbkpxXjvnLX9r4AbCEO7gI2aAEtguWV9XfyqbY5S0aKLB4WRTd90/s320/0_a.png" width="263" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The first U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania, Darryl N. Johnson, 1992</span></td></tr>
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The United States has long enjoyed a
close friendship with Lithuania, dating back to July 28, 1922, when the U.S.
established diplomatic relations with Lithuania. The opening of the Embassy in Vilnius in 1991
marks the beginning of an important chapter in that story.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Between 1922
and 1940, the U.S. Government maintained its diplomatic presence in Kaunas,
Lithuania’s interwar capital. In total,
eleven U.S. consuls served at the American Legation in Kaunas until the USSR
occupied and annexed Lithuania, as well as Estonia and Latvia. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">America’s
steadfast refusal to recognize the forced incorporation of Lithuania into the
Soviet Union continued for 51 years. During
this period, the U.S. Government permitted Lithuanian representatives
accredited by the last independent government to remain in the United States
with diplomatic status. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">As Vice President Joe Biden told the
peoples of the Baltics when he visited Riga in August 2016, “Even when your
nation’s flags could not fly here in Riga, even when they could not fly in
Vilnius, even they could not fly in Tallinn, they waved proudly in Washington,
D.C. ”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkl0MZX_ak_7bz1yylwsJ1htHjM2qMJYCiapKhhMHWylze57oB4ZEaRus5FNHrAxEZYUNZKxqSVqN5qqeeNpW3X7HvIyuZfKkn8TTxYFussGARYJzQWGVxYwOrJ5j0F5jEEHLMUc5pkHk/s1600/0_b.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkl0MZX_ak_7bz1yylwsJ1htHjM2qMJYCiapKhhMHWylze57oB4ZEaRus5FNHrAxEZYUNZKxqSVqN5qqeeNpW3X7HvIyuZfKkn8TTxYFussGARYJzQWGVxYwOrJ5j0F5jEEHLMUc5pkHk/s320/0_b.png" width="211" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Vice President Joe Biden’s address </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">to the peoples of the Baltics in Riga, Latvia, August 2016</span></td></tr>
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The U.S. Government
was proud to recognize the restoration of Lithuania’s independence on September
2, 1991, in an announcement by President George H.W. Bush.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">“The Baltic
peoples of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and their democratically elected
governments have declared their independence and are moving now to control
their own national territories and their own destinies,” said President Bush at
a news conference in Kennebunkport, Maine. “The United States has always supported the independence of the Baltic
States and is now prepared immediately to establish diplomatic relations with
their governments. The United States is also prepared to do whatever it can to
assist in the completion of the current process of making Baltic independence a
factual reality.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Four days
later, on September 6, the United States and Lithuania resumed normal
diplomatic relations when U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Curtis
Kamman and the Lithuanian First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Valdemaras
Katkus, signed a memorandum of understanding concerning diplomatic relations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">One month
from the date of President Bush’s announcement, on October 2, the U.S. Embassy
in Vilnius opened. The ribbon-cutting
was led by Vice-President Dan Quayle and Darryl Johnson, Chargé d'Affaires ad
interim, who soon became the first U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_Sko82L9xwxvZFcbSMO910Ok7XJ3t6BKzdh2y2r2OAScThBCZPr33lPAaOb82-AJRRGWlTDyOkdGpbya2wd_lq1bjTPbY8YHJHgMlXlND_shCgDFau6ZdO3iDV-v7RFEikIdBgMCQUw/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_Sko82L9xwxvZFcbSMO910Ok7XJ3t6BKzdh2y2r2OAScThBCZPr33lPAaOb82-AJRRGWlTDyOkdGpbya2wd_lq1bjTPbY8YHJHgMlXlND_shCgDFau6ZdO3iDV-v7RFEikIdBgMCQUw/s640/1.png" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Vice-President Dan Quayle, Prime Minister Gediminas Vagnorius, and Chargé d'Affaires ad interim Darryl Johnson at the ribbon-cutting ceremony at U.S. Embassy Vilnius, February 1992. Also pictured: Marilyn Quayle, Deputy Prime Minister Zigmas Vaišvila, Member of Parliament Romualdas Ozolas, and Member of Parliament Kazimieras Motieka</span></td></tr>
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In the 25
years since, our shared democratic values and commitment to addressing today’s
global challenges have strengthened our countries’ strategic relationship. Since
1992, the U.S. Embassy has worked diligently to deepen the connections and
cultural ties between our two countries.
More than 1,000 Lithuanians have visited the United States on U.S.
Government-funded exchanges and returned home to help strengthen a growing and
developing Lithuania. Many others have
traveled on private exchanges, studied at U.S. universities, developed business
relationships, or visited friends and family in the U.S.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Since
re-establishing its independence, Lithuania has taken on increasingly prominent
roles in transatlantic and global institutions to meet these challenges – roles
that many would be unable to predict just 26 years ago. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">In total,
six Secretaries of State have visited Lithuania and in 2002, President George
W. Bush visited Vilnius. “<span style="background: white; color: #333333;">Anyone who would choose Lithuania as an
enemy has also made an enemy of the United States of America,'' President Bush
told a crowd in front of City Hall. ''In the face of aggression, the brave
people of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will never stand alone again.''</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">The U.S.
Embassy in Vilnius has vigorously supported the U.S.- Lithuania relationship
for the past 25 years, under the leadership of 13 different Ambassadors, and
looks forward to continuing this support for many years to come.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-L250eqAbCcRKWreRvLM0FkuzV0cNNTTT_YF7Cm9IP46xCxRtUEiP3EVXycfA_TDXhgztAgRMD_a58d0VJJZGOipQr9WumtdwUtoFEaqFWimAKFCcqRWvT4lG_N-6LAEYwEgx41S3OM/s1600/2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-L250eqAbCcRKWreRvLM0FkuzV0cNNTTT_YF7Cm9IP46xCxRtUEiP3EVXycfA_TDXhgztAgRMD_a58d0VJJZGOipQr9WumtdwUtoFEaqFWimAKFCcqRWvT4lG_N-6LAEYwEgx41S3OM/s640/2.png" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Vice-President Dan Quayle arrives in Vilnius, Lithuania in February 1992</span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115265069200084832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-38387739574879398772016-05-26T16:27:00.000+03:002016-05-26T16:29:02.663+03:00Viešnagė Prienuose – A Visit to Prienai<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i style="text-align: left;">Šiandien JAV ambasados informacinių technologijų skyriaus ir politikos/ekonomikos skyriaus darbuotojai aprašo savo kovo kelionę į Prienus.</i><b style="text-align: center;"> </b></div>
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<b style="text-align: center;"><br /></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkZi8VJ0xfGVtCnQJd2PTbB2RYN1viDXxCfXb2i5zBbg5OlCzhsasj6OhR0O8bl6TzTqtHIL_-xPaWgMUVoMs-7HLYi_Qwl13Mz7p6-YKBWB6pKee7NoSPzqWXBSbRV6FqDNyMyNVQBlz/s1600/New+Picture.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Prienai iš paukščio skrydžio" border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkZi8VJ0xfGVtCnQJd2PTbB2RYN1viDXxCfXb2i5zBbg5OlCzhsasj6OhR0O8bl6TzTqtHIL_-xPaWgMUVoMs-7HLYi_Qwl13Mz7p6-YKBWB6pKee7NoSPzqWXBSbRV6FqDNyMyNVQBlz/s400/New+Picture.png" title="Prienai iš paukščio skrydžio" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Prienai i</span><span lang="LT" style="font-size: small;">š paukščio skrydžio</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="LT">Neseniai informacinių technologijų specialistas
Ken Neijstrom, Politikos ir ekonomikos skyriaus darbuotojas Sam Schmitt ir informacinių
technologijų skyriaus darbuotojas Gytis Keras apsilankė Prienuose – nedideliame
miestelyje, praėjusias metais išgyvenusį ypač spartų turizmo augimą. 15min.lt
kovo mėnesį išspausdintame straipsnyje rašoma, kad <span style="background: white;">Lietuvoje 2015 metais vietinių turistų srautai </span>labiausiai išaugo<span style="background: white;"> Prienuose – palyginti su ankstesniais metais jie
išaugo 108,4 proc.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="LT">Prienus į Ambasadorės lankymosi regionuose programą diplomatų delegacija
nusprendė įtraukti siekiant aptarti technologijomis grindžiamą ekonomikos
plėtrą. Atsižvelgiant į tai, su miesto pareigūnais buvo aptartos šios dienos
aktualijos, naujos tokių technologijų kaip 3D spausdinimas panaudojimo
galimybės, mokymasis ir studijos
internetu. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="LT"> </span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0h73yHz6Oqi4WZONvQz8vObMIAzfvaZMu5w57DSGDdJBa6ZYDAXnuuZjhs5wkpCyeETtCSH0dwYuAdtj5wSbamVknTTLP9VdVYMFHVLuTFJAtKEU-UNuN6vzDqDJojkjHTJALULgzjXi7/s1600/New+Picture+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Kelionė iš Vilniaus į Prienus" border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0h73yHz6Oqi4WZONvQz8vObMIAzfvaZMu5w57DSGDdJBa6ZYDAXnuuZjhs5wkpCyeETtCSH0dwYuAdtj5wSbamVknTTLP9VdVYMFHVLuTFJAtKEU-UNuN6vzDqDJojkjHTJALULgzjXi7/s400/New+Picture+%25281%2529.png" title="Kelionė iš Vilniaus į Prienus" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kelionė iš Vilniaus į Prienus</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimL2pSrAj7vyNpsiTubyXDGMN93UmU3zlIO8kMWwjySeQhy7K2nED5B4Y4uLX8wMkVnYbdQosTjiR8nCU-w_OAAZbbVso4foXvNh5ILH1kBHc3_FHOXzJvB4KSlSNms7cYllQxlnl18Iy4/s1600/New+Picture+%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ambasados delegacijos susitikimas su savivaldybės komanda" border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimL2pSrAj7vyNpsiTubyXDGMN93UmU3zlIO8kMWwjySeQhy7K2nED5B4Y4uLX8wMkVnYbdQosTjiR8nCU-w_OAAZbbVso4foXvNh5ILH1kBHc3_FHOXzJvB4KSlSNms7cYllQxlnl18Iy4/s640/New+Picture+%25282%2529.png" title="Ambasados delegacijos susitikimas su savivaldybės komanda" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ambasados delegacijos susitikimas su savivaldybės komanda</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="LT"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="LT">Diplomatai susitiko su Prienų meru Alvydu Vaicekausku ir mero padėjėja Agne
Dargužiene, kuri palydėjo delegaciją į sklandytuvų gamyklą </span><span lang="LT" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: LT; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">„Sportinė<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em><span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">aviacija ir Ko</span></em>“,
esančią netoli vietinio aerodromo ir eksportuojančią savo gaminius į JAV.
Įmonės direktorius Vytautas Mačiulis paaiškino gamybos procesą ir supažindino
su sklandymo entuziastų kultūra. Diplomatai džiaugėsi buvę pakviesti į gegužę
vyksiantį nacionalinį ir vasarą
vyksiantį Europos sklandymo čempionatą.</span><span lang="LT"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="LT" style="background: white; mso-ansi-language: LT; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisda9RXJ8NOoGj-oCIJiO8QgiySmn57sNTHLajmMsBgrETZZxiS5vyQ8e7xP5v-dMNbJR42NPb4OBN_9GdfDtf-CRQ0arZeFF2KagG4NeFq6LpYIRLAv2clXp4MI-IhELPXEImXlCyO3ZX/s1600/New+Picture+%25283%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Apsilankymas sklandytuvų gamykloje „Sportinė Aviacija ir Ko“" border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisda9RXJ8NOoGj-oCIJiO8QgiySmn57sNTHLajmMsBgrETZZxiS5vyQ8e7xP5v-dMNbJR42NPb4OBN_9GdfDtf-CRQ0arZeFF2KagG4NeFq6LpYIRLAv2clXp4MI-IhELPXEImXlCyO3ZX/s400/New+Picture+%25283%2529.png" title="Apsilankymas sklandytuvų gamykloje „Sportinė Aviacija ir Ko“" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHQgfM_k7G3rdpg8Hprfi6LvexoPyYjooqybGnikYkjBDGkUfufgqyxhkloYayWn_bRaMpldmwpDqE0EL2-7Zme8RGTTh12CJnJ-6zds8L1dOUEZbvQ2jQOQaxGAJUHljI4NaWK-WQbhu/s1600/New+Picture+%25284%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Apsilankymas sklandytuvų gamykloje „Sportinė Aviacija ir Ko“" border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHQgfM_k7G3rdpg8Hprfi6LvexoPyYjooqybGnikYkjBDGkUfufgqyxhkloYayWn_bRaMpldmwpDqE0EL2-7Zme8RGTTh12CJnJ-6zds8L1dOUEZbvQ2jQOQaxGAJUHljI4NaWK-WQbhu/s400/New+Picture+%25284%2529.png" title="Apsilankymas sklandytuvų gamykloje „Sportinė Aviacija ir Ko“" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Apsilankymas sklandytuvų gamykloje „Sportinė Aviacija ir Ko“</span><b style="text-align: left;"><span lang="LT"> </span></b></td></tr>
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<span lang="LT">Meras A.
Vaicekauskas diplomatams sakė norintis, kad
šiais metais turistų srautai į jo miestą išaugtų dar 100</span>%. Jis
taip pat papasakojo apie miestelio dvira<span lang="LT">čių taką, vietinę krepšinio komandą ir į naują poilsio kompleksą šalia
esančiame mieste dedamas viltis. Diplomatų delegacija pasiūlė dar labiau
išnaudoti tokias technologijas, kaip mokymasis internetu, siekiant, kad vietos
gyventojai patobulintų savo techninius įgūdžius.</span></div>
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<i style="text-align: left;">Today, members of the Embassy's Information Resource Management and Political/Economic Sections write about their recent visit to Prienai.</i><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: left;"> </i><b style="text-align: center;"> </b></div>
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Information Resource Management Specialist Ken Neijstrom, Political and Economic Section Assistant Sam Schmitt and IRM representative Gytis Keras recently visited Prienai, a small rural community that saw strong growth in tourism last year. According to an article in 15min.lt in March, tourism in Prienai in 2015 was up 108.4 percent from the previous year – marking it the largest growth rate in tourism in Lithuania last year.</div>
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As part of the Ambassador’s Regional Outreach Program, the delegation chose Prienai with an eye toward technology-based economic development. Accordingly, the delegation met with city officials to discuss current events, new applications of technology like 3D printing and online education.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Journey from Vilnius to Prienai</span></td></tr>
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Among the delegation’s stops was a meeting with Prienai Mayor Alvydas Vaicekauskas and his assistant Agnė Dargužienė, who accompanied the group to “Sportinė Aviacia ir Ko” a glider factory that exports to the United States, and is located near the local airfield. The company’s director Vytautas Maciulis explained the manufacturing process and described the culture of glider enthusiasts. The delegation was happy to be invited to May’s national glider championships and the European gliding championships later in the summer.</div>
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Mayor Vaicekauskas spoke about his desire to see tourism to his town increase by another 100 percent this year. He also discussed the city’s bike path, local basketball team and hopes for a new resort in a nearby town. The delegation proposed bringing more technology resources, such as online learning, to help boost residents’ technical skills. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Prienai, Lietuva54.638358 23.94680089999997154.5648365 23.785439399999969 54.711879499999995 24.108162399999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-9563081151934952562016-03-25T10:12:00.002+02:002016-03-25T10:12:31.560+02:00Viešnagė Ukmergėje - A Visit to Ukmerge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>Šiandieną Politikos ir ekonomikos skyriaus diplomatai aprašo savo kovo 9 dienos kelionę į Ukmergę.</i><br /><br />
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<br />Ambasadorės McCarthy lankymosi regionuose programa užtikrina, jog Lietuvoje dirbantys Jungtinių Amerikos Valstijų diplomatai, turėtų galimybę pažinti ne vien Lietuvos sostinę Vilnių, tačiau ir kitas šalies vietoves. Todėl mes, Politikos skyriaus JAV diplomatas Jonathan Herzog, Politikos/Ekonomikos skyriaus specialistė Giedra Gureviciutė-Demereckienė ir praktikantas Jacob Keller, nuvykome į Ukmergę, kur susitikome su miesto valdžios atstovais ir moksleiviais, aplankėme vaikų globos namus ir vaikų dienos centrus. Kadangi daug girdėjome apie mokslo ir investicijų programas, todėl norėjome daugiau sužinoti, kodėl šioje savivaldybėje studentų egzaminų rezultatai pranoksta šalies vidurkį.<br />
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<br />Susitikę su Ukmergės miesto meru Rolandu Janicku, bei jo komanda, kalbėjomės apie miesto istoriją, tiesiogines užsienio investicijas ir socialinius bei ekonominius iššūkius. Vėliau aplankėme Siesikų vaikų globos namus bei Siesikų gimnaziją. Kartu su gimnazijos direktoriumi Vaidotu Kalinu kalbėjomės apie savivaldybės programą, kuria siekiama didesnius vaikų namus suskirstyti į mažesnius, siekiant užtikrinti geresnes mokslo sąlygas. <br /><br />Taip pat susitikome su gimnazijos moksleiviais, su kuriais aptarėme Lietuvos ir Jungtinių Amerikos Valstijų santykius bei skirtumus. Daugelis moksleivių prisipažino su amerikiečiais bendravę pirmą kartą. Po susitikimo likome sužavėti moksleivių anglų kalbos žiniomis. <br /><br />Grižę atgal į Ukmergę aplankėme vieną miesto vaikų darželį. Dienos pabaigoje miesto meras pakvietė mus skanių pietų į vieną seniausių Ukmergės restoranų. Jų metu aptarėme turtingą regiono istoriją, pasak kurios, senovinis Ukmergės miestas pradėjo kurtis anksčiau nei dabartinė šalies sostinė Vilnius.<br />
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<i>Today, members of the Embassy’s Political and Economic Section write about their March 9th visit to Ukmerge. </i><br /><br />Ambassador McCarthy’s Regional Outreach Program ensures U.S. diplomats serving in Lithuania get to know far more about Lithuania than just its capital city, Vilnius. Recently, we -- Political Officer Jonathan Herzog, Political/Economic Specialist Giedra Gureviciute-Demereckiene, and intern Jacob Keller -- traveled to Ukmerge to meet city officials and students, and also to tour an orphanage and child day care center. We had heard a lot about the municipality’s education and investment programs, and went to discover more about the region and why its students performed above average on their testing. </div>
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<br />Mayor Rolandas Janickas and his team spoke with us about Ukmerge’s history, its foreign investments and social and economic issues. Next, we visited Siesiku Children’s Group Home and Siesiku School. We discussed with the school’s director, Vaidotas Kalinas, the municipality’s program to reorganize the region’s larger orphanages into smaller ones to provide for a better learning environment. Afterwards, we met with high school students and discussed the relationship and differences between the United States and Lithuania. Many students told us this was the first time they’d met an American. We were very impressed by the students’ English skills. </div>
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<br />After returning to Ukmerge, we visited a local child day care center. Lastly, the Mayor hosted a delicious lunch at the oldest restaurant in Ukmerge during which we discussed the region’s interesting history, most notably, that Ukmerge emerged earlier than Vilnius as an ancient capital town. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-49453947858570686992016-01-28T16:38:00.000+02:002016-01-28T16:38:13.215+02:00 Viešnagė Varėnoje - Visiting Varena<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZnpFLpk3PUPofHVPd0MhgA8xmCoP0m9THglPQtigQhyuQnmFmZ6nx3so5Go3EMbKIHQS25PxFMgHHARl2rx7biT1JQxqyfwWxYm4hRI2KWW9bzkZlacgsGBS588TytncANiTJDmd6jHD/s1600/Varena%252C+Lithuania+Map.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZnpFLpk3PUPofHVPd0MhgA8xmCoP0m9THglPQtigQhyuQnmFmZ6nx3so5Go3EMbKIHQS25PxFMgHHARl2rx7biT1JQxqyfwWxYm4hRI2KWW9bzkZlacgsGBS588TytncANiTJDmd6jHD/s400/Varena%252C+Lithuania+Map.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Varėna, Lietuva</td></tr>
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<i>Neseniai Regioninio saugumo pareigūnas Bill Embry ir Politikos/Ekonomikos skyriaus darbuotojas Sam Schmitt lankėsi Varėnoje. Ši išvyka yra ambasadorės McCarthy inicijuotos Lankymosi regionuose programos dalis. Programos tikslas – supažindinti JAV diplomatus su visa šalimi, ne tik jos sostinę Vilniumi, dalintis informacija apie Jungtines Valstijas su vietos bendruomenėmis, nagrinėti potencialaus bendradarbiavimo galimybes. </i><br />
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Mes norėjome pamatyti Varėną, mums žinomą kaip Grybų šventės vietą. Taigi, gruodžio mėnesį teko proga susitikti su Varėnos meru Algiu Kašėta ir jo vadovaujamos savivaldybės komanda. Susitikimo metu kalbėjomės svarbia tema – apie pasirengimą ir paslaugų teikimą kritinėse situacijose. Taip pat su meru, mero pavaduotoju, policijos viršininku, sienos apsaugos pareigūnais diskutavome apie kontrabandos keliamas problemas, imigraciją, nusikaltimų tendencijas ir vietos ekonomiką. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mra4S25IOyjiDUwh2jPGB3apQWtFcxVJi29BqeBIGpU5bjuB-ZEtcNGrUbfzRN736IBRKFMqC738zzBiVi60sW8dD3xGw_lYDw2WL0rCfINe_D5SBC5hE6kLpfSjui0eiafmlU5u0aRr/s1600/JAV-ambasados-atstovu-vizitas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mra4S25IOyjiDUwh2jPGB3apQWtFcxVJi29BqeBIGpU5bjuB-ZEtcNGrUbfzRN736IBRKFMqC738zzBiVi60sW8dD3xGw_lYDw2WL0rCfINe_D5SBC5hE6kLpfSjui0eiafmlU5u0aRr/s400/JAV-ambasados-atstovu-vizitas.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Regioninio saugumo pareigūnas Bill Embry susitinka su Varėnos savivaldybės darbuotojais</td></tr>
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Priešgaisrinės gelbėjimo tarnybos vadovas Andrius Kandratavičius
pasiūlė apžiūrėti gaisrinę, kurioje keturi gaisrininkai ir keturios
gaisrinės mašinos visuomet pasirengę kovai su ugnimi.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0w_34B-mjQh4AGzIDrvQITn861vEf6W4FPj0-PB2KmL5d2SFT9Z8PO8gGisANgO36yyuEbJGA2FjiFJwuyQumZIqG9cRuwSOxjJ_FgkZ7EgOs6qsax4fT-aIK1OMg9rZhc9V8DDRB9wOv/s1600/Bill_and_Fire_Crew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0w_34B-mjQh4AGzIDrvQITn861vEf6W4FPj0-PB2KmL5d2SFT9Z8PO8gGisANgO36yyuEbJGA2FjiFJwuyQumZIqG9cRuwSOxjJ_FgkZ7EgOs6qsax4fT-aIK1OMg9rZhc9V8DDRB9wOv/s400/Bill_and_Fire_Crew.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Regioninio saugumo pareigūnas Bill Embry susitinka su Varėnos
Priešgaisrinės gelbėjimo tarnybos vadovu Andriumi Kandratavičiumi ir
dalinasi savo gaisrininko-savanorio prisiminimais</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Mes taip pat lankėmės Tautodailininkų mugėje, kurioje nusipirkome keletą dailės dirbinių. Tikimės, kad pavasarį vėl sugrįšime. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwczeigizlyG_t0G6NPPvZuKhZPk_PpzwFNC2WrNNP888c_WJrCkNFyhOqzHQ3uIhMNN22_0N09k97jNXKsLwlATPOJ6VITFYJsl1MC_Sd7gQ_VGKiTxiZBg0V6zi8g8EJ0v8arV7XPos9/s1600/Kaledine-muge-Varenoje-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwczeigizlyG_t0G6NPPvZuKhZPk_PpzwFNC2WrNNP888c_WJrCkNFyhOqzHQ3uIhMNN22_0N09k97jNXKsLwlATPOJ6VITFYJsl1MC_Sd7gQ_VGKiTxiZBg0V6zi8g8EJ0v8arV7XPos9/s400/Kaledine-muge-Varenoje-6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam ir Bill Tautodailininkų mugėje</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jjU3QlO9J-saMMlo7MxrDRPaAfTWM2DqMEs8yDoLiph6fB5quD2KkMqe-dpPBENzG8EmD6-VrlrO8Rh96da-sacYj4JUOjMZXCB4KlT3VjSsn4kC009qx5Tbc9EBtG3HYihZsNoVBtJ_/s1600/Sam_Behind_the_Wheel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jjU3QlO9J-saMMlo7MxrDRPaAfTWM2DqMEs8yDoLiph6fB5quD2KkMqe-dpPBENzG8EmD6-VrlrO8Rh96da-sacYj4JUOjMZXCB4KlT3VjSsn4kC009qx5Tbc9EBtG3HYihZsNoVBtJ_/s400/Sam_Behind_the_Wheel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam už didžiulės raudonos gasrinės mašinos vairo</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZnpFLpk3PUPofHVPd0MhgA8xmCoP0m9THglPQtigQhyuQnmFmZ6nx3so5Go3EMbKIHQS25PxFMgHHARl2rx7biT1JQxqyfwWxYm4hRI2KWW9bzkZlacgsGBS588TytncANiTJDmd6jHD/s1600/Varena%252C+Lithuania+Map.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZnpFLpk3PUPofHVPd0MhgA8xmCoP0m9THglPQtigQhyuQnmFmZ6nx3so5Go3EMbKIHQS25PxFMgHHARl2rx7biT1JQxqyfwWxYm4hRI2KWW9bzkZlacgsGBS588TytncANiTJDmd6jHD/s400/Varena%252C+Lithuania+Map.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Varena, Lithuania</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i>Recently, Regional Security Officer Bill Embry and Pol/Econ Assistant Sam Schmitt visited Varena, as part of Ambassador McCarthy’s Regional Outreach Program, aimed at ensuring U.S. diplomats get to know far more about Lithuania than just its capital city, Vilnius; share information about the United States in the regions; and explore areas for potential cooperation. </i><br />
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We wanted to see Varena, the community famous for its fall-time Mushroom Festival. So, in December, we got a chance to meet Varena Mayor Algis Kaseta and his municipal team to talk about an important topic - emergency services and preparedness. We also discussed smuggling issues, immigration, crime trends, and the local economy with the Mayor, Vice Mayor, Police Chief, Border Guard, and Captain of the local National Guard.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mra4S25IOyjiDUwh2jPGB3apQWtFcxVJi29BqeBIGpU5bjuB-ZEtcNGrUbfzRN736IBRKFMqC738zzBiVi60sW8dD3xGw_lYDw2WL0rCfINe_D5SBC5hE6kLpfSjui0eiafmlU5u0aRr/s1600/JAV-ambasados-atstovu-vizitas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mra4S25IOyjiDUwh2jPGB3apQWtFcxVJi29BqeBIGpU5bjuB-ZEtcNGrUbfzRN736IBRKFMqC738zzBiVi60sW8dD3xGw_lYDw2WL0rCfINe_D5SBC5hE6kLpfSjui0eiafmlU5u0aRr/s400/JAV-ambasados-atstovu-vizitas.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RSO Embry meets the Varena Municipal Team</td></tr>
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Fire Chief Andrius Kandratavicius offered us a tour of the local fire house, where teams of four firefighters staff the facility, and four fire trucks are at the ready to be deployed. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0w_34B-mjQh4AGzIDrvQITn861vEf6W4FPj0-PB2KmL5d2SFT9Z8PO8gGisANgO36yyuEbJGA2FjiFJwuyQumZIqG9cRuwSOxjJ_FgkZ7EgOs6qsax4fT-aIK1OMg9rZhc9V8DDRB9wOv/s1600/Bill_and_Fire_Crew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0w_34B-mjQh4AGzIDrvQITn861vEf6W4FPj0-PB2KmL5d2SFT9Z8PO8gGisANgO36yyuEbJGA2FjiFJwuyQumZIqG9cRuwSOxjJ_FgkZ7EgOs6qsax4fT-aIK1OMg9rZhc9V8DDRB9wOv/s400/Bill_and_Fire_Crew.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RSO Embry meets Varena Fire Chief Kandrataviciusand and reminisces about
his days as a volunteer EMS working with the fire department </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We also visited the annual Folk Art Fair, where we relished local artisans’ wares. We hope to return in the spring. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwczeigizlyG_t0G6NPPvZuKhZPk_PpzwFNC2WrNNP888c_WJrCkNFyhOqzHQ3uIhMNN22_0N09k97jNXKsLwlATPOJ6VITFYJsl1MC_Sd7gQ_VGKiTxiZBg0V6zi8g8EJ0v8arV7XPos9/s1600/Kaledine-muge-Varenoje-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwczeigizlyG_t0G6NPPvZuKhZPk_PpzwFNC2WrNNP888c_WJrCkNFyhOqzHQ3uIhMNN22_0N09k97jNXKsLwlATPOJ6VITFYJsl1MC_Sd7gQ_VGKiTxiZBg0V6zi8g8EJ0v8arV7XPos9/s400/Kaledine-muge-Varenoje-6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam and Bill enjoying the Folk Arts Fair</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jjU3QlO9J-saMMlo7MxrDRPaAfTWM2DqMEs8yDoLiph6fB5quD2KkMqe-dpPBENzG8EmD6-VrlrO8Rh96da-sacYj4JUOjMZXCB4KlT3VjSsn4kC009qx5Tbc9EBtG3HYihZsNoVBtJ_/s1600/Sam_Behind_the_Wheel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jjU3QlO9J-saMMlo7MxrDRPaAfTWM2DqMEs8yDoLiph6fB5quD2KkMqe-dpPBENzG8EmD6-VrlrO8Rh96da-sacYj4JUOjMZXCB4KlT3VjSsn4kC009qx5Tbc9EBtG3HYihZsNoVBtJ_/s400/Sam_Behind_the_Wheel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam behind the wheel of the large red fire truck</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-28169594022793965162016-01-04T15:32:00.000+02:002016-01-04T15:32:02.503+02:00Los Andželo gitarų kvartetas pakerėjo Vilnių - Los Angeles Guitar Quartet Enchants Audiences in Vilnius<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>Kultūros reikalų asistentės Jūratės Kirvaitienės pasakojimas apie vieną iš JAV kultūros programų, vykusių Lietuvoje, kurias remia JAV ambasada. </i><br />
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Vilniaus klasikinės gitaros muzikos gerbėjai galėjo pasidžiaugti reta dovana – neseniai įvykusiu „Grammy“ apdovanojimo laureatų bei JAV instrumentinės muzikos žvaigždžių - <a href="http://www.lagq.com/">Los Andželo gitarų kvarteto</a>, koncertu. Ansamblio pirmąsias gastroles Lietuvoje organizavo Baltijos gitarų
kvartetas, Vilniuje susikūrusi jaunų gitaros talentų grupė, įkvėpimo
kūrybai besisemianti iš atvykusių svečių. Amerikiečių virtuozų vizitą
Vilniuje rėmė JAV ambasada.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6azncO_xK4Xc2u8wnbL_Hji2HmVemQ4ffdiO-U0DHqtoKSO0ZxZafDwKcfMCv0mrtoSVipSv53DovKA10jRomY7JS2ldplobWnk15rasLFkYcuS-_HJQyh_NRZu9NtoSTlmO_IGJXNOo/s1600/LAGuitar2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6azncO_xK4Xc2u8wnbL_Hji2HmVemQ4ffdiO-U0DHqtoKSO0ZxZafDwKcfMCv0mrtoSVipSv53DovKA10jRomY7JS2ldplobWnk15rasLFkYcuS-_HJQyh_NRZu9NtoSTlmO_IGJXNOo/s400/LAGuitar2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Los Andželo gitarų kvarteto nariai William Kanengiser, Matthew Greif, John Dearman ir Scott Tennant klausosi jauno gitaristo iš Lietuvos - Tado Umbraso<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEpghyphenhyphenGit3tChjk3iDkxmZMrIsYAu7gZAwZhpor9tP-8Pk78hOf1lFi0Y9Lq7AWDYElX0LvAV4PlINVchQ6fDqaxpP9OtgAr7WpITRpNSXoGZmLHe6wJPBXvpApw994EHjl2ABMUqJZCf/s1600/LAGuitar1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEpghyphenhyphenGit3tChjk3iDkxmZMrIsYAu7gZAwZhpor9tP-8Pk78hOf1lFi0Y9Lq7AWDYElX0LvAV4PlINVchQ6fDqaxpP9OtgAr7WpITRpNSXoGZmLHe6wJPBXvpApw994EHjl2ABMUqJZCf/s400/LAGuitar1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Gruodžio 15 d. Lietuvos nacionalinės filharmonijos didžiojoje salėje gausiai susirinkę klausytojai ovacijomis įvertino Amerikos gitarų muzikos virtuozus. Subtiliai bei įkvepiančiai charizmatiškųjų muzikantų pristatyta koncerto programa, atskleidė plačią žanrinę plejadą bei neįtikėtinai aukštą gitaros meistrų muzikinį lygį. Magiško garso istorijos viena po kitos liejosi it tobulai išbaigti vaizdiniai dailininko drobėje: nuo šiuolaikinių renesanso epochos muzikos interpretacijų, meditacinio skambesio Tilmano Hoppstocko „Transcendentinės siuitos“ iki vitališkos ispaniškos pjesės, kurios aranžuotę parengė pasaulinis gitaros muzikos meistras Pepė Romero. Koncerto metu nuskambėjo ne tik nepriekaištingai sugroti kūriniai, bet ir puiki lietuvių kalba svečių lūpose.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0PMgwlllQx7i9puQuAvF3dhXIu_oW1PpBkwgAdmAlufG-aja9Bv_FSeub_ibTrNkNjlu1tZxxUkeVfPFEGN_6xwaq6UNXdaTKfjwa_B4oJuofZldqmNxvD49490XVp35jE6ZkTpzE1OHv/s1600/LAGuitar+quartet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0PMgwlllQx7i9puQuAvF3dhXIu_oW1PpBkwgAdmAlufG-aja9Bv_FSeub_ibTrNkNjlu1tZxxUkeVfPFEGN_6xwaq6UNXdaTKfjwa_B4oJuofZldqmNxvD49490XVp35jE6ZkTpzE1OHv/s400/LAGuitar+quartet.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Los Andželo gitarų kvartetas </span><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Lietuvos nacionalinės filharmonijos didžiojoje salėje</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Vilniuje<br /> (Nuotrauka: Delfi) </span></td></tr>
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Tą pačią dieną mažojoje Filharmonijos salėje kvarteto nariai susitiko su jaunais Lietuvos atlikėjais ir gitaros muzikos studentais, mokytojais bei žurnalistais, rašančiais muzikos temomis. Chris Ruebens, Baltijos gitarų kvarteto narys, moderavo pokalbį su svečiais iš Amerikos, kurie noriai ir atvirai pasidalino savo didžiule patirtimi, įgyta per daugiau nei tris dešimtmečius įvairiose koncertinėse salėse, kaip Čikagos Orkestro salėje, Tokijo Opera City salėje, Londono Wigmore Hall salėje bei Niujorko Lincoln Center ir Carnegie Hall salėse.<br />
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Ansamblio kūrybinio kelio vingiai ne vienam susitikimo dalyviui pasirodė įkvepiantys bei užburiantys, kaip ir jų kuriama muzika.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-k8IlSkrdhRPCwQ_ze_PJSRd3aOpKXnzwCF6uc7HICVi7HeB1cOGanMnTsgLZCCgW8vxXY33YtjcW0y4FU9weP61M9pLQ8-HVcf2MD3VHaLUeVIoh0NnSyk2gDuwmlWaH8ionHjXG1z7J/s1600/LAGuitar3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-k8IlSkrdhRPCwQ_ze_PJSRd3aOpKXnzwCF6uc7HICVi7HeB1cOGanMnTsgLZCCgW8vxXY33YtjcW0y4FU9weP61M9pLQ8-HVcf2MD3VHaLUeVIoh0NnSyk2gDuwmlWaH8ionHjXG1z7J/s400/LAGuitar3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
(Iš kairės į dešinę: John Dearman, Chris Ruebens iš Baltijos gitarų kvarteto, William Kanengiser ir Matthew Greif)</td></tr>
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<i>Cultural Assistant Jurate Kirvaitiene explores one of the American cultural programs the U.S. Embassy recently supported with a small grant.</i><br />
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Recently, appreciative audiences in Vilnius enjoyed a rare musical gift – a chance to hear the exquisite sound of an American Grammy Award-winning, premier instrumental ensemble, the <a href="http://www.lagq.com/">Los Angeles Guitar Quartet</a>. The quartet made its first ever visit to Lithuania at the invitation and organization of the Baltic Guitar Quartet, an international group of guitar music talents, who drew inspiration from their American peers. The U.S. Embassy was happy to award a small grant to help bring the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet to Vilnius.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7tXssL7NVbIUl-s3AFAMFH5_IveJd93y9K4YvZGSf_QUuNEZdty7EVQRsF4KPRJOjattftwrSmsBlvgLf1e0Si2c3MaxmtXfW0a_CoYm3UlLWE5nw9IomWMa9Dl3mYoB19fSVXRYpKsz/s1600/LAGuitar2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7tXssL7NVbIUl-s3AFAMFH5_IveJd93y9K4YvZGSf_QUuNEZdty7EVQRsF4KPRJOjattftwrSmsBlvgLf1e0Si2c3MaxmtXfW0a_CoYm3UlLWE5nw9IomWMa9Dl3mYoB19fSVXRYpKsz/s400/LAGuitar2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William Kanengiser, Matthew Greif, John Dearman and Scott Tennant of the
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet listen to Lithuanian guitar students, Tadas Umbrasas, perform<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEpghyphenhyphenGit3tChjk3iDkxmZMrIsYAu7gZAwZhpor9tP-8Pk78hOf1lFi0Y9Lq7AWDYElX0LvAV4PlINVchQ6fDqaxpP9OtgAr7WpITRpNSXoGZmLHe6wJPBXvpApw994EHjl2ABMUqJZCf/s1600/LAGuitar1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEpghyphenhyphenGit3tChjk3iDkxmZMrIsYAu7gZAwZhpor9tP-8Pk78hOf1lFi0Y9Lq7AWDYElX0LvAV4PlINVchQ6fDqaxpP9OtgAr7WpITRpNSXoGZmLHe6wJPBXvpApw994EHjl2ABMUqJZCf/s400/LAGuitar1.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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On December 15, the great hall of the National Philharmonic attracted a full house of 500 patrons, who delighted in the performance by the American guitar virtuosi, popularly known as “LAGQ.” The program presented by the charismatic and distinctive musicians transported music lovers on a magical journey through a myriad of genres and concert masterworks. It was a tapestry of the sublime: from a modern interpretation of the music of the Renaissance to the other-worldly sound of contemporary “Transcendental Suite” by Tilman Hoppstock to a buoyant rendition of a Spanish play arranged by the grand master Pepe Romero. The American guitarists also won the hearts of the audience with a perfect Lithuanian address.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUdiQWLaf8M2zZVBHyaqOXfj3tSTIHLPd8cAmyvqFpIXlEnSH8Lx0XOLIGcbc4eppXvfprwXGlJU7_fHbWTu5MHuR91KfhCqXe4ZRulGvDVq_GAo498Xv9IYlAXUit8LiesewHxLsZgTD/s1600/LAGuitar+quartet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUdiQWLaf8M2zZVBHyaqOXfj3tSTIHLPd8cAmyvqFpIXlEnSH8Lx0XOLIGcbc4eppXvfprwXGlJU7_fHbWTu5MHuR91KfhCqXe4ZRulGvDVq_GAo498Xv9IYlAXUit8LiesewHxLsZgTD/s400/LAGuitar+quartet.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LA Guitar Quartet at National Philharmonic in Vilnius (Photo: Delfi) </td></tr>
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Earlier that day, the Quartet also shared its mastery with Lithuanian guitar students, music teachers and journalists at the Philharmonic’s small hall. Chris Ruebens, a member of the Baltic Guitar Quartet, interviewed the four American guests – who have performed together for more than three decades in venues from Chicago’s Orchestra Hall to Tokyo’s Opera City and London’s Wigmore Hall to New York’s Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.<br />
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The story of the group’s creative genesis proved to be as inspiring and enchanting as its music.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdLOmAh3Bg5sgETLzOX7kGPKd_IpDPia5HTQVwZd-YRstYivoQpZQI_bikJ5QH2sq_xGaYXFjEQoWgEZaeUmL9G_JxzkZMnu8Kqs1a_EsLLDi9XUkZyh8j-ltqBrYOX0Cqg4EgOaLIXBl2/s1600/LAGuitar3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdLOmAh3Bg5sgETLzOX7kGPKd_IpDPia5HTQVwZd-YRstYivoQpZQI_bikJ5QH2sq_xGaYXFjEQoWgEZaeUmL9G_JxzkZMnu8Kqs1a_EsLLDi9XUkZyh8j-ltqBrYOX0Cqg4EgOaLIXBl2/s400/LAGuitar3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(L to R: John Dearman, Chris Ruebens of the Baltic Guitar Quartet, William Kanengiser and Matthew Greif)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-29597738243532130712015-12-17T15:49:00.003+02:002015-12-17T15:49:57.720+02:00Apsilankymas Alytuje: nuo kietųjų atliekų iki vyno - A Visit to Alytus: From solid waste to sparkling wine <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>Šiandien ambasados Politikos ir ekonomikos skyriaus darbuotojai dalinasi savo įspūdžiais apie išvyką į Alytų </i> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4jrKoyX4PK1cDIdqmS7eB9RRnc6RPJ6fg3TCJrzLgc48xQy__ewlUUc2J7wlSXM5iIFjLQEUGpAthamHXxEH4LDmjdA98e7uviZrqgx3GdxOLFPayJiKSTDV1kItpF60gGcu4fwK6GQi/s1600/AlytusDistrict.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4jrKoyX4PK1cDIdqmS7eB9RRnc6RPJ6fg3TCJrzLgc48xQy__ewlUUc2J7wlSXM5iIFjLQEUGpAthamHXxEH4LDmjdA98e7uviZrqgx3GdxOLFPayJiKSTDV1kItpF60gGcu4fwK6GQi/s320/AlytusDistrict.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Alytaus rajonas</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKe7VIWzjcxDsZCE0wPxEb3uCtvoG1jMmKYfgLRJYSn7F8EPrDJS2e4rgoCE5G8Uh7zj1Vh0nyYLeE3uuvw6gc3uQA8ce2Od6www27QT_Y0kxQ1G043EGInx0Dw36yupHy5yumAKa0dpaT/s1600/Lithuaniandistrics.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKe7VIWzjcxDsZCE0wPxEb3uCtvoG1jMmKYfgLRJYSn7F8EPrDJS2e4rgoCE5G8Uh7zj1Vh0nyYLeE3uuvw6gc3uQA8ce2Od6www27QT_Y0kxQ1G043EGInx0Dw36yupHy5yumAKa0dpaT/s1600/Lithuaniandistrics.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Lietuvos rajonai </span></td></tr>
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Ambasadorės McCarthy inicijuota išvykų į rajonus programa leidžia JAV diplomatams, dirbantiems Lietuvoje susipažinti ne tik su Vilniumi, bet ir su kitomis Lietuvos vietovėmis. Neseniai mes – politikos skyriaus diplomatė Jillian Schmitt kartu su to paties skyriaus darbuotoju Sam Schmitt ir stažuotoja Indre Žebrauskaite lankėmės Alytuje, kur susitikome su miesto vadovais, aptarėme gamtosaugos klausimus, aplankėmė rajono atliekų tvarkymo ir Alita gėrimų gamyklas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLE6vTi3WfV_3DEG0WvJqfNBW7WvjvJXGjn_fzwlJJI4-1zBXp_zdfM_c32VzC9zazWIUAMfTP6KpFolMf0mH_EMA7PWZVKCOtzNqyOudEqH72lleFV7C7fzFamkncEW-4e2DhqEqJFXYb/s1600/AlytusMayor1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLE6vTi3WfV_3DEG0WvJqfNBW7WvjvJXGjn_fzwlJJI4-1zBXp_zdfM_c32VzC9zazWIUAMfTP6KpFolMf0mH_EMA7PWZVKCOtzNqyOudEqH72lleFV7C7fzFamkncEW-4e2DhqEqJFXYb/s320/AlytusMayor1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Meras Vytautas Grigaravičius ir Vicemeras Tamulevičius susitinka su delegacija</span><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: center;">
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Meras Vytautas Grigaravičius, Vicemeras Tautvydas Tamulevičius ir mero patarėja Vilija Ramanauskienė papasakojo mums apie Alytaus pramonės istoriją, atgaivintas žaliąsias miesto zonas ir iššūkius, su kuriais susiduria miestas tvarkydamas nuo Sovietų užsilikusias pavojingas<br />
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aplinkai atliekas. </div>
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Mes aplankėme Alytaus rajono atliekų tvarkymo centrą, kuris perdirba kietąsias atliekas laikantis ekologinės pusiausvyros. Į šį centrą kietosios atliekos atkeliauja iš miesto, turinčio 57,000 gyventojų ir iš šešių aplinkinių rajonų, įskaitant Birštoną, Druskininkus ir Varėną. Modernūs įrenginiai biologiškai skaido organines medžiagas pagamindami pakankamai metano, kurio energijos užtenka visam procesui. Miestas taip pat skatina gyventojus rūšiuoti atliekas namuose, jas kompostuoti ir perdirbti.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmw8OAJ1Pbxroma15qBsWxilIFl5RSBTjSPPB6R-oZkpzb6u518OWrr_qyw8dlHBEzmnBFIWO7x5OaOXd-1N2dZa_7JBNvIBdZA9zOrwOAISdaU4FZG8Sxg4VWxfyGyogZmWmowBcIqMH-/s1600/ARWMC3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmw8OAJ1Pbxroma15qBsWxilIFl5RSBTjSPPB6R-oZkpzb6u518OWrr_qyw8dlHBEzmnBFIWO7x5OaOXd-1N2dZa_7JBNvIBdZA9zOrwOAISdaU4FZG8Sxg4VWxfyGyogZmWmowBcIqMH-/s320/ARWMC3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Pirmas atliekų tvarkymo etapas </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2zoRZA7Zn7szWJIKu1W1R9BBxX1rKDg73YPUxIeMb1jlL002XwFoz5282yUkxZ-8cHc_4TbpQsYr_E4PHBOreveHzLk_pgRoF99nm-3TZDAjZQjbHhjPLDq0W6-nhWVnb2yheTCjphXv/s1600/ARWMC4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2zoRZA7Zn7szWJIKu1W1R9BBxX1rKDg73YPUxIeMb1jlL002XwFoz5282yUkxZ-8cHc_4TbpQsYr_E4PHBOreveHzLk_pgRoF99nm-3TZDAjZQjbHhjPLDq0W6-nhWVnb2yheTCjphXv/s320/ARWMC4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Atliekos, kurių neįmanoma atskirti, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">perdirbti ar biologiškai suskaidyti suspaudžiamos šiukšlių kubais</span></div>
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Mes taip pat pamatėme kaip pasinaudojus ES fondų parama Alytus išvalė ir sutvarkė Dailidės ežerus ir Baltųjų rožių parkus, kurie sovietiniais metais buvo paversti šiukšlių sąvartynais. <br />
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Po vizito atliekų centre mūsų laukė skaniau kvepianti Alita gėrimų gamykla, kurioje susipažinome su vidiniais regiono ekonomikos funkcionavimo varikliais. Taip pat pamatėme fermentacijos, pilstymo į butelius ir importavimo procesus. Alitoje daromas ir pilstomas platus alkoholinių gėrimų asortimentas - nuo putojančio vyno iki naminės degtinės. Gamykla taip pat importuoja brendį ir konjaką iš Prancūzijos.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZ_Yet5-iQCz_ZkBvAubVOnBJb60q-qS3274RSSomeLOJ7ZReWuxq8TnA6tpsRhOA1QyUlz5oEKl1SmCEpV-4WPRp0vz-lqJTiEE1vZT4UkbMCpR598FgwFg7eIvVbTHIadswlDlbuZDP/s1600/Alyta+Brewing+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZ_Yet5-iQCz_ZkBvAubVOnBJb60q-qS3274RSSomeLOJ7ZReWuxq8TnA6tpsRhOA1QyUlz5oEKl1SmCEpV-4WPRp0vz-lqJTiEE1vZT4UkbMCpR598FgwFg7eIvVbTHIadswlDlbuZDP/s320/Alyta+Brewing+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Alitos gidė aiškina brendžio ir konjako skirtumus</span></div>
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Ši kelionė mums suteikė unikalią galimybę pamatyti kaip praktiškai įgyvendinama gamtos apsauga. Miesto valdžia ir ambasados atstovai viliasi dar kartą susitikti Alytuje pavasarį.<br />
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<i>Today, members of the Embassy’s Political and Economic Section write about a recent visit to Alytus</i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Districts of Lithuania</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;"> Alytus District</span></td></tr>
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Ambassador McCarthy’s Regional Outreach Program ensures U.S. diplomats serving in Lithuania get to know far more about Lithuania than just its capital city, Vilnius. Recently, we -- Political Officer Jillian Schmitt along with Political/Economic Section secretary Sam Schmitt and intern Indre Zebrauskaite -- traveled to Alytus to meet city officials, talk environmental policy and tour the regional waste management plant and the Alita brewing facilities. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Mayor Vytautas Grigaravicius and Vice Mayor Tamulevicius Meet the Delegation</span></td></tr>
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Mayor Vytautas Grigaravicius, Vice Mayor Tautvydas Tamulevicius, and Mayoral Advisor Vilija Ramanauskiene spoke with us about Alytus’ industrial history, its revitalized green spaces, and challenges, including environmental hazards left behind from Soviet occupation. </div>
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We visited the Alytus Regional Waste Management Center (ARWMC), which is where the rubber meets the road with respect to sustainable solid waste processing. ARWMC receives and processes solid waste from the city of 57,000 residents and six surrounding districts, including Birstonas, Druskininkai and Varena. These facilities are so advanced they biodegrade organic material to produce enough methane to power the entire operation. The city is also encouraging residents to sort their garbage at home, compost and recycle. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">First Step in Processing Waste at the Plant</span></td></tr>
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Waste that cannot be separated, recycled,</div>
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Garbage “Cuber”</div>
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We also learned how Alytus - with the help of EU funding - was able to clean and restore the Dailide lakes and White Rose parks, which had been hazardous waste dumps during Soviet times. </div>
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The day also included a sweeter-smelling visit to the Alita Brewing Company where we saw some of the inner workings of an economic engine for the region and learned about the company’s fermentation, importing and bottling processes. Alita brews and bottles a wide range of alcoholic drinks from sparkling wine to moonshine. The company also imports brandy and cognac from France. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Alita Tour Guide Explains the Difference between Brandy and Cognac</span></td></tr>
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This trip provided a unique opportunity to observe environmental protection in practice. The Mayor’s Office and Embassy delegation hope for a follow-up visit in the spring. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-7737968146741351122015-10-19T19:57:00.000+03:002015-10-19T19:57:56.402+03:00Bibliotekėles atidarymas Raseiniuose - Little Free Library opens in Raseiniai<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>Šiandien mūsų kultūros atašė Sarah Talalay rašo apie kelionę į Raseinius.</i><br /><br />Siekdamas pasidalinti su kitais savo meile knygoms ir bendruomeniškumo jausmu, Raseinių liberalus jaunimas neseniai džiaugsmingai atidengė pirmąją miesto <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1030131233687392.1073742129.788972287803289&type=3">Bibliotekėlę</a> arba Mažąją nemokamą biblioteką („Little Free Library“) Dominikonų gatvėje esančiame parke. Idėja „Pasiimk vieną knygą ir palik kitą“ atsirado Viskonsino valstijoje JAV 2009 m., kai Todd Bol savo kieme pastatė ant kojelės miniatiūrinį nameliuką – mokyklėlę ir užpildė jį knygomis. Taip gimė socialinė iniciatyva. <br /><br />Šiandien pasaulyje yra daugiau nei 32000 <a href="http://littlefreelibrary.org/">Bibliotekėlių</a>, ir keletas jų jau <a href="http://littlefreelibrary.org/ourmap/">veikia Lietuvoje</a>.<br /><br />Prieš atidarydami Bibliotekėlę savo mieste, Raseinių liberalaus jaunimo atstovai pakvietė JAV ambasadą sudalyvauti atidarymo šventėje. Prašymas buvo perduotas man, kultūros atašė, ir man ši idėja pasirodė įdomi. Bibliotekėlei padovanojau dvi knygas – žymaus JAV virtuvės šefo Art Smith receptų knygą ir rašytojos – iliustratorės Mairos Kalman knygą „Thomas Jefferson: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Everything" – tinkamą pasirinkimą šia proga, nes Prezidentas Jeffersonas itin mėgo knygas. Dienai baigiantis spėjau aplankyti ir anksčiau šiais metais Kaune atidarytą Bibliotekėlę, įkvėpusią Raseinių gyventojus.<br /><br />Jūsų dėmesiui abiejų Bibliotekėlių nuotraukos. <br />
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*** <br /><br /><br /><i>Today, our cultural attache Sarah Talalay writes about a trip to Raseiniai. </i><br /><br />Seeking to share a love of books and a sense of community, the Raseiniai Liberalus Jaunimas (Raseiniai Liberal Youth) recently unveiled with fanfare, the town's first "Bibliotekele" or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1030131233687392.1073742129.788972287803289&type=3">"Little Free Library"</a> in a park off Domininku gatve. The "take a book, leave a book" concept was launched in Wisconsin in 2009 when Todd Bol built a model of a one-room school house, filled it with books and put in on a post in his front yard. A social enterprise was born.<br /><br />Now, there are more than 32,000 <a href="http://littlefreelibrary.org/">Little Free Libraries</a> across the globe, including several <a href="http://littlefreelibrary.org/ourmap/">in Lithuania</a>. <br /><br />Before opening their Bibliotekele, the Raseiniai Liberal Youth sent an email to the Embassy asking if someone would attend the opening. It seemed like a good idea for the Cultural Attache. I donated two books - a cookbook by US celebrity chef Art Smith and writer-illustrator Maira Kalman's book, "Thomas Jefferson: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Everything," which seemed appropriate since President Jefferson loved books. Before the day was over, I took advantage of an opportunity to see the inspiration for Raseiniai's Bibliotekele - one that opened earlier this year in Kaunas.<br /><br />Check out photos of both.<br />
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Raseiniuose - in Raseiniai <br />
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Kaune - in Kaunas <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-11906340024234327392015-10-02T17:27:00.000+03:002015-10-04T17:59:28.518+03:00Grybų šventė Varėnoje - Mushroom Festival in Varena!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>Šiandien mes atnaujiname Vilnius Diaries tinklaraštį pasidalindami naujojo ambasadorės pavaduotojo Howard Solomon įspūdžiais iš Grybų šventės Varėnoje. Sekite mus skaitydami ambasados darbuotojų, draugų ir lankytojų atsiliepimus.</i><br />
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Prabėgus vos kelioms savaitėms po mano atvykimo į Lietuvą, turėjau galimybę lankytis Varėnoje, kasmetinėje grybų šventėje. Tai buvo nuostabi galimybė pakeliauti už Vilniaus ribų ir daugiau sužinoti apie turtingą vietos bei Dzūkijos regiono kultūrą. Tokios kelionės į regionus tapo neatsiejama mūsų diplomatijos dalimi, leidžianti ne tik daugiau sužinoti apie šalį, kurioje laikinai gyvename ir dirbame, bet ir pagilinti bei sustiprinti ryšius tarp amerikiečių ir lietuvių. Ambados atstovai kasmet lankosi grybų šventėje ir tai visuomet jiems suteikia daug džiaugsmo.<br />
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Taip pat turėjau garbės susitikti su Varėnos miesto meru bei kitais savivaldybės atstovais. Buvau itin sužavėtas turtinga regiono kultūra ir kulinarijos paveldu. Vietos žmonės iki šių dienų yra išsaugoję nuostabias tradicijas, muziką ir liaudies menus. Be to, šventės metu pavyko užfiksuoti keletą įdomesnių kadrų. Keliaujant po pasaulį fotografija tapo mano aistra ir manau, kad čia atrasiu pakankamai medžiagos fotografavimui tiek gražiajame Vilniuje, tiek ir keliaujant po tokias vietas kaip Varėna. Žemiau įkėliau keletą nuotraukų, kurias pavyko padaryti festivalio metu.<br />
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<i>Today, we re-launch our Vilnius Diaries blog with a post from our new Deputy Chief of Mission Howard Solomon about his trip to Grybu svente in Varena. Follow us for future postings from Embassy officials, friends and visitors. </i><br />
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Recently, after only two weeks in Lithuania, I had the opportunity to travel to Varena to participate in the opening of its annual mushroom festival. This was a fantastic opportunity to travel outside Vilnius and learn more about the rich local and regional culture of Dzukija. Such travel to the regions has become an integral part of our diplomacy, allowing us to not only learn more about the country where we are posted, but deepen and strengthen ties between Americans and Lithuanians. Representatives from our Embassy have traveled to the mushroom festival each year and enjoyed it greatly.<br />
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I was honored to have the opportunity to meet the mayor of Varena and a number of other local officials. I was especially impressed with the rich culture and cuisine of the region, where locals have preserved wonderful traditions, music, and folk arts to the present day. As I experienced the festival, I also was able to capture some of the sights on my camera. Photography has become a passion of mine as I travel around the world, and it seems I will have plenty of subjects to photograph here in beautiful Vilnius and on trips such as the one to Varena. Below are some of the pictures I captured at the festival.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-532251925940783362014-08-26T09:25:00.001+03:002014-08-26T09:25:58.358+03:00Empowering Lithuania’s Youth Around the World <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Regular guest blogger, Aiste Zalepuga, attended this year's <a href="http://pljs2014.lt/meeting-of-world-lithuanian-youth-2014/">World Lithuanian Youth Summit</a> that took place in Prienai July 10-13. She shares her story of the event. </span></i><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; text-indent: 0.5in;">Young Lithuanians from across the globe converged
on the Prienai region last month to get back to their roots, and encourage
and strengthen ties between Lithuania and members of its youth community, no
matter where they live.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">The second World Lithuanian Youth Summit
(PLJS2014) attracted thousands of young Lithuanians to Harmony Park July 10-13.
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">“</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I believe the best part about the PLJS summit for everyone
was the feeling of unity during all the days of the event,” said Darius
Tamauskas, a PLJS board member who currently works in the United Kingdom.“Reuniting
with old friends and making new ones is what made this event special.” </span>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Lithuanian youth participated in discussions and
lectures, sharing their own experiences and learning from representatives of
business, education, politics, culture and innovation. </span>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">“Lithuania has a rich talent pool, which does not
end at its borders. There are accomplished and driven Lithuanians all around
the world, and bringing them together at an event such as this, or other
similar events, is essential to Lithuania’s ongoing growth,” said Stasys, a former
PLJS Chairman who currently lives in Canada. </span><span style="font-family: Times;">“Events like these allow Lithuanians all around
the world the opportunity to feed off of one another’s passion, and to collectively
do good for Lithuania.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">The World Lithuanian Youth Association (Pasaulio
Lietuviu Jaunimo Sajunga, PLJS) was founded in 1972. Members focused on the
organization’s approach to resisting the Soviet occupation and unifying
Lithuanians across the world. Since then, PLJS has grown to include more than 40
chapters and maintains relations with governmental institutions and youth organizations.
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Rima Gungor, an American Lithuanian from Illinois,
filmed moments from the PLJS Summit for a documentary about Lithuania’s non-violent
revolution. Gungor said she sees PLJS as a bridge between Lithuania’s past and
future. </span>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">“The final part of the documentary is about
present day Lithuania and how far it has come. PLJS represents that important
phenomenon of a global Lithuania. I wanted those moments ideally to show the
vitality of Lithuania and its investment into its own future and the energy of
the younger generations to keep moving Lithuania forward,” she said. </span>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">President Dalia Grybauskaite was the summit’s
Honorary Patron opened the event. She also led an exclusive discussion about
politics and economics with PLJS delegates<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">
</b>living abroad<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> President Dalia Grybauskaite answers questions after the opening ceremony. </span> </span>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“It was a very straightforward meeting where the President
explained her position and views of both domestic and foreign policy without
‘political correctness.’ Even those not interested in politics must have
enjoyed the meeting and understood the position of the President and what she
is facing on a daily basis,” Tamauskas said. “She was so open about what she
wanted to share with us that at one point of the meeting she asked a current
member of parliament to leave, so that only PLJS delegates would be present in
the room.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Archbishop and former PLJS Chairman Gintaras
Grusas also welcomed attendees. Grusas, who grew up in California and now lives
in Lithuania, related to many of the audience members through his experiences
as an American-Lithuanian and as an active member of the organization during
his youth. </span>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Although times have changed significantly since
he was active in PLJS, Grusas said it continues to provide many of the same
benefits today that it did in earlier times. </span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">“PLJS fostered a strong sense of the
international community of young Lithuanians throughout the world and created a
network of friends around the world,” he said. “It deepened our experience of
our Lithuanian identity through both cultural and political projects, all the
while strengthening our ties with Lithuania itself.”</span>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">He encouraged young people to “strive to help
Lithuania maintain its proper place in the world community.…</span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"></span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The personal benefits are enormous, but as in
many other areas of life, what you get out of it depends on what you are
willing to put in. Putting in the time and effort not only leaves one
with a stronger Lithuanian identity and benefits the Lithuanian community, but also
provides valuable experiences and friendships that last a lifetime.” </span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"></span>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">During the opening ceremonies, Minister of Foreign
Affairs Linas Linkevicius recognized Ray Bartkus, a <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New York-based Lithuanian artist. <a href="http://raybartkus.com/">Bartkus</a> designed
the 50 Lita note and has done illustrations for numerous
publications, including the Wall Street Journal and Time Magazine. For this
year’s summit, Bartkus created a life-size airplane landing strip from lights
on the park’s main hill that lit up in the evening. </span>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Keynote speaker, former U.S. Speaker of the House
of Representatives Dennis Hastert, who encouraged the audience to take
initiative through strong leadership, in his speech, “Responsibility to make
our own history.”</span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"> </span>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Hastert explained what he calls the “four P's”:
purpose, passion, persistence and patience. Citing his own experience in taking
up to 12 years to pass legislation, Hastert said a combination of the “four P's”
is needed to achieve your beliefs and to be present for the final victory. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times;"> Former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert, delivered an inspiring keynote and encouraged audience members to create their own history through effective leadership.</span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Another keynote speaker was Andy Khawaja, CEO of
the e-commerce giant Allied Wallet, whose speech was titled, “The sky is the
limit.” J. Michael Waller, a scholar-practitioner in public diplomacy, political
warfare, psychological operations and information operations spoke of “The role
of the individual citizen in global security.”</span>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">“My favorite part was looking into the audience
and seeing such a large mass of young people who cared, who were interested and
interesting, and who chose to be there,” said Rima Garsys, an American-Lithuanian
from Florida. </span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">“I
was so impressed with the relentless spirit around me that I wasn’t bogged down
by the cold or rain. I was proud to be involved and happy I made the choice to
participate.” </span>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">During the course of the summit, more than <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>150 notable lecturers and professionals took
part in discussions.</span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"> Kuliavas was impressed with Lithuanian Ambassador
to the United States, Zygimantas Pavilionis’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>speech about youth becoming involved Lithuania’s political future.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Additionally, global Lithuanians presented various
projects and shared ideas for future endeavors. Participants engaged in sporting
tournaments, artistic creations, theater performances and Lithuanian films. </span>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Lithuanian music legend, Algirdas Kauspeda, and colleagues discuss the formation of Lithuania's cultural future. Over 150 notable lecturers and professionals took part in discussions that covered education, politics, business, culture and innovation.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">“I thought it was a well-rounded program in every
aspect of what young people should be concerned about, ranging from a [cultural
and political] zombie apocalypse to linty pop lessons," Garsys said. "I walked away a better
person than when I arrived."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">In the evenings, popular Lithuanian music groups
performed, including Leon Somov & Jazzu, Liudni Slibinai and Jurga
Seidukyte. </span>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Seidukyte said she was impressed with the strong
audience engagement and looks forward to the next summit. </span>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">“I
believe that Lithuanians are a unique nation and we have to look out for one
another,” she said. “It is always important to feel that you a part of
something – a part of a community, a part of the world. I think that every
Lithuanian felt this way at the PLJS Summit.” </span></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-42372914681489199652014-05-02T07:50:00.000+03:002014-05-02T07:50:09.645+03:00Secretary Kerry: The Internet Iron Curtain<i>Reposting today a piece by Secretary Kerry on internet freedom and the fate of <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/116819548093333849589" target="_blank">+vkontakte</a>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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Since the printing press, no technology has had a greater capacity than the Internet for individual empowerment, economic development, and human expression.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">How telling then that, while countries around the world are devoting precious resources to expanding their citizens’ access to the Internet, Russia is doing the opposite.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Just yesterday, Russia’s Parliament passed a package of new restrictions on blogging and the Internet, a potent legislative cocktail of regression and repression.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It is part of a pattern. Russian-backed militias operating in Ukraine have been detaining legitimate journalists and knocking down television towers to block the truth from getting out. While the world celebrated the Internet’s potential for <a href="http://netmundial.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/NETmundial-Multistakeholder-Document.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #255684; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">positive change at <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">NETmundial</em></a>, Russia isolated itself by objecting to the principles and ideals of Internet freedom.</span></div>
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Read more at http://blogs.state.gov/stories/2014/04/30/internet-iron-curtain</div>
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<a href="http://blogs.state.gov/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/contributed_images/2014_0430_mobile_phone.jpg?itok=DnCpmJuO" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://blogs.state.gov/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/contributed_images/2014_0430_mobile_phone.jpg?itok=DnCpmJuO" height="332" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-39027856954004721612014-04-30T08:01:00.000+03:002014-04-30T08:01:06.272+03:00Richard Stengel: Russia Today’s Disinformation Campaign<i>Today, we repost from <a href="http://blogs.state.gov/stories/2014/04/29/russia-today-s-disinformation-campaign" target="_blank">Richard Stengel</a>, Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy at the Department of State. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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Moscow is subjecting Ukrainians, Russians and the rest of the world to an intense campaign of disinformation that tries to paint a dangerous and false picture of Ukraine’s legitimate government. Russia Today, the Moscow-based TV network financed by the government, is a key player in this campaign of distortion. Along with its Russian operation, RT operates an English-language broadcast out of Washington.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Last week, Secretary of State John Kerry referred to RT as a "propaganda bullhorn," which was promoting Russian President Vladimir Putin's "fantasy." The result was a predictable howl of protest from RT's editor, who claimed the State Department knows little about what is really happening in Ukraine today and had the audacity to request an apology.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I spent seven years as the managing editor of <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">TIME</em> magazine before joining the State Department. I understand the difference between news, propaganda and opinion. Propaganda is the deliberate dissemination of information that you know to be false or misleading in order to influence an audience.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">From assertions that peaceful protesters hired snipers to repeated allegations that Kiev is beset by violence, fascism and anti-Semitism, these are lies falsely presented as news. An opinion is subjective and not a statement of fact. Opinions, however odious, are defensible speech in a way that false claims are not. RT is a distortion machine, not a news organization. </span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Read more at http://1.usa.gov/1mVOAbw</span></div>
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<a href="http://blogs.state.gov/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/contributed_images/2014_0429_russia_newsroom.jpg?itok=_fmELpoy" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://blogs.state.gov/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/contributed_images/2014_0429_russia_newsroom.jpg?itok=_fmELpoy" height="167" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-23705273390299436922014-03-20T16:41:00.000+02:002014-03-24T16:04:46.338+02:00Foreign Service : Benefits at Home!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Clay Moore here, the current American intern with the Public Affairs Section of the <a href="http://vilnius.usembassy.gov/">U.S. Embassy Vilnius</a>.</div>
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Since I only have another month here in Vilnius, I thought
that I should make a post about how the State Department both stimulates the
economy and assists U.S. citizens domestically.
Since I am from Texas, I will focus on the benefits of the <a href="http://www.state.gov/">State Department</a> in my state.<br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNnL_F5eT9L_RQqIxtM7fKFveWYxK-WufKQQdM1SgOSPCozLrWtfichWCivxa4r4yQqh4wlLOijiVEuvdck17Rh1aLK6BXTyeGL5CIm5qNVqKsQD_tHZCFuJUzbCvqJyHaGPuJD-gTbA/s1600/Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNnL_F5eT9L_RQqIxtM7fKFveWYxK-WufKQQdM1SgOSPCozLrWtfichWCivxa4r4yQqh4wlLOijiVEuvdck17Rh1aLK6BXTyeGL5CIm5qNVqKsQD_tHZCFuJUzbCvqJyHaGPuJD-gTbA/s1600/Map.jpg" height="207" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The State Department has facilitated trade
agreements which have greatly benefitted Texas workers.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">In Texas, international trade supports over
2.9 million jobs with customers in 223 countries and territories buying Texan
products.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Over $262.3 billion in goods
exports (2012), and $50 billion in service exports were the results of these
agreements.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Flights between Dallas and China made an
estimated financial impact of $205 million dollars to the Texan economy.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">This was made possible by an Open Skies
agreement negotiated by Department of State.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">There are three Consular Affairs Bureaus in
Texas to assist citizens with both obtaining and renewing their passports.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Texas is a world leader in hosting foreign
professionals and scholars.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Over 11,106
physicians, teachers, camp counselors, au pairs as well as others have been
hosted as part of Department of State work and study-based international
exchange visitor programs.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="http://selectusa.commerce.gov/">SelectUSA</a> is incredibly active in Texas,
recently facilitating a $34 million investment from Indian company, Jyoti
Industries, which created 157 jobs.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The State Department awarded a $2 million dollar
grant to the University of Texas to establish two university partnerships in
Pakistan both in the social sciences and music fields for three years.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The University of North Texas (my alma mater!)
received $1 million dollars from the State Department to create a partnership
in Pakistan focused on Linguistics, English Literature, and English Teaching.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The State Department facilitated 616 overseas
adoptions for Texan families in 2012.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="text-indent: -24px;">See more interesting facts here at the <a href="http://www.state.gov/r/pa/map/index.htm">Department of State by State </a>website.</span><br />
<span style="text-indent: -24px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="text-indent: -24px;">These are just a selection of examples of the benefits to
Texan citizens and businesses that the State Department provides. These benefits are mirrored in each state across
the country, thanks to the 1% of the federal budget that is allocated to the
State Department.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Vilnius, Lithuania54.6871555 25.27965140000003454.393536000000005 24.634204400000034 54.980775 25.925098400000035tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-85651195638939931502014-03-12T07:55:00.001+02:002014-03-12T07:58:11.303+02:00General Breedlove: The Importance of Identity<i>Today we borrow from General Philip M. Breedlove, <a href="http://www.shape.nato.int/page1346135.aspx" target="_blank">SACEUR </a>and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EUCOM" target="_blank">EUCOM </a> commander, who shared his <a href="http://www.aco.nato.int/saceur2013/blog/the-importance-of-identity.aspx" target="_blank">thoughts about the situation in Ukraine.</a></i><br />
<br />
THE IMPORTANCE OF IDENTITY<br />
11 Mar 2014<br />
<br />
<br />
If you have been following events unfolding in Ukraine you may have noted various claims regarding the identity and origins of the armed groups currently contributing to the unrest in Crimea. Headlines are reporting that heavily armed soldiers have surrounded Ukraine's military bases in Crimea and have taken control of 11 border posts in the region. Clearly, the situation is serious. But who are these armed soldiers, and who has given them orders?<br />
Many media outlets have reported claims that these troops are "local militias" who are wearing Russian-style fatigues because such attire is available in army shops across the former Soviet Union. Other outlets are repeating an assertion that armed men deployed to Ukraine's Crimea region are simply ''self-defense forces.''<br />
I would like to address these claims.<br />
Here at NATO's military headquarters we have been closely monitoring and analyzing the situation in Ukraine and have been keenly focused on these troops. After extensive review of multiple information sources we believe these are Russian military forces acting on clear orders to undermine Ukraine forces in Crimea.<br />
This conclusion, although hastily stated by some members of the press, is based on deliberate and painstaking scrutiny of the many sources of data available to our professional military analysts. As we move forward and continue to closely monitor the situation in Ukraine, it will be with the understanding of the real identity of these forces.<br />
<br />
The photos below are just a few examples openly available that help paint the picture.<br />
<br />
<b>Example #1</b><br />
The following several photos show military vehicles that are currently operating in Crimea. Note the Russian military licence plates on the vehicles.<br />
The first picture is from the Crimean town of Balaklava.<br />
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="http://www.aco.nato.int/systems/image_thumbnail.ashx?file=/resources/site8728/General/Blogs-2014/Blog2/picture1.jpg&Size=520" id="_x0000_i1025" /></span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><a href="http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/author/robert-mackey/">http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/author/robert-mackey/</a></i></div>
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="http://www.aco.nato.int/systems/image_thumbnail.ashx?file=/resources/site8728/General/Blogs-2014/Blog2/picture2.jpg&Size=520" id="_x0000_i1026" /></span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><a href="http://www.salon.com/2014/03/01/russian_troops_take_over_ukraines_crimea_region_partner/">http://www.salon.com/2014/03/01/russian_troops_take_over_ukraines_crimea_region_partner/</a></i></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><a href="https://sobchak.wordpress.com/2014/03/05/non-intendersene-di-felidi-e-di-altro/">https://sobchak.wordpress.com/2014/03/05/non-intendersene-di-felidi-e-di-altro/</a></i></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Example
#2</span></strong></div>
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This example is from YouTube</div>
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In this video, local journalists interviewed a soldier who admitted he was part of the Russian military.<br />
When asked why he didn’t have any insignias or symbols on his uniform, he responded that he was told<br />
not to wear them.</div>
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<td style="padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="http://www.aco.nato.int/systems/image_thumbnail.ashx?file=/resources/site8728/General/Blogs-2014/Blog2/picture4.jpg&Size=520" id="_x0000_i1028" /></span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<td style="padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><i style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPZbYlcAgvY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPZbYlcAgvY</a></i><br />
<b><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Example #3</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The pictures below are of soldiers currently operating within Crimea. The weapons and equipment they are</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">using certainly are not typical of ‘local militias' or <a href="http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ukraine-crisis-china-back-russia-cold-war-over-crimea-1438650" target="_blank">‘self-defense forces'</a>.</span></td>
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://www.aco.nato.int/systems/image_thumbnail.ashx?file=/resources/site8728/General/Blogs-2014/Blog2/picture5.jpg&Size=520" id="_x0000_i1029" /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.aco.nato.int/resources/site8728/General/Blogs-2014/Blog2/picture6.jpg" target="_blank" title=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><img border="0" src="http://www.aco.nato.int/systems/image_thumbnail.ashx?file=/resources/site8728/General/Blogs-2014/Blog2/picture6.jpg&Size=520" id="_x0000_i1030" /></span></a></div>
<span class="caption" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2014/03/03/russians_seize_ukraine_ferry_terminal_raising_fears_of_wider_invasion.html">http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2014/03/03/russians_seize_ukraine_ferry_terminal_raising_fears_of_wider_invasion.html</a></i></span></td>
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://www.aco.nato.int/systems/image_thumbnail.ashx?file=/resources/site8728/General/Blogs-2014/Blog2/picture7.jpg&Size=520" id="_x0000_i1031" /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/russia/140305/interview-russian-ukraine-putin-war-Andrei-Illarionov"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/russia/140305/interview-russian-ukraine-putin-war-Andrei-Illarionov</span></a></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"From
the Cockpit"</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Phil
Breedlove</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">General,
USAF</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Supreme
Allied Commander, Europe</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Commander,
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-36848444171719648742014-02-24T14:18:00.000+02:002014-03-14T15:25:11.706+02:00Culinary Culture Tour with Michael Laiskonis<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Clay Moore here, the current American intern with the Public Affairs Section of the <a href="http://vilnius.usembassy.gov/" target="_blank">U.S. Embassy Vilnius.</a><br />
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Last week I got to experience not one different
culture, but two! Lithuanian-American
pastry Chef <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/103396094415587143164" target="_blank">+Michael Laiskonis</a> was here on a media tour and it was my
responsibility to escort him around the nation and take lots and lots of
pictures. As a man ashamed to admit that
I can’t cook very well, I was thoroughly impressed by the skill and talent that
Michael showcased for his relatives (he still has family in Lithuania) and other residents of his ancestral land.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Laiskonis (left), His Uncle (right)</td></tr>
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Michael was joined by his uncle who lives
in Kaunas, an eccentric but delightful older gentleman. The only language that Michael had
in common with his uncle was French, as his uncle did not speak any
English. Even further, the only language I had in common with the uncle was Russian!
I am so happy to use my Russian here, even more so if its use is related
to work. As I enjoyed kibinai and beer
on the shore of Lake Trakai, I listened to Michael’s uncle tell me about the
history of the partisans who hid in the hills around the lake and fought
foreign invaders. (They are referred to
as “Forest Brothers”, look forward to a post on their history soon).</div>
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Michael visited <a href="http://www.kaunokolegija.lt/%E2%80%8E" target="_blank">Kaunas Kollegia</a> (College) where he gave a
presentation about his own path to success to up-and-coming culinary students. They reacted with interest, asking many
questions and more or less hanging onto Michael's every word.
After his presentation to over 300 people, he met students and sampled
their creations in a meeting with faculty and staff.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Following Kaunas, we went to a <a href="http://sodziausmeistrai.lt/english" target="_blank">Sodziaus Meistrai</a>, a small school in the village,
Rudiskes. The students watched with
excitement while Michael was crafting culinary delights and teaching them
techniques that many had not heard of in their lives yet.</div>
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It was a long day full of traveling around beautiful
Lithuania. The weather was a snowy, wet
mix, however the countryside looked great!
I am so happy that I have work-related opportunities like this to travel
and see not only Vilnius, but the entire country!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Kaunas, Lithuania54.8984964 23.9035416000000454.7523749 23.580818100000041 55.0446179 24.226265100000038tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-21159157827453902462014-02-12T18:00:00.000+02:002014-02-12T18:00:00.250+02:00New Fulbright Grant for Art HistoriansToday, we're pleased to report that <a href="http://www.terraamericanart.org/" target="_blank">Terra Foundation for American Art</a> has just subsidized a new Fulbright grant for U.S. scholars interested in teaching American Art history in EU countries.<br />
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The Fulbright-Terra Foundation Award in the History of American
Art offers two grants per year at any university in a European Union country
(except France, Germany, and the UK, where the Foundation already has
established teaching fellowships). The grants are for undergraduate
and/or graduate teaching in history of American art prior to 1980 and for
research. Scholars will be expected to aid host institutions in
developing, modeling and adapting American art history curriculum. They
can also give seminars, workshops, and public lecturers, as well as advise
graduate students on theses. The award is for early career scholars up to
the Associate Professor level, for one semester grants starting fall
2015. A letter of invitation from a prospective host institution is
required with the application.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picturesque city of Telsiai</td></tr>
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The grant amounts for stipend, housing, living costs and
international transportation will correspond to your country benefit levels.
Funds for books and for guest lecturing at other institutions in the host
country will be included, as these are important to the foundation. Dependent
allowances, including tuition reimbursement, will be available, if
applicable. Details can be seen <a href="http://catalog.cies.org/viewAward.aspx?n=5001&dc=01" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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We most certainly hope you can help us spread the word for this new program and encourage art historians you know to apply for a grant to Lithuania. <a href="http://www.vda.lt/index.php/pageid/466" target="_blank">Vilnius Academy of Art </a>and its campus in Telšiai offer great opportunities for art historians. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-83236594513694151972014-02-12T11:31:00.000+02:002014-02-12T11:31:00.173+02:00Wilson Center Grants available for Study of Eastern Europe <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/115823009277952360720" target="_blank">+Wilson Center</a>'s Global Europe Program offers residential short-term
research scholar grants to scholars working on policy relevant projects on the
following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro,
Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Projects should focus on
fields in the social sciences and humanities including, but not limited to:
Anthropology, History, Political Science, Slavic Languages and Literatures, and
Sociology. Find out more <a href="http://goo.gl/AwT1Nm" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-79190973959992840362014-02-10T11:26:00.000+02:002014-02-21T10:50:50.279+02:00Labas, Readers! - New Public Affairs Intern Hits the Ground Running<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Labas readers! My
name is Clay Moore and I am the spring 2014 intern for the public affairs
section of the <a href="http://vilnius.usembassy.gov/" target="_blank">U.S. embassy here in Vilnius</a>!
I am very happy to be here and am looking forward to the opportunities
and challenges that await me here over the next few months.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My international background has been entirely in Russia,
Moscow specifically. I have never been
to Western Europe (aside from a layover in Frankfurt), so it seems I am slowly
making my way east to west, and, accordingly, learning about European cultures
from a decidedly different angle than most Americans. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I was very fortunate to be able to use my Russian language
skills for a very worthy cause last week.
When the embassy staff learned that I spoke Russian, they asked me if I
could accompany them to a soup kitchen to deliver foodstuffs, clothes, toys,
and other needed items. As the soup
kitchen is primarily run by older women (who lived during Soviet times and
learned Russian as children), it would be useful to have a Russian speaker be
able to communicate and ask what else the kitchen needed and how we could help.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Almost the entire embassy showed up to help make lunch bags
to deliver to the soup kitchen so that they may pass on the lunches to those
who are unable to physically get to the kitchen. We quickly got the bags ready, assembly-line
style, and then we were ready to head out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As you can see, we had quite the haul!<o:p></o:p><br />
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Embassy work is varied and oftentimes requires heavy
lifting!<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was a great opportunity to dust off my Russian to use in a
practical situation. However, we did
learn some unfortunate news. The food
bank at the kitchen was going to run out on February 1<sup>st</sup>. Luckily, the embassy collected donations
through a bake sale in order to purchase the needed rice, chicken and
vegetables to last for a bit longer!<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was a very interesting end to my first week here!<o:p></o:p></div>
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-Clay<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-44308990989838546942014-02-08T09:35:00.000+02:002014-02-08T09:35:01.051+02:00American Embassy Raises Funds to Stock Food Bank<div class="MsoNormal">
On February 5th, the Embassy community organized a bake sale to raise funds for a local food bank. We're thrilled to report we were able to raise enough money for 220 pounds of rice, 200 pounds of barley, 80 pounds of chicken, 110 pounds of potatoes, 50 pounds of carrots and 50 pounds of onions! The food went straight to the kitchen because there was a very large group waiting to eat and all they had to serve was</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-28660823770239352482014-02-06T09:32:00.000+02:002014-02-06T09:32:50.949+02:00American Officer Excited to be Detailed to the Ministry of National Defense<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lieutenant Colonel Judah Whitney, Bilateral Affairs Officer at the US Embassy in Vilnius, admires his new office at the Lithuanian Joint Headquarters. After spending 18 months in Lithuania, Whitney is pleased to be the first US officer with office space at the Lithuanian Joint HQ. And with his new office assignment Colonel Whitney emphasized the potential for even closer cooperation as he and his Lithuanian counterparts will meet daily.</span><div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-63946730102812248742014-01-23T10:08:00.000+02:002014-01-23T10:08:00.469+02:00Deputy Chief of Mission Silberstein Visits Alytus to Donate Books, Connect with Community<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">On
January 17, Deputy Chief of Mission Robert Silberstein visited the city of Alytus. Mr. Silberstein met with the Vice-mayor of Alytus to discuss
local Lithuanian-American projects and events. Alytus is the sister city of
Rochester, NY, and one of the signature programs of this partnership is the
virtual orchestra bridge which connects the Alytus Music School Youth Symphony
Orchestra and the Hochstein Youth Symphony Orchestra. On February 2, the
virtual “bridge” will connect the two orchestras <a href="http://www.alytus.lt/naujienos-top/-/asset_publisher/ntbIuLU9pXiO/content/vasario-2-d-%E2%80%93-tiesioginis-muzikinis-tiltas-%E2%80%9Erocesteris-jav-%E2%80%93-alytus-lt-%E2%80%9C-suburs-dvieju-saliu-simfonines-muzikos-megejus?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alytus.lt%2Fnaujienos-top%3Fp_p_id%3D101_INSTANCE_ntbIuLU9pXiO%26p_p_lifecycle%3D0%26p_p_state%3Dnormal%26p_p_mode%3Dview%26p_p_col_id%3Dcolumn-2%26p_p_col_pos%3D2%26p_p_col_count%3D7"><span style="color: blue;">for a live performance.</span></a> In the education sphere,
the Alytus College will host a U.S. Fulbright Scholar, the first college (as
opposed to a university) in Lithuania to do so. Dr. Joseph Bulsys will teach
Communication courses and develop curriculum in public speaking; work with
Alytus College on academic projects; and establish a partnership between the
Alytus college and SUNY-Geneseo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">During
his visit, DCM Silberstein also presented the U.S. Embassy book donation to
Alytus Jurgis Kuncinas Public Library as part of the Lithuanian President's
initiative ,,Knygu Kaledos” (Books for Christmas). In his remarks during the
presentation, Mr. Silberstein said, “Today, reading is no longer a solitary
pastime. People talk about what they’ve read on social media, almost, it seems,
in real time. So I hope that these books will find their fans in every medium,
and will be used to create many events and conversations that bring our two
nations closer together.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Mr.
Silberstein visited the Maple Street Cemetery to honor the memory of Sgt. Arunas Jarmalavicius, a native of Alytus
who was killed during an attack on an
airfield base in Chaghcharan (Afghanistan), by laying flowers on his grave. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Mr.
Silberstein also met with the representatives of Alytus Women's Center, a NGO
that maintains a domestic violence crisis center. </span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Alytus, Lithuania54.3962938 24.04587600000002154.3223533 23.884514500000019 54.4702343 24.207237500000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-60138415234387866392014-01-13T09:30:00.000+02:002014-01-14T09:01:28.237+02:00Ambassador McCarthy talks to The Politic about Foreign Service, Being a Diplomat, Lithuania, and the Maastricht Criteria<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #181818; font-size: 11.5pt;">In December of last year, Ambassador
McCarthy gave an interview to Yale’s magazine <i><a href="http://thepolitic.org/diplomatic-discourse/" target="_blank">The Politic</a>, </i>for their series “Diplomatic Discourse,” a collection
of more than 100 interviews with United States Ambassadors. More than 50 Yale
students conducted interviews over the telephone, via Skype and email, and in
person at embassies on several continents. This series presents two topics in
detail: careers in the Foreign Service and contemporary issues facing American
embassies. You can read Ambassador McCarthy’s interview and explore the series
at </span><a href="http://thepolitic.org/diplomatic-discourse/">http://thepolitic.org/diplomatic-discourse/</a>.<span style="color: #181818; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-size: 11.5pt;">A
project of this scale and depth is unprecedented. The series strives to be the
authority on the perspectives and experiences of the official American
representatives to foreign governments. The reporting team asked all of the
Ambassadors about their experiences — if any — in the Foreign Service, the
person or event that has most influenced them, and their critique of American
diplomacy today. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-size: 11.5pt;">Here's an excerpt from the interview -- you can read the rest <a href="http://thepolitic.org/an-interview-with-deborah-a-mccarthy-u-s-ambassador-to-lithuania/" target="_blank">here</a>: </span></div>
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<blockquote>
For Ukraine — and today is an important day, because there are a number of important international personalities there as they further decide how to meet the opposition’s requests — it is an ongoing process. What we’ve said, and what Secretary Kerry said himself just a few days ago, is that in terms of not assigning an association agreement, it was a personal decision made by President Yanukovych. The people of Ukraine did not agree with that decision. What we’re seeing is the unfolding of that process.<br />
Lithuania, just like other EU Member States — and I participated in some of the discussions — is clear that they’ve left the door open, and they continue to say this. They feel that the Ukrainian people should be able to express themselves, and that they should be listened to. They have to decide whom they affiliate with, without pressure. As far as the EU is concerned, they were going to keep the door open, which they have. So they never shut the door by any means.</blockquote>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-30913437829006815982014-01-08T08:25:00.000+02:002014-01-14T09:03:26.134+02:00American Jets Begin Baltic Air Policing<span style="line-height: 18.65625px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">On Friday, January 3rd, the U.S. Air Force took over the <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/111476459992384236860" target="_blank">+NATO</a> Baltic Air Policing mission from the Belgian Air Force at Zokniai Air Base. The Belgian air commander handed over a symbolic key to the Baltic airspace to the Americans. A detachment of more than 150 troops will police Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian skies for the next four months. Lithuanian Air Force air base commander Major Gintautas Slovikas welcomed his American colleagues in Zokniai and presented them with a loaf of bread as a sign of hospitality. Read <a href="http://vilnius.usembassy.gov/news-events/u.s.-fighter-jets-to-police-baltic-skies-for-next-4-months" target="_blank">more here.</a></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Air Policing is a purely defensive mission. Since the 1970s, NATO has established a comprehensive system of air surveillance and airspace management means, provided by its member nations. The Alliance ensures constant surveillance and control of its assigned airspace 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.<br />NATO members without their own Air Policing assets are assisted by other NATO members. Luxembourg is covered by interceptors from Belgium, while Slovenia and Albania by Italian aircraft.<br />Since March 2004, when the Baltic States joined NATO, the 24/7 task to police the airspace of the Baltic States was conducted on three-month rotation from Lithuania's First Air Base in Zokniai/Šiauliai International Airport, near the northern city of Šiauliai. Starting with the Turkish deployment, rotations changed to a four-month basis. Usual deployments consist of four fighter aircraft with between 50 and 100 support personnel. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Šiauliai, Lithuania55.9349085 23.31368229999998255.792496 22.990958799999984 56.077321 23.636405799999981tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-81801869997073554192014-01-07T08:00:00.000+02:002014-01-07T08:00:03.056+02:00Lithuanian Fulbright Scholar Discovers San Diego--from Mindaugas Briedis<i>Our today's dispatch is from <a href="http://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindaugas_Briedis" target="_blank">Professor Mindaugas Briedis</a> from <a href="http://www.mru.lt/" target="_blank">Mykolas Romeris University</a> who is currently finishing his Fulbright Visiting Scholar stay at National University in San Diego, California. </i><br />
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My Fulbright stay in
San Diego lasted for four months and it is hard to grasp the entirety of
experience that I’ve got. Perhaps the easier way to tell about it is to divide my story
according to Fulbright goals.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The basic goal of the
Fulbright was twofold: to get academic experience while being a cultural ambassador
for my country. It is amazing how those two modes of stay worked perfectly in
my case. As I lived in the very heart of San Diego (downtown), every day after my
work I was able to enjoy countless outdoor activities – sports, beaches, hikes,
etc. Evenings were dedicated to movies, books, glimpses of the night life of
San Diego and, of course, reflection.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At <a href="http://www.nu.edu/" target="_blank">National University</a>
I met many friendly colleagues who helped me during my first steps in online
education. Surprisingly, I was able not only to watch others working, ask questions
and get information, but actually to design an online class and teach it under
the great supervision of prof. <a href="http://www.nu.edu/News/PaulMajkutFulbright.html" target="_blank">Paul Majkut</a>. It is true that I have got compliment
letters from all (!) of my students. This was certainly a great encouragement for my ambition to learn
how to teach online.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Although the first month of my
stay was pretty tough (perhaps because of all the paperwork that needed taking care of--banking, lease, social security number, etc.), later I got into a rhythm and found time for my next
academic goal – research. National university provided me with all resources
needed, thus I could work on my research on online education in humanities. I
will present the results of the research at a conference in March and eventually publish the presentation in English.<o:p></o:p></div>
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These were my
formal academic goals, but I also want to tell you how much I loved being amongst the
people of San Diego in many creative ways. As I am an avid guitarist, I looked to continue playing in California, and we
formed a temporary band with other professors at National and played three gigs
at a retirement home, Christmas carol at the university and at the gathering of
San Diego musicians. Great pleasure! Another great event was organized by San
Diego Fulbright panel – we had a nice dinner, music and warm talking in one of
the <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/115236572416791205569" target="_blank">+Balboa Park</a> venues<o:p></o:p></div>
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During all those
events I was able to share my experiences with many great friends (students,
professor as well as city folks) who also gave me a lot of excellent advice. Thanks to them. I visited most interesting areas and museums in San Diego and travelled
California (six national parks – from the desert sands to mountain ice!) for a
week. I lived downtown, so always felt the pulse of the city, but also found my
solitary refuge with great books and movies as well. I can confidently say I am happy and looking forward to the
future – I have determined to tie my life with Fulbright opportunities.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0San Diego, CA, USA32.7153292 -117.1572550999999931.8613702 -118.44814859999998 33.5692882 -115.86636159999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-26879674343988683692014-01-05T09:21:00.001+02:002014-01-05T09:21:39.581+02:00New Year, New LibraryWell, we've had a great year, and to celebrate, the Public Affairs team at the <a href="http://vilnius.usembassy.gov/" target="_blank">U.S. Embassy in Vilnius</a> has given itself a present: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/American.center.library?ref=hl" target="_blank">A brand new Facebook page for the American Center Library.</a><br />
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The page features the latest and greatest news from the library: new acquisitions, program announcements, events etc. We're also running a series on English language and another one on essential American food recipes. Of course, we welcome your suggestions and comments, and please, help us spread the word!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Vilnius, Lithuania54.6871555 25.27965140000003454.393536000000005 24.634204400000034 54.980775 25.925098400000035tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037023247510326990.post-12698588849984408892013-12-18T09:32:00.000+02:002014-01-05T09:36:53.458+02:00Ambassador McCarthy now on Twitter!Did you know <a class="ot-hashtag aaTEdf" href="https://plus.google.com/s/%23Ambassador" rel="nofollow">#Ambassador</a> McCarthy is now on Twitter? Help us spread the word and follow today: <a class="ot-anchor aaTEdf" href="https://twitter.com/AMB_DMcCarthy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/AMB_DMcCarthy</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Vilnius, Lithuania54.6871555 25.27965140000003454.393536000000005 24.634204400000034 54.980775 25.925098400000035