Shqiperia Ne NATO

Shume urime! Congratulations to Albania who became the 28th NATO country on April 4, 2009, happily joining Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States.
It only took 17 years of effort to satisfy the alliance's required reforms, overcoming a difficult period in history to become contributors to regional stability and international security.
Albania's successful entry into NATO is one giant step closer to the dream of becoming a part of the European Union. A giant poster hangs this weekend at the National Opera House in Tirana's Skenderbeg Square boasting, “This is the miracle of freedom.”
Tirana was aflame the entire week-end with free concerts by UB40 and local musicians. A twenty eight cannon salute erupted on Saturday celebrating Albania as the 28th NATO country.
NATO and Albanian flags hung from every traffic light as well as the enormous banner seen above left.
NATO forces have operated in the Balkans since the mid-1990s, when thousands of peacekeepers were sent to Bosnia in the aftermath of a four-year civil war between Serbs, Muslims and Croats in which nearly 100,000 people perished. Albania has had troops in Afghanistan since 2003.
Albania will now benefit from collective security the alliance offers, but will also bear the responsibility that collective security requires.
Sources: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29995397/
http://balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/17860/
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_48891.htm

Magic Technology

As a sixteen year-old exchange student living in the quiet suburb of Liege, Belgium known as Vaux Sous Chevrement, a phone call or a package from America was about as rare as a solar eclipse. As a twenty something Fulbright fellow in Morocco cell phones, text messages, and instant messaging were just becoming popular and some of my family members even called me on a regular basis.
As an intern with the U.S. Department of State in lonesome Benin, I created an e-mail newsletter I called The Benin Post in the pre-blogger period.
As a Federal Flunky living in Washington D.C., I spent a few years speaking with international friends from Finland to Cambodia on a free Internet voice to voice software program called Skype.
Now in 2009 I keep in touch with family and friends in America using a device called Magic Jack, enabling me to have a U.S. phone number alleviating the aversion many Americans harbor when it comes to making international telephone calls. Magic Jack costs twenty dollars a year and comes with free voice mail, free directory assistance, free call waiting and functions with either a normal telephone handset, or by plugging it into the laptop via a USB as seen in the photograph above.
Skype is still the only way to speak voice to voice with international friends for free and when one or both parties turn on their webcams, it is usually, a mutually heartwarming experience.
We have come a long way from snail mail and choppy long distance to blogging and word of mouse. Tech-know-lo-gee!
This blog entry is affectionately dedicated to the most technologically savvy member of my family and you know who you are. Thank you for my Magic Jack!

www.magicjack.com

www.skype.com