United Macedonia Diaspora

[Risto the Great]

I scratch M-B every morning.

[Daskalot]

Another letter from MPO

Dragi Brati i Sestri,

Zdravo!

Thank-you for all your comments and suggestions.

I do support the coalition's desire to write Macedonian on question #9.

However, some MPO members feel compelled to write Macedonian-Bulgarian, or Macedonian-Vlach,
or Macedonian-American, but Macedonian first because that's what we are, Macedonian (my family is from Resen and Bitola.)

We speak Macedonian, a little different from today's Macedonian language because our Baba's and Dedo's spoke the language of the Ilinden era. It was taught in the early days in Macedonian-Bulgarian church classes.

Today, there is only one M-B church left in Toronto that has MPO members, but not all church members there are in the MPO. All the rest of the churches have now converted over to Orthodox Churches of America after Bishop Kyrill joined the OCA.

The OCA services are in English. There are no more active M-B priests. There are no more All-MPO churches. People of many ethnicities attend OCA churches-Ukranians, Greeks, Romanians, Russians, and more.

The Macedonian Tribune has been published in English since the mid-80's because many of our members who were schooled in that alphabet were passing on.

It was a different era that many members grew up from. That is just history. But that life and family heritage runs deep in many of us. My dedo never once said to me ever when I was growing up that I was anything but Macedonian. I still have many relatives in Macedonia who have a different family name than me, because Dedo was forced by immigration in 1929 to take a name ending in "OFF."

Was it his choice? No. Tasho's family is from Banitsa and Ekshisou, Lerinsko and Visheni, Kostursko. He has always claimed himself as Macedonian, never greek.

I just want you to know some of my feelings because I am part of an organization that has existed for 89 years.

I applaud Meto and the UMD's work, and the MPO offices have always granted any request he called for. I attended the first ever UMD conference in June 2009, and met so many more wonderful Macedonians. I don't know if I will be there in 2010 because my husband Tasho is quite ill with cancer right now. But he has the tattoo of Vlado Chernozhemsky proudly displayed on his right arm, as well as myself.

We have always been so proud of our Macedonian heritage, and we will state it on the Census as Macedonian.

Maybe the Census Coalition didn't work out, but I am open to other projects.

Example: see our joint participation in Cleveland with two Ohio MOC churches celebrating Macedonian Independence Day at Cleveland City Hall Sept 8, 2009 http://www.clevelandpeople.com/group...macedonian.htm

(Remember to scroll all the way down)



So zdravie!

Andrea Alusheff, President MPO of the US and Canada

An interesting response, shall we now assume that the MPO is pro Macedonian? The Exarchacte's doings resonates to the present day all the way from the 1870s.
Scary stuff.

[osiris]

However, some MPO members feel compelled to write Macedonian-Bulgarian, or Macedonian-Vlach,
or Macedonian-American, but Macedonian first because that's what we are, Macedonian (my family is from Resen and Bitola.)

dear fellow macedonian from the mpo, let me begin by saying, i know that you are a macedonians that is beyond dispute and i know what a macedonian vlach or macedonian american is and why he may wish to so identify.

but i am still unable to understand what a macedonian bulagrian is, is it those people of macedonian decent who now live in bulagria or is it bulgarians living in macedonia.

if its macedonians living in bulgaria and god knows there are many than i agree they are bulgarian citizens of macedonian origins. but no matter how you put it, i cannot see any bulgarians living in macedonia.

i see macedonians albanians vlasi turks some serbs, but i dont see any bulgarians,

you are unfortunately like the other deluded macedonians the grkomani who claim they are greek macedonians propoing a nonsensical even absurd concept as your national identity .what is undeniable is we are of macedonia and dont need another identifier because both are so insignificantly related to our history as a nation these past 2500 years.

being a macedonian i have experienced the delusion in my family some are bulgarian and others think they are greek and both think their arguments are the important ones. wrapping yourself with our new flag is great, but whats more important is knowing thyself and why you are macedonians and then compare that to what it means to be bulgarian.

maybe then you will realise the efforts of the emerging bulgarian germanic kingdom were through a mix of terror and cajoling an attempt to destroy the macedonian people. many of our people wilted under that pressure but the historical circumstances that made being pro bulgarian or pro greek do not exits any more and there is no reason for you the leaders of the macedonian patriotic organsiation dilute and denigrate our unique history and identity by prefixing or adding bulgarian as a qualifier.

like a greek prosfiga said to a grkomanka cousin of mine when she said to him she was greek macedonian, his reply was, isnt just being greek good enough for you that you must add macedonian.

isnt just bulgarian good enough for some of your mpo members because i dont see any other bulgarian qualifying their identity only sadly deluded macedonians

[Phoenix]

I still don't understand what MPO stand for...???

In the famous words of 'The Jams' frontman Paul Weller...and in keeping with the irony of the song itself...

"That's Entertainment..."

[Simply Macedonian]

The anti-"MPO" response has been overwhelming (and with justification) and thus the attempt at redeeming itself with excuses. Any organization that asks its members to identify as something other than Macedonian on the census is anti-Macedonian and should be ignored. We should attempt to appeal to those in that organization who feel Macedonian to get up an leave and join a truly Macedonian organization. There are many of those in North America.

[Silver]

I as someone who is a really proud Macedonian, simply a Macedonian and nothing but a Macedonian:

MPO

R.I.P.

[UMDiaspora.org]

Registration Opens for Toronto UMD Global Conference 2010

Read full article: http://umdiaspora.org/content/view/459/1/

Over 1,000 Macedonians and friends of Macedonia from 25 countries are expected to attend the 2nd UMD Global Conference in Toronto, Canada.

Will you be there?

This year's venue, the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, is where to be from June 3-5, 2010! The CAA/AAA Four Diamond Sheraton is in the center of it all, located in the financial and entertainment districts of Toronto and connected to the PATH - a 16-mile underground network of shops and services.

Registration opens today. If you register before April 15, you save $100!
Registration link: https://web.memberclicks.com/mc/quic...d&formId=74489

The Planning Committee has been busy putting together exciting events and intriguing speakers. The program for the conference will be announced in the upcoming week, however, here are a few highlights:

Discover Macedonia and its amazing tourism potentials
Learn how and why to do business in Macedonia
Hear experts discuss the role of the United Nations in Macedonia and human rights issues in Southeast Europe
Help preserve the Macedonian identity and language in today's modern global community
Watch a screening of A Name is A Name followed by a Q&A with the Director Sigurjon Einarsson and Producer Jason Miko
Honor Macedonians who are making a difference in the world
Enjoy a Cultural Evening featuring Macedonian artists from around the world
Connect, Network, and Build Partnerships with Macedonians and friends of Macedonia

All this and much more...at the 2nd UMD Global Conference in Toronto!

Register Now!
Registration Link: https://web.memberclicks.com/mc/quic...d&formId=74489

The Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel
123 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario M5H 2M9
(416) 361-1000

Book online now and get the special $199 CDN per night rate!
Single and double occupancy available at this rate.

Please make sure to mention
United Macedonian Diaspora Global Conference to get the special rate.
Hotel link: http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarG...0792&key=D4FCA

----------------------------------------------------

Are you a business owner? The 2nd UMD Global Conference is where you want to promote your business, products, and services.

Click to learn about our Business Expo; http://umdiaspora.org/images/UMDGC2010ExhibitorInfo.pdf

Click to learn about our sponsorship opportunities: http://umdiaspora.org/images/UMDGC20...ortunities.pdf

Don't miss out, be part of the 2nd UMD Global Conference Commemorative Journal. Click to learn more: http://umdiaspora.org/images/UMDGC2010ADForm.pdf

---------------------------------------------------

Bring your entire family to Toronto. Experience the city like a Torontonian. Learn about Toronto and its sites here: http://www.mytorontomeeting.com/

Register Today to attend the 2nd UMD Global Conference!
Registration Link: https://web.memberclicks.com/mc/quic...d&formId=74489

Have any questions? Call us at 1-800-UMD-9583 or e-mail [email protected]

[UMDiaspora.org]

The Canberra Times Features UMD Australia and New Zealand Tour

Click here to read: http://umdiaspora.org/images/Canberr...UMDFeature.pdf

[indigen]

Is "UMD" Guilty of Spamming the MTO Discussion forum?

UMDiaspora.org
The Canberra Times Features UMD Australia and New Zealand Tour
Click here to read: http://umdiaspora.org/images/Canberr...UMDFeature.pdf

IME, they are guilty of spamming in more than one way.

I would like the following concerns to be looked at by the MTO Administration:

1. The UMD signature is too long and is PURE ADVERTISING, IMO. If people want contact info on UMD, they can go to their website for it. Organisation signatures should only be allowed to provide a url link to their website and nothing more.

2. The MTO General Discussion forum is, and should be, for general discussion only and news and politics postings SHOULD be placed in the NEWS and POLITICS forum section!

3. Unless there is a need for specific discussion, then ALL UMD "news" postings should be grouped in one thread for UMD News.

4. The syndrome of blowing your own trumpet, i.e. self-promotion, unnecessarily should be scorned and eliminated/minimised as much as possible.

Cheers

[Risto the Great]

UMD, are you going to publicly comment on the resolution?

If not, remind us of your purpose for existing.

[Risto the Great]

For comments, questions, concerns, please contact us at:

I would expect comments, questions and concerns to be raised here and would expect dialogue, otherwise there will be some editing to merge all of your advertisements in one place.

[TrueMacedonian]

An interesting response, shall we now assume that the MPO is pro Macedonian? The Exarchacte's doings resonates to the present day all the way from the 1870s.
Scary stuff.

I highly doubt she will respond to my message on Maknews. But I will say that I find this organization reeks of Bulgarian propaganda and that this organization, if it is in fact so righteously 'Macedonian', has crapped all over the Macedonians in Pirin by supporting this Spaska Mitrova nutcase. Thank you MPO. I plan on seeing your end in the United States very swiftly.

[UMDiaspora.org]

UMD Appoints Boban Jovanovski as Director of U.S. Operations

http://umdiaspora.org/content/view/461/1/

The United Macedonian Diaspora is proud to announce the appointment of Boban Jovanovski as Director of U.S. Operations. Mr. Jovanovski is one of the original co-founders of the United Macedonian Diaspora and currently serves on the Board of Directors. Prior to his appointment as Director of U.S. Operations, Mr. Jovanovski was responsible for helping craft UMD's public policy statements, which are due to be published in the coming weeks. As Director of U.S. Operations, Mr. Jovanovski will be the point of contact for all UMD regional representatives, and will be responsible for implementing and administering UMD's programs within the United States

Mr. Jovanovski was born and raised in the metropolitan area of Detroit, Michigan in an immigrant family from the Tetovo region. In addition to his work the with United Macedonian Diaspora, Mr. Jovanovski has worked in the U.S. State Department, the U. S. House of Representatives, the International Monetary Fund, and the U.S. Census Bureau. He attended Syracuse University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and minored in Economics.

[UMDiaspora.org]

GREAT NEWS!!! U.S. Census Form Now in Macedonian!!!

GREAT NEWS!!! The U.S. Census 2010 Form is now available on the U.S. Census Bureau website in Macedonian! We thank Danijela Wilson (translator) and Trajko Papuckoski for all their hard work in making this happen, together with the U.S. Census Bureau team. This is quite an accomplishment, as it is the first time any U.S. Census Form has been translated into Macedonian. Click HERE to view it and spread the word!

Next week, Census forms will be mailed to households across the country and Macedonian American 2010 Census Project Coalition is calling on you to fill out the form and return it by mail. Here is the basic Census timeline:

- This week: your household receives an "advance letter" from the Census Bureau about the arrival of the forms;
- Next week: you will receive the 2010 Census form, it has 10 simple questions and takes 10 minutes; complete it and return it by mail;
- By early April: If your household has not returned its survey, you may receive a replacement; Census takers will visit households that do not mail back a questionnaire to take a count in person.
- About the Form: it comes to your address ("Resident") not in your name; answer the 10 basic questions for all those living in your household (regardless of their relation to you) but not those relatives living elsewhere on April 1 (college students, military personnel, etc.); Questionnaire assistance is available in Macedonian.
- Macedonian Ancestry: while the 2010 Census does not have a general question on ethnic ancestry, Macedonian Americans may choose to indicate their Macedonian heritage under Question 9 under "Some Other Race." Responses to this question will not be published with official race statistics but will be made available upon request to the Coalition, researchers, and advocates.

What can you do?

- Make sure to fill out the form! Click http://umdiaspora.org/content/view/462/1/ for more details and instructions. All answers on the Census are strictly confidential and will not be released to other government agencies! Thus, everyone should fill out the form! The Department of Justice has stated that the Census Act Trumps the Patriot Act.
- Make sure to SPREAD THE WORD to everyone who you know is Macedonian!
- Make sure to help elderly Macedonians fill out the form!
- If you are a community leader, print out copies of this e-mail, along with the Macedonian language Census assistance guide and give to your community members.
- Macedonian Orthodox Easter is April 4 - make sure to have extra copies for the church services and dances!

Every year, the federal government allocates more than $400 billion to states and communities based, in part, on census data. The data are used to determine locations and improvements for schools, hospitals, housing developments, health care clinics, and other community facilities.

[Risto the Great]

Dear UMD, I had a quick go in assessing the resolution and providing an opinion.
Can you please let us know what you disagree with.
We are trying to determine your ideology.