SEEU - South East European University - 2018 Year in Review Video

Here is a link to SEEU's 2018 Year in Review video:

https://www.facebook.com/SEEUniversity/videos/1989008654735178/

Guardian Photo Essay -- Skopje Modernist Architecture

Click here for more:

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2018/sep/06/modernist-architecture-skopje-macedonia-in-pictures?fbclid=IwAR1FJyyZTs_09VW-SBImiLzcdx0jtB1s2KIwjuK0qntJtnVyRzo5rmqAbdU

 Interesting photo essay in the Guardian:

"The modernist architecture of Skopje – in pictures"

Devastated by an earthquake in 1963, the capital of Macedonia was rebuilt under the auspices of the UN in a process that defined solidarity and cooperation in a divided era. A team of international architects led by Japan’s Kenzō Tange brought about one of the world’s most powerful architectural statements of the 20th century. This architecture is featured in a map of Skopje produced by Blue Crow Media
All photographs: Vase Amanito for Blue Crow Media

Alsat-M Morning Show -- Judithanne McLauchlan with Gazmend Ilazi -- discussion about Fulbright cooperation

What a treat to be a guest on the morning show on the Alsat-M TV station in Skopje.  Gazmend Ilazi of the US Embassy, who facilitates the Fulbright Program and other outreach programs as a part of the Public Affairs team, helped translate our discussion about the cooperation resulting from my Fulbright Award to North Macedonia.

 
Link to the Alsat-M Morning Show video on YouTube

 

 

"A Crisis of Conscience in Fake News" article in the Atlantic - the role of teens in Veles in the 2016 presidential election

A new article in the Atlantic about the role of teens in Veles, Macedonia in the 2016 presidential election. Please click on this link so that you can see the video.

https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/577033/fake-news-fairytale/

 A Crisis of Conscience in Fake News

Nov 30, 2018 |

Video by Kate Stonehill

Once upon a time, an economically depressed and largely forgotten town in the Balkans experienced a digital gold rush. The average monthly salary in Veles, Macedonia, had been $371; now young denizens were earning up to $16,000.

The year was 2016, and the gold was fake news.

The idea that fake news most likely helped Donald Trump get elected is, well, old news. An Ohio University study published in April suggested that fake news dissuaded 4 percent of President Barack Obama's 2012 supporters from voting for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. But the extent to which a network of Macedonian teens remotely influenced the U.S. presidential election is still being uncovered.

“Hey, Macedonian teenagers,” yelled Stephen Colbert in a segment from The Late Show that aired on November 16, 2016. “Why can't you just do normal teenager stuff? Knock it off!”

One teenager did knock it off, but only after he learned of the havoc his and his peers’ actions had wreaked on a democracy thousands of miles away. The filmmaker Kate Stonehill calls him “Sashko,” though that’s not his real name. Stonehill tells his story in her short documentary, Fake News Fairytale, which premieres on The Atlantic today.

The film shows the far-reaching consequences of Sashko’s ambition to make a quick buck. Although Sashko is played by an actor in the film to protect his identity, he’s a real person with a real story—and a real conscience.

“I think there’s a common misconception that people who write fake news must have a nefarious desire to influence politics one way or another,” Stonehill told The Atlantic. “I’m sure some of them undoubtedly do, but I met many people in Macedonia, including Sashko, who were writing fake news simply because they can make some money.”

The film is crafted like a fairy tale, a format Stonehill said allowed her “to explore some of the more interesting questions around fake-ness and lies in storytelling. Fairy tales are fake stories that capture our imagination and draw us in, regardless of their truth.”

Stonehill and her cinematographer, Ronnie McQuillan, shot much of the film with a VHS camera “as a playful way of questioning what makes footage appear authentic to an audience,” she said. “From the very beginning, I wanted there to be some uncertainty around the authorship of the film, in the same way that there is with fake news. Who is telling the story, and how believable is it?”

The film also features imagery of actors wearing paper-cutout faces depicting the likes of Trump, Obama, and Clinton. Even though Stonehill shot in Macedonia, she wanted to remind the viewer that the story ultimately impacts the United States. “The masks also completely flatten the politicians into two-dimensional parodies of themselves,” she added, “which is exactly what fake news does.”

While making Fake News Fairytale, Stonehill came across a particularly resonant quote: “A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can get its boots on.”

“In the true spirit of fake news, this quote has been misattributed to lots of different authors over time,” Stonehill said. “I have no idea who the originator of the quote is, but I think it’s a very true statement and very indicative of what we’re seeing with fake news.”

Stonehill believes the first step to combatting the seductive proliferation of falsehoods is opening up an honest, critical discussion about technology, speech, and politics in order to better understand the fake-news phenomenon. “How, when, and why did the truth lose its currency?” she asked. “Who is profiting when the truth doesn’t matter? In my opinion, we’re only just beginning to unpack the answers to these questions.”

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.

Author: Emily Buder

About This Series

A showcase of short films curated by The Atlantic

Welcoming the Mayor of Klos, Albania -- the Honorable Basir Cupa - to Pinellas County, FL -- Dinner at Jessi's Restaraunt -- Jason Sulisufay

 

Recently a colleague from SEEU (South East European University - https://www.seeu.edu.mk/) -- Blerton Zejneli -- connected me with Atlas Corps Fellow Edison Frangu.

Edison Frangu was in the U.S. (Washington, DC) as an Atlas Corps Fellow, serving with OpenGovHub (see http://opengovhub.org/ourteam/).

Edison was in Florida with the Mayor of Klos municipality (Albania) and was assisting the Mayor,  the Honorable Basir Cupa, with arranging visits with municipalities in the Tampa Bay region.

After visiting the City Halls of Madeira Beach and Pinellas Park, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at

Jessi's Restaurant

in Pinellas Park.  Owner Jason Sulisufay is a business leader in Pinellas Park and also active in the Albanian diaspora.  The restaurant menu is quite diverse - and features mostly "American" style cuisine. However, I was so happy to sample some Albanian dishes as a part of this sampler (like the qofte/meatballs) and to bring home some cheese pie similar to my daughter's favorite burek.    

 

 Looking forward to returning with my daughter!
 
For more about Jessi's Restaraunt, see  http://jessisrestaurant.com/
https://www.facebook.com/JessisRestaurant/

Welcoming the Mayor of Klos, Albania, the Honorable Basir Cupa, to Pinellas Park -- meeting with Mayor Sandy Bradbury, Edison Frangu, and Jason Sulisufay

Mayor Bradbury, Mayor Cupa, business leader Jason Sulisufay, and Edison Frangu

Recently a colleague from SEEU (South East European University - https://www.seeu.edu.mk/) -- Blerton Zejneli -- connected me with Atlas Corps Fellow Edison Frangu.

Edison Frangu was in the U.S. (Washington, DC) as an Atlas Corps Fellow, serving with OpenGovHub (see http://opengovhub.org/ourteam/).

Edison was in Florida with the Mayor of Klos municipality (Albania) and was assisting the Mayor,  the Honorable Basir Cupa, with arranging visits with municipalities in the Tampa Bay region.

I was honored to welcome Mayor Cupa and Edison to Madeira Beach -- and to help arrange a visit with our City Administrator, the Vice Mayor, and the Fire Department.


After visiting Madeira Beach, we went to City Hall in Pinellas Park for a tour and meeting with the Mayor, the Honorable Sandy Bradbury.   

It was an interesting comparison/contrast between the municipal governments of Madeira Beach and Pinellas Park.  Thanks so much to Mayor Bradbury for taking the time to meet with us.


For more about Pinellas Park, see http://www.pinellas-park.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/cityofpinellaspark/ 

a tour of the City Council Chambers

Mayor Cupa with Mayor Bradbury, in her office

we learned a lot about the history of Pinellas Park, "the heart of Pinellas County"

 

Welcoming the Mayor of Klos, Albania -- the Honorable Mayor Basir Cupa -- and Atlas Corps Fellow Edison Frangu -- to Madeira Beach, Florida

In the City Commission Chamber with Edison Frangu, Mayor Basir Cupa, and City Manager Jonathan Evans

  Recently a colleague from SEEU (South East European University - https://www.seeu.edu.mk/) -- Blerton Zejneli -- connected me with Atlas Corps Fellow Edison Frangu.

Edison Frangu was in the U.S. (Washington, DC) as an Atlas Corps Fellow, serving with OpenGovHub (see http://opengovhub.org/ourteam/).

Edison was in Florida with the Mayor of Klos municipality (Albania) and was assisting the Mayor,  the Honorable Basir Cupa, with arranging visits with municipalities in the Tampa Bay region.

I was honored to welcome Mayor Cupa and Edison to Madeira Beach -- and to help arrange a visit with our City Administrator, the Vice Mayor, and the Fire Department.

For more about the government of the City of Madeira Beach, see http://madeirabeachfl.gov/
https://www.facebook.com/MadeiraBeachFLA/

For more about the City of Madeira Beach Fire Department, see https://www.facebook.com/MadeiraBeachFD/

with Vice Mayor Debbie Weinstein

with Vice Mayor Debbie Weinstein

the City Commission Chambers is a circular room with panoramic views -- this is my first time trying to capture a panoramic picture on my phone...not sure I am doing this room justice

 

such an interesting meeting with City Manager Jonathan Evans -- thanks so much for your time!

reviewing the MadBch budget and items for the City Commission meeting that evening

the room where the technicians work to bring the City Commission meetings to our living rooms via the TV station

 We had such a fantastic tour of the MadBch Fire Station! Thanks to the firefighters who gave us the tour of the station and the trucks, and who told us all about the Fire Dept -- government funding, regulations, intergovernmental relations (relationship/responsibilities of the city, county, and state when it comes to fire safety)

Clover! The fire house dog

the view from outside the City Commission chambers

"The Multiplier Effect" -- poster presentation about the many projects resulting from my Fulbright to Macedonia -- Fulbright Welcome Reception 2018 USF World 2018

 

I enjoyed the Annual Fulbright Welcome Reception hosted by the Fulbright Association Mid-Florida Chapter and USF World for Fulbrighters along the I-4 Corridor.

It is always a pleasure to join in welcoming Fulbrighters from around the world (this year, I met scholars from Nicaragua, Indonesia, Peru, New Zealand, Morocco, Ecuador, Mexico, Russia...) as well as to welcome back US Scholars who were away on Fulbright last year (this year, from Canada, Bulgaria, Palestine, Poland, Malaysia...)

I appreciate the poster presentations that are a part of the reception.  This year, I presented a poster

The Multiplier Effect: How My Fulbright to Macedonia Inspired Many New Projects

Honestly, it was hard to capture all of the programs and activities that grew out of my Fulbright to Macedonia last year, but I included highlights:

--Joint Comparative Legal Research Project, linking my USFSP Constitutional Law class with Amb. Prof. Dr. Blerim Reka's (and my former) Constitutional Law students at SEEU and the presentations at the USFSP Research Conference/US Embassy's American Corner in Skopje

--welcoming Prof. Karolina Ristova-Aasterud of UKIM to USFSP for Women's HERStory Month keynote address and meetings with my Women and the Law students (and my students' poster presentations at the event)

--welcoming Amb. Prof. Dr. Blerim Reka of SEEU to USFSP, for a public lecture, visit with my Constitutional Law class, and meetings with USFSP leadership

--signing Memorandum of Understanding between USFSP and SEEU (April 2018)

--hosting the delegation of Macedonian political leaders for ACYPL and the US Embassy in Skopje (December 2017)

--elected to serve on the SEEU Board of Trustees (June 2018)

--presenting at the Pre-Departure Orientation for outbound Fulbrighters, Washington, DC (July 2018) and on the Pre-Departure call for the outbound delegates for the first exchange to Macedonia for ACYPL (August 2018)

--welcoming Macedonians to Tampa Bay, journalist Arta Tahiri (Edward R. Murrow Program, IVLP, May 2018) and Judge Olja Krstikjeska (IVLP, World Partnerships, April 2018)

--participated in meetings at the US Department of State, Washington, DC as part of Macedonian Assistance Review (November 2017)

--my presentations during International Education Week at USFSP about my Fulbright to Macedonia, "Rule of Law and Civil Society" and during International Women's Day Luncheon at the Athena Society ("Challenges and Opportunities Facing Women in Moldova and Macedonia"

I could go on and on and on with the ripple effect of my Fulbright to Macedonia (Spring 2017) ... this is only the sample that I could squeeze onto this tri-fold display board!  (And, of course, many projects still in the work....including return research trip later this Fall)

sharing my poster with the President of the Mid-Florida Chapter of the Fulbright Association, Prof. Darlene DeMarie

   

This year, it was a special treat to see my former student Lauren Shumate present her poster about her Fulbright ETA in Serbia:

 

Lauren was a student in my Moldova Study Abroad course.  And she brought this publication from ULIM that includes an article drafted by her during the course (thanks again to Prof. Larisa Patlis and our colleagues at ULIM!)

I also had the pleasure of serving on Lauren's MA Thesis Committee at USF. She recently had a law review article published that utilized some of her thesis research (regarding justice sector reform)

What is the Mid-Florida Chapter of the Fulbright Association?

 

 The Keynote Speaker:

Darlene DeMarie kicking off the event

Asst Vice President Kiki Caruson introduces the Keynote Speaker

 

Keynote Speaker (and Mid-Florida Chapter of the Fulbright Association Board Member), Fulbrighter from New Zealand working on her Ph.D. at USF -- Imogene Browne -- told us about her recent two-month research trip to Antarctica.  The expedition was able to drill into the arctic, retrieving sediment cores and evaluating them in order to understand Antarctic ice sheet history.

She asks -- why should we care about this ice sheet research? Imogene offered many reasons, but on this PPT slide you can see that among the top 30 cities that will be affected by sea level rise, 17 are in Florida -- including St Pete and Tampa!

so interesting to see the ship and to learn more about the international community of scientists who took part in this expedition. Go Bulls!