Poverty, the “tax” of being late in time By Mirto Çela In my library, the first De Agostini Calendar-Sanksor is from 1937, of my father. Il Libro d'Oro, last published in Albania at that time and at the same time in Europe of the advanced and technical 1920s, still primitive, backward and illiterate nations. The last one perhaps Albania. According to[:?] NPG in the consumer world? The country in poverty and 20-year primitivism. If another, changing standard were used, Albania could at once be called a country belonging to the previous millennium and to the one that is knocking at the door. According to Academician Rexhep Qosja, Albanian poverty is the only thing that separates our country from the rest of civilized Europe. Action and replacements, with hesitation in appointments... reformed institutions, but still far from the required standard, as if to convince us that we have lost time. Crossing the threshold of 2000, other nations feel calm in the face of the future, while we are still counting the failures of the past. That is why poverty remains a kind of tax that we pay for our historical delay. P. 10

Happy 2000

By Genc Tirana The fate of a nation is closely tied to its citizen and its land. These loves can never harm the fate of a people or a homeland. They are loves that bring people’s lives closer together. They are inseparable ties to our ancestors, to thought, culture, traditions, and freedom. Everyone wants to remain faithful to their country, but not everyone reaches the height of this bond. Although Albanians have proved over the centuries that they are attached to their land, they have continually endured the pains and sacrifices of history. In these circumstances, our people have always sought to display a natural nobility and culture in their relations with others. For this reason, freedom and national independence have been unavoidable goals. Europe has lived alongside Albanians, but often it has not been able or has not wanted to recognize their reality. These historical mistakes have been repeated in different ways and have left severe consequences for our nation. Good people, scholars, and the most worthy sons of Albania never separated their hearts from the homeland. Today, on the eve of a new millennium, Albanians must be masters of their own destiny, decide for themselves the direction of the country, and not remain hostage to foreign interests. Hope for a better future is born from work, education, morality, and the strength of social solidarity. If the past century brought many wounds, the coming century must bring peace, understanding, and the strengthening of the democratic state. Only in this way will our nation move forward with dignity.

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