Interview – Page 2 – Dielli

DIELLI EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW …

November 25, 2020 by dgreca

DIELLI EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH PHYSICIAN OF INTERNAL MEDICINE AT ILLINOIS NORTHSHORE UNIVERSITY:-“Healthcare workers continue to be incredible examples of courage, empathy, and collegiality”-

by Rafaela Prifti-

In an exclusive interview with Adela K., Physician at Northshore University Healthsystem in Evanston Illinois, she detailed the current surge and demands on hospital capacities in the days leading to Thanksgiving holiday. She said that “for healthcare workers, even the most mundane tasks have turned into logistical nightmares from arranging reliable childcare, adding new steps to self-disinfecting after the work shift, maintaining social distance even when they go home, finding time for grocery shopping and meal preparation, helping children with remote learning all the way to their heightened sense of urgency in addressing issues such as advance directives and living wills.” Faced with extreme physical and mental exhaustion, “healthcare workers continue to be incredible examples of courage, empathy, and collegiality”

As a physician of the Department of Internal Medicine at Illinois Northshore University, what data do you have that indicates the severity of the current surge of the pandemic and how does it compare with the previous one?

There has been a steady increase of cumulative cases in Illinois since the start of the pandemic as data provided by CDC recording the metric of cumulative cases of Covid-19 by number of days since 100 total cases first recorded, as shown in Graph 1. The number of new cases in the state is detailed in Graph 2. As of November 23, the number of infections statewide has totaled 664,620, and 11,552 Covid-19 related deaths. In my view, the severity of the surge correlates best with the number of new cases, the positivity rate, indicated in Graph 2 and other metrics such as mortality rate and the capacity of the healthcare system to handle the demands. Last week Illinois was averaging 12,384 new cases per day, the highest 7-day average since the start of the pandemic. This past week, luckily, we have seen a slight improvement from that number down to 8,322 of new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 on Monday Nov 23rd. But it is too early to tell if this is true bending of the curve or just a statistical fluctuation. And there’s the threat of holiday gatherings that can quickly undo any improvement.

The next three pictures provide a comparative view as they list the number of cases, deaths, total number of tests and test positivity given as cumulative count as well as in the last month and last week. The data shows that the positivity rate is at above 10 % this past month and past week, not quite as high as it was in the spring when it was above 20 %, but that is a reflection of more people being tested. The worst month in terms of deaths was May, with around 3000 deaths. On the bright side, we have learned a lot about SARS-CoV-2 and its management, so the death rate from the disease is lower now compared with the spring. That being said the cumulative number of SARS-Co-V-2 patients is much higher and therefore we are seeing the number of deaths increasing.

What about the capacity of the healthcare system to handle the current demand?

In terms of the capacity of the healthcare system to handle the demand, Chicago Tribune published an article to describe the situation in detail as of November 24. Here’s a chart showing the number of hospitalizations over time.

The guidance and advice of the public health officials is to break away from the traditional Thanksgiving gatherings in order to keep the holiday from having a negative impact on the current situation with the pandemic. What do you hear from your patients?

I practice in the inpatient setting. Since my patients are sick enough to be hospitalized, Thanksgiving travel plans are out of the question. We do recommend that after discharge, they continue to isolate for 20 days since the day of the positive test.

With consideration to the impact of the pandemic, some studies have focused on the connection between anxiety and mental illness and COVID-19:. I read some news reports about “long-haulers”? What can you tell us about it?

My practice is limited in the hospital setting. During the hospitalization period we do see a lot of encephalopathy which manifests as lethargy and confusion which are neurologic manifestations of Covid-19. Most people do improve by the time they are ready to be discharged, but I have seen a few cases of elderly who got sick in the spring, and have returned for different issues still not recovered mentally. It is a picture very similar to that of advanced dementia, some with behavioral disturbances. They require significant assistance with the activities of daily living. Then there is the separate group of the so-called “long haulers” who in addition to the physical symptoms experience significant anxiety and depression. There is a ripple effect in the society as a whole when we consider the impact the pandemic is having on the mental health of family members, associated with a significant level of stress compounded by limitations in visitation policies. I see a lot of anxiety, feeling of helplessness and being overwhelmed.

You mentioned that you will be in the Covid team for the next several days. Explain what that means, please.

We rotate as attending physicians for Covid patients. So in the next few days all my patients will be Covid patients who are hospitalized. I am part of the team that will be handling their management on the general medical floor.

For months now, one group, in particular, has been overwhelmed and overburdened to the brink of endurance. What can you tell us about the general mood of the health workers?

This is such a loaded question. For healthcare workers dealing with challenges and crisis has always been a daily occurrence. But the magnitude of this pandemic has faced health workers literally with the fight of their lives. In addition to the physical and mental demands of the job, there are new and significant challenges in our personal, family and social lives.

For us as essential workers who can not work from home, even the most mundane tasks all of a sudden have turned into logistical nightmares. Things like arranging reliable childcare, adding new steps to self disinfecting after work, maintaining social distance even within the home, finding time for grocery shopping and meal preparation, helping our children with remote learning, the list goes on. Even though most people I know avoid talking about it, especially in households where both parents are healthcare workers with young children, there is a heightened sense of urgency in addressing issues such as advance directives and living wills.

This pandemic is far from over and we have to keep going. Despite the physical and mental exhaustion they face, healthcare workers continue to be incredible examples of courage, empathy, and collegiality.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH KRISTI PANCE – ASSOCIATE RESEARCH FELLOW AT ROGERS CORPORATION INNOVATION CENTER

November 13, 2020 by dgreca

by Rafaela Prifti/

Kristi Pance’s research work has been awarded many US, European and worldwide patents. He says that it takes some time for new inventions to find large scale applications but he is optimistic about the new antennas designed by him and a team of colleagues. Kristi believes that the 2020 pandemic will have long term social, economic, political and scientific ramifications. His advice to students and young researchers is to fail effectively and to keep it simple. In the end, he shares a special message for Albania’s Independence Day!

Read full interview in Dielli’s Special Issue of November

I am grateful for this opportunity to talk with you, an Albanian-American physicist and researcher. I will start with a question about the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics. Three Laureates shared the prestigious honor awarded last month: Roger Penrose of Oxford University for showing that the general theory of relativity leads to the formation of black holes, Reinhard Genzel of LMU and Andrea Ghez of University of California, Los Angeles for discovering methods indicating that an invisible and extremely heavy object governs the orbits of stars at the center of our galaxy. What do these achievements mean for fellow physicists such as yourself? What is their significance for science at large?

Predicting Nobel Prize individual winners is rather more difficult than anticipating the winning field at times. For example this year, astrophysics was one of the expected winning fields of science. In a classic Nobel trio, the prize was awarded to a theoretical astrophysicist, Roger Penrose and two experimental and observational astrophysicists, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez for their ground-breaking discoveries in black hole physics. Sir Roger Penrose is a mathematical physicist, mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions in different fields of science. One of the most celebrated scientists of our time, Penrose was a long-time collaborator of the great Steven Hawking. He and Hawking were the first to prove that black holes come out naturally from the equations of General Relativity when applied to stars or systems of stars with masses above a certain threshold. Sir Penrose invented wonderful mathematical tools to explain and further develop General Relativity and black hole physics. Looking back at the history of science and particularly astronomy, the moment of shifting from Ptolemy geocentric to the Copernican heliocentric system was a great scientific and philosophical tipping point. The significance of our Sun being at the center of the solar system gave rise to ideas and theories of possible existences of other solar systems in even greater hierarchical structures called galaxies. It serves as an analogy to the recent discoveries and advancements in the theory of super massive black holes at the center of any galaxy. The two Laureates, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez developed very fine methods to map out with great accuracy the motions of stars near the center of our galaxy as evidence of the existence of supermassive black holes.

As a Research Fellow at the Rogers Corporations, how do you view the correlation between technological needs and the driving force for innovation and research? How do you perceive the synergy between science and technology, that is summarized in the expression: Science questions beget new technology and new technology begets new science?

There exists a great correlation between science and technology. After all technology is nothing less than science applied for practical needs. The day-to-day needs motivate research which results in a new scientific contribution followed by a novel technology, which potentially pushes further the boundaries of science discoveries and so on. For example, today’s communications speed calls for a high capacity of data transmission. Science responded by inventing and designing massive MIMO (multiple input and multiple output) systems. Their practical production requires smaller, more efficient and lower cost components, pushing the current limits of technology. Among other things, it requires developing new materials which is a longstanding traditional expertise at Rogers Corporation. To illustrate it with an example that ties in with the 2020 Nobel Prize Physics Award: the Hawking-Penrose famous paper on gravitational collapse and singularities that predicted black holes was presented in 1970. Although the methods did not exist, it fueled the efforts and pushed technological capabilities. Their work preceded Genzel-Ghez discovery by around 30 years.

You completed your college education in Albania in the late 80s. What was it like then? And what do you look forward to?

Right after finishing my undergraduate studies in 1987, I joined the faculty at the Theoretical Physics Department at the Natural Sciences College in Tirana. There I worked alongside some brilliant Albanian physicists. Five years later, I left Albania to complete advanced studies at the renown Center for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy. Then I had the opportunity to pursue my graduate studies at Northeastern in Boston. I consider myself part of the generation that received a very good education in Albania. We were equipped to compete successfully with well qualified peers and researchers in Europe and in the US. As an innovator, I look forward to large-scale commercialization of my inventions in widely applied or practical uses.

What is your advice to students and young graduates as they embark on the areas of modern sciences? What advice would you have given yourself in Albania? Have you encountered an increased interest by Albanian students in the science of physics?

I have come to know quite a number of very successful Albanian students of Science and Engineering here in the States. My advice may sound cliche yet it is worth repeating: work hard and never give up! There are no shortcuts particularly in science. To the young researchers, I would advise: “Fail efficiently!” Let me explain what I mean by that. The harder you work, the faster you are bound to encounter failure and the better you are able to manage your failures, the closer you come to the eventual success. A successful researcher or innovator is obviously knowledgeable, however his edge over the competition comes from another type of knowledge that is acquired through endless hours of hard work. The more efficiently you fail, the closer you come to the right solution, because you know more about the paths and ways that don’t work. That is a wonderful piece of knowledge that is only yours, not written or found in the books and that can make the whole difference. One more piece of advice: “Target simplicity”. Nature’s ultimate secret is simplicity, albeit elusive. A solution, or model that seems complicated, is likely wrong. We usually try to complicate things, but the ability to complicate is in fact a disability.

During the time of the pandemic, there has been resistance and even disregard for the science based approach. If one area specifically public health is ignored, what could be the repercussions for the larger science community?

It has been a difficult time for everybody. In our lifetime, I don’t remember any other period where it was so important to listen to the experts. Although, I must say here that because of the different nature and complexity of this pandemic there were disagreements in the science community stemming from the challenges of facing a new virus. Yet, almost all of them agreed on the ways of preventing the spread of the airborne pathogen. That should have been listened to. Unfortunately, it was not. From a theological point of view, I strongly believe, as do so many, that 2020 pandemic will be a turning point in world history with short and long term social, economic, political, technological and scientific consequences. We could make some historical parallels with the 14th century plague in Europe, which prompted the European Renaissance. More than five centuries have passed since then with tremendous development in sciences and technology and yet the human race remains vulnerable. The warning signs did not inform our preventive practices. Instead they were ignored repeatedly. Another illustration from science history. In 1977, famous physicist Louis Alvarez after analyzing geological layers proposed the asteroid impact theory that triggered Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction. His theory was criticized in the beginning, but bit by bit scientists accepted it and discovered even the impact site. Nevertheless, the general thinking remained skeptical. Less than two decades later, in 1994 all scientific community watched in awe the cosmic impact of Shoemaker comet colliding with Jupiter. So, we witnessed the cosmic impacts with catastrophic consequences that happened (fortunately on another planet). The same can be said for the 2020 global pandemic. It could have been, and still could be much worse if we don’t learn the lessons. It has shown the vulnerability of the human race, the risk of a possible extinction. In reaction to it, we will see humanity speeding up efforts towards the new space and technological frontiers. We will witness soon Mars exploration. Maybe humanity will seriously push towards the first considered advanced scale of civilization, called Kardashev Type 1 civilization, by harnessing, storing and using all the energy available on planet Earth. I am very optimistic that after this chaos we will see a worldwide organized response that will bring nations and governments closer together.

The city of Boston carries a special significance for us. It is the birthplace of the Pan-Albanian Federation of America Vatra and its publication Dielli, dating back in 1912, still in circulation today. The founders and leaders of Vatra like Fan Noli and Faik Konica advocated and promoted Albanian independence. Noli established the Albanian Church in Boston and much more. What features of Boston do you appreciate more?

One of the early European settlements, Boston is an intricate part of America’s history. The city is home to magnificent art museums, cultural heritage, some of the nation’s top schools, world class scientific research, as well as a global leader in entrepreneurship and innovation. My family and I have a few favorite spots in the city including the Museum of Science and Boston Symphony Hall. As you said, Boston is also spiritually special for the Albanian community in America.

Read full interview in Dielli’s Special Issue of November

INTERVIEW WITH MS. SOPHIA ZAYAS, BRONX REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE AT THE NY GOVERNOR OFFICE

July 3, 2020 by dgreca

BY RAFAELA PRIFTI/

Ms. Sophia Zayas, Bronx Representative at the Governor Cuomo’s Office of Regional Affairs, talked to the English Editor of Dielli (The Sun) about the dramatic impact of the pandemic to the community she serves and the strength of cultivating relationships that unite us. Her immigrant roots make her feel at home in the densely populated and diverse neighborhoods of the Bronx including a large Albanian-American community. She has attended Albania’s and Kosovo’s Independence Day along with Albanian representatives, officials, families and guests, who remember Ms. Zayas hand-signing of the eagle and saying in perfect Albanian, “Hej Shqipe!” a common greeting among fellow Albanians. All those memories became more endearing in the months of the pandemic that started in March followed by lockdown orders in New York, which was suddently the epicenter of a major health crisis. In those days most New Yorkers, overwhelmed and anxious, watched Governor Cuomo’s daily briefings to stay informed and learn how to manage or practice a new kind of living in the time of Coronavirus.

I conducted my interview with Sophia Zayas in two parts, starting at the end of May. At the time, some areas in the Bronx were more affected compared to other boroughs. The Regional Representative worked on the front lines with community leaders, advocates and residents. I asked her to describe the response specifically to those 5 zip codes, where at least one has a large Albanian population. “I communicated on a daily basis with local electeds, community representatives and related the feedback to Albany and to the Governor. One contributing factor of the situation was the large influx of impoverished people that highlighted health disparities. I was able to communicate the need of the significantly affected areas to the Governor, who responded by bringing more testing to the South Bronx. A good step in our response to the unfolding heath crisis was the antibody testing. It was the outcome of effective communication with churches and members of the community. At the same time, the response in Zip codes that were less affected focused on providing more PPE, more hand sanitizer from the state, and equipment to protect themselves,” said the Governor’s Bronx Representative. When I addressed a shared concern about testing capacity in New York, Ms. Zayas recalled the “rough patch between the Governor and the Federal Government to address the need to increase testing”. She added: “As a result of those efforts, COVID diagnostic testing and antibody testing are available to urgent care centers, pharmacies, churches and grocery stores, in order to get employees tested. In addition, antibody testing was brought to supermarkets, although it wasn’t promoted, it was only for random sampling. It has a great success rate and the community response was immediate. They appreciated seeing that the Governor’s Office and Department of Health were out there and concerned about their needs.” Talking about NAICHA – Housing Authority – which is overrun with cases, Sophia noted that the need came to the regional representatives and it was addressed by the Governor. “They developed a program,” said Ms. Zayas, “consisting of ready responders such as paramedics and practitioners who are currently on-site at the housing facilities. Residents can call the ready responders to their doors for their health needs.” In my next question I brought up the preparations for a possible second wave, that was much talked about in the media. She indicated that while trying to be optimistic about getting through the worst time, this is no time to put the guard down. Experts have stated that a second wave is probable. “As we go into Phase One of the reopening,” the Bronx Borough Gubernatorial official said, “Pelham Gardens which has a significant number of Albanians, has a dramatically higher Infection rates compared to the city. My job as the Regional Rep. as we’re going into phase one is to listen and console people who are in quarantine and under lockdown orders, but also to encourage mask-wearing and take preventive measures. People have been distracted because of the tragedies, looting and rioting. I’m trying to put the focus on putting a mask and social distancing and to be careful. I think we’re at a good place in terms of the COVID cases as a state. The Bronx has to be mindful of how we go about moving forward.”

She paused briefly to make a point about the protest and the health risks: “There was an uproar in our state and country. The protesters, marchers, looters and rioters on the street, are not practicing the safety measures which could mean a possible risk of an increase in infection cases. The Governor fears that if we start feeling overconfident with the low numbers now, we may become less vigilant in facing the virus. Often when people don’t read or hear about it, they start thinking the virus must be gone. That is not the case.” She believes that under the strong leadership of the Governor the community stepped up to meet the challenge of an incredible magnitude and impact. From it, she acknowledges the valuable lessons of managing a health crisis and battling a pandemic. With regard to the economic impact, I asked her to share how the community felt about the first phase of reopening, which was on June 8th while protests had erupted, violent at times, and were continuing for days in our neighborhoods. “In light of protests, we have to pay close attention to what is happening in the region. COVID-19 is still in focus, while we have to stay alert to keep people from destroying properties and businesses that communities had worked hard to build for years. Reopening of construction and manufacturing companies and certain businesses who sell food is good for the economy and the community, as we they continue to practice social distancing and common sense,” said Sophia.

We continued the second part of the interview, when 100 days of the pandemic had passed from the date the first case was identified. Bronx had been a hotspot that experienced a significant rise of COVID-19 cases, a respiratory disease caused by a highly contagious virus. In the fourth month of the global health crises, the threat of the virus has not diminished. In one of the press briefings I attended, Governor Cuomo said that there is another virus in the society, “the virus of racism”. As protesters took to the streets to demand racial equality, the riots again impacted some boroughs like Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx more significantly. There were sections in the Bronx like Fordham, Grand Concourse, Burnside, that saw a lot of devastation. The excitement of the phase one of the reopening was affected by a lot of destruction of small businesses, the looting and rioting in the streets and in our own community.
“Albanian businesses were not affected by the looters and the rioters,” remarked Sophia. “Areas with Albanian businesses such as Morris Park were ready. They kept united and they didn’t allow for looters to come in their neighborhoods, whereas some Latino and Black-owned businesses were torn apart. Burnside, Grand Concourse and Fordham have minority owned businesses. Sadly, the looters ended up hurting their own community. I visited these areas with the President of The Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, Marlene Cintron, to assess the damage and assist through the Department of Financial Services, and loan programs.”

Ms. Sophia Zayas, who holds a College Degree in Business Law, is the first woman in her family to hold a state-level office position. I asked her to take me through her work day. Sophia answered: “The day of a Regional Rep is pretty unpredictable. I have been a Rep for 2 years. A pre-pandemic workday would include a range of things: such as setting out an agenda, working on regional reports, expense reports to brief the Governor, emails from Albany, scheduling maybe a conference or planning events for the Governor whether it’s visits, scoping out places, speaking to people in the community, speaking to elected officials. One of the rep’s tasks is planning a program. who do we want to see in the audience, who do we invite, what is the topic, what will the Governor address. It is very challenging and overwhelming. We are molded for perfection as the governor is a perfectionist. Staying informed about the regional issues and its needs and also communicating effectively with the elected officials is of primary importance. I ask them what issues need to be addressed or if there’s anything I could do for them. I reach out to advocates or they could reach out to me. The advocates are non-profit organizations. Community residents can reach out about housing. We do constituency work. If they’re not a part of my region I can refer them to a colleague or agency that can help them. There’s always action going on. The Reps know each other on a familial level and we work endless hours together. Our job is stressful but it comes with rewards. There are times where I’ve been upset and stressed out because something doesn’t turn out the way I want.”

I asked if she could share a moment that had made her proud.

Ms. Zayas said that the Sheridan Expressway was a huge transportation project that is still going on now. “The Governor wanted to come to the Bronx to announce it. They gave me 18 hours to build an event for the Expressway. I didn’t know how I was going to get 400 people in a room in less than 18 hours. I made calls and sent emails, reached out to people and the school we were close to. We ended up with 500 people in the auditorium. The Governor was very pleased and congratulated me so I felt accomplished in my job as a Rep,” For Sophia, part of that event comes with cultivating relationships in the community.” It was a great segue to my last question about her connections with the Albanian community and who was the first Albanian she had met in the Bronx. “The first Albanian I met was Esad Rizai. I introduced myself as the new Bronx Regional Representative. In observance of the Albanian independence. I brought the proclamation on behalf of the Governor and presented it to the Albanian-American Society Foundation. We became great friends. Albanians are very welcoming and accepting. I feel that my network of Albanians is wide, I’ve been able to cultivate relationships with the Albanian community. This past year at the Kosovo Independence event I presented the proclamation to honor posthumously Ali Rizai, Esad’s father, and the work he’s done. I brought Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul to honor Albania and Kosovo Independence at the Borough Hall at the Bronx Borough President Office. The Lieutenant Governor presented a proclamation on behalf of Governor Cuomo to the whole Albanian community and organizations. I value the good relationships of its members with Governor Cuomo. Whatever their needs might be, I try my best to provide services to keep them united.”

Interview with hair stylist Nazmi Salihu

November 13, 2016 by dgreca

By Mimoza Dajci/

We met by chance at the play “Karamel” in Manhattan- tell me Mr. Salihu- how did you grow to love this trade?/

Completely by chance. When I was very young, 15 or 16 years old in the early 80’s, my late mother Ajna, proposed to me that I should gain some professional skills after High School. One of these was hair cutting. At that time my boss helped me with my first steps and advised me that “if you want to succeed in any business, you really have to love what you are doing”. This way, one creates personality and succeeds. Almost immediately afterwards I fell in love with hair styling.

Which institution gave you your first lessons in this field?

The name of the professional academy where I learned was Aerodrom. It was located in Shkup and was the best academy in the region at that time.

When did you begin to achieve the vision of your trade which you have today, and do you view this vision as a responsibility to yourself?

After I finished the academy in Shkup, my family and I moved to Kosova, mainly because the discrimination of Macedonians towards Albanians there. We moved to the small town of Lipjan. There I set up a salon called Noli’s Hair Salon. Undoubtedly, this was a realization of my dream to be a hair stylist, and I achieved big success in this little town where I bought a house and lived with my family. Of course, if you want to succeed, you also feel a responsibility to yourself to keep up with the latest trends of the business. You also feel a responsibility toward your clients and you want to offer them the latest style. I have to emphasize that one of my biggest successes in my career was achieved in Budapest, Hungary where I participated in a hair styling competition where I placed third and was awarded. This was a big achievement for me at the time and I could not believe that I had achieved success in such a prestigious international competition.

How about your kids? Do they like your profession? Are they as talented as you in styling hair?

Yes, I must say. As a matter of fact I did not encourage them to work with me in this field, but they themselves wanted to go to school and get a diploma in hair styling. This shows that they also have a passion for hair styling. My girls and boys studied hair styling in Brio Academy in Hartford, Connecticut. So in our salon, we now have my twin girls Alma and Nora who have gained 5 years of experience thus far. Also my son Urim, who has been working with us for 4 years, in which he has learned a lot. I also want to emphasize that soon our little girl, Tina, will join us in this profession. This means that our salon is a small family business which is providing us with enough income for a good and comfortable life in America.

When are you satisfied with your creative work?

I am satisfied whenever I create a hairstyle that my client is pleased with. I consider it a success whenever my work makes another person happy.

Besides your Albanian Clients, you also have clients of other nationalities. If I may ask, can you tell us about other personalities in politics or American movie actors that are your clients and are happy with your professional hair styling?

Yes, for 9 years beginning in the summer of 2006, I worked in a salon called “Airport Hair Stylist” in Minnesota. During this time I had an opportunity to meet and to fix the hair of some well-known figures of Hollywood. Among them were Luck Welson, Jenifer Aniston, singer Kenny Rogers, and many sports figures and actors, names of whom I do not recall. I also remember styling for the famous actress that played Zuzu in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”. But I cannot recall her name at the moment.

Mr. Salihu, during your long career in this business doing what you love, you have received much recognition, many medals, and other awards. Can you tell us about some of these honors?

During my career in this business, I have received numerous honors. I would love to mention some of those. I’ll start with Europe; In 1991 I placed 3^rd in a competition called “European Hair Show” which took place in Hungary. Here in The US, I was awarded with many awards such as: the “Future of Beauty in the World Award”, “Ambassador Stylist Program Award” and, and I also received recognition at the “Vantage Fashion Show” where I got a silver medal. Just recently, in 2016, I was awarded with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Albanian Fashion Agency in the “Week of Albanian Fashion”, organized by Mrika Krasniqi.

How long is your average day cutting and styling hair for your clients at “Noli’s Hair Salon” and do you feel comfortable with your everyday work?

Of course I feel comfortable and I do this work with a passion. On occasion I work up to 14 hours a day, from 7:00 AM up until the late evening. This normally occurs when actors come to the salon, usually to fix their hair for photo shoots or in preparation for shooting films or dramas. I am heavily involved in this preparation. In the Nil Production, for example, I fix the hair of everybody who works in the agency including many American and Albanian actors.

How does Noli stay up to date on the latest trends taking into consideration the season, the styles and colors which are current, and also the fashion and clothes that have their ins and outs?

I am in constant contact with the most famous stylists. We work very closely together on the newest styles that appear. We get involved together and we try to plan projects with the latest styles. We present models with the latest styles during each season at different hair shows all over the country.

Have you participated in competitions or shows using your styles and what did you gain in these endeavors?

Yes, I have participated in many shows and events for models where I have introduced models with my own hair styles and make-up. The gain is tremendous. Particularly in my own satisfaction, because I am very happy when my models are being considered by the other successful Hollywood agencies. This achievement is proof of my success in the field of hair styling.

Mr. Salihu, you have also worked very closely with elements of American television. How has this successful relationship with American TV come about?

Since 2008, I have handled the fixing of hair of TV moderators and their guests. Especially, I have worked closely with local channels 3 and 8.

Besides your art of styling, you also are an activist in the Albanian community. You are a patriot and a true artist. From where have you inherited these human virtues?

Due to my nostalgia for the homeland and my inability to be there, I try to do my part, to the best of my ability, to bring Albanians together through a variety of events such as hair shows, movies, and dramas. I have inherited this love for my fellow Albanians from my family, and have been taught to love and never to forget our birthplace of Albania.

What are your future projects?

Right now I am working on a film project of weekly fashion shows, which will be held in New York City in close cooperation with the Albanian Fashion Agency. At the same time, I am involved in promoting hair products from 3 different haircare companies. We are also near to unveiling new projects which I am not able to disclose at the time.

Selimi for Belgrade’s “Danas”: “We will seek membership in other organizations”

July 23, 2015 by dgreca

Prishtina, Belgrade, 23 July 2015 – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, Petrit Selimi, has given an interview to Belgrade daily “Danas”, where he emphasized that “we are that, in addition to UNESCO, Kosovo will seek membership in other international organizations”.
Below you will find the full interview.
Kosovo has been recognized by 111 members of UNESCO. Many other non-recognizers also vote for us in multilateral organizations, like they did in IMF of World Bank. We tested this six months ago when we applied for observer status in Francophonie. Despite hysterical and sad reactions of Serbian diplomats which tried to block Kosovo in Senegal, all members decided by consensus to accept Kosovo.
It was similar story in International Olympic Committee. This is a tough battle but I am saddened why Serbia is fighting to keep Kosovo isolated. Policy of trying to isolate Kosovars, is a policy that failed in the past and it even backfired for Serbia. It will backfire again. – says Petrit Selimi, Deputy head of Kosovo’s diplomacy in an interview for Danas, related to Kosovo’s bid for Unesco membership.
Danas: Why is Prishtina sure that this autumn, the mechanism of voting will be in favor of Kosovo in Executive board and General conference of UNESCO?

PS: We have worked very carefully in coordination with all of Kosovo’s international partners and always assessing when is optimal moment to apply. After careful consideration, we have already in January decided to apply now so our request can be considered at November meeting of General Conference of UNESCO. As Deputy Prime Minister Thaci indicated last week, have engaged with over 130 delegations and we have scheduled meetings with another 20 this month so after listening to the mood and interest of the national delegations, we believe that Kosovo has a very good chance to become a new member of UNESCO on the exact anniversary of this organization. UNESCO is celebrating 70 years of existence this year and Kosovo will be a nice birthday present. It’s a tough battle but our national interest is for Kosovars to have same opportunities, same tools of development and same position as all other peoples in the Balkans.

Danas: What is the answer of Prishtina on the question made by Serbian side how will the historical and religious monuments in Kosovo be protected by those that have systematically under UN protectorate destroyed them – Kosovo government has never condemned the destruction of churches – over 150 of them, of whom many are medieval?

PS: Fistly, it’s a disgusting lie that Kosovo government has never condemned the destruction of some church buildings. Actually, Kosovo government has allocated millions of Euros to repair them after the march riots of 2004. Today, it’s Kosovo police that is guarding 95% of all the Serbian Orthodox Church property and they are safely being visited by tourists from around the world.
Secondly, the only government in Balkans that has been engaged in systematic and state-sponsored destruction of religious heritage is government and army of Serbia, as proven so by several sentences in the International Tribunal in Hague. Serbian army and police completely destroyed over 300 mosques, including Bazaar mosque from 1761, Halil Efendi Mosque from 1526, Bektashi tekkes in Gjakovica from 1790, etc. So I find it very cynical and shameless to hear Djuric or Dacic speak of destruction of religious property.

Danas: Why is then Council of Europe insisting that CoE gave money for reparations of Serbian holy sites destroyed in March pogrom, which was transferred to Kosovo government, which was a formula agreed in 2005 by the Serbian Orthodox Church which signed an MoU on reparations of the Serbian churches and Monasteries destroyed.?

PS: I don’t think Council of Europe is saying any such thing. We have daily interaction with them. It’s known that Kosovo government dedicated 5 million euros for the reparations of the churches. One must add that our membership bid for UNESCO is not meant to provoke the Serbian Orthodox Church or to claim the heritage as Albanian, but to enable Kosovo’s development in education, science and culture. Heritage is a small portion of what UNESCO does. We understand that heritage is an important issue and Kosovo medieval sites currently listed in UNESCO Heritage list will always be property of Serbian Orthodox Church. Ahtisaari Plan and Kosovo constitution provides a very important constitutional protection of the SOC. Bishop Teodosije, Father Sava and many other clergymen of the church in Kosovo have been supportive of reconciliation and we must give each other hand of friendship and respect. Serbian government statements regarding Kosovo’s bid to UNESCO are not a way to build good neighborly relations. Membership of Kosovo to UNESCO will require a big effort from Kosovo diplomacy, but it’s a battle that we will win because our fight is not about politics but about enabling all people of Kosovo, regardless of religion or ethnicity access to highest international standards and mechanisms in important fields of human development. I sometimes think Serbian government started to believe in its own false propaganda. Kosovo is already member of two UN agencies of “Bretton Woods system”, namely World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Also, in September 2010, after former foreign minister Vuk Jeremic had to withdraw his unacceptable proposal for more status talks, UN General Assembly has voted on a EU-sponsored resolution that acknowledged the opinion of International Court of Justice that Kosovo Declaration of Independence did not breach the Resolution 1244 or any applicable international law and this step closed any discussions about the status of Kosovo, once and forever. Kosovo and Serbia are now talking in Brussels how to normalize relations as two independent countries. So, our application membership to UNESCO is not unusual. It will also be followed with application to many other organizations.