Rafaela Prifti – Page 2 – Dielli

FDA endorses Pfizer booster shots for 65+ and high risk

September 17, 2021 by s p

Rafaela Prifti

An FDA advisory panel has rejected a plan to offer Pfizer booster shots against COVID-19 to most Americans.
It recommended booster shots only for those who are 65 or older or run a risk of developing severe desease. The decision was made by a committee of outside experts who advise the Food and Drug Administration. The rejection presents an issue for the Biden administration in its effort to shore up vaccinations as the highly contagious delta variant ravages the population across the country.
The White House plan proposed by administration a month ago was to offer booster shots of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to nearly all Americans eight months after they get their second dose.
Panel members complained about insufficient data provided by Pfizer on efficacy, booster shots and side effects.
Research shows immunity levels among the vaccinated wane over time, yet the Pfizer vaccine is highly protective against severe illness and death, even amid the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.
CDC advisory committee that sets policy for U.S. vaccinations campaigns is set to meet on Wednesday to debate who gets boosters and how many months after the second dose. The CDC has said it is considering boosters for older people, nursing home residents and front-line health care workers, rather than all adults.
FDA and CDC will take separate decisions on booster shots for people who received the Moderna or J&J vaccine.
World Health Organization has objected to rich nations giving a third round of shots while poor countries are dealing with limited first doses.

Citizens, not the state, will enforce the Texas Anti-Abortion Law

September 16, 2021 by s p

Despite not having a high profile in the anti-abortion movement, Jonathan Mitchell developed and promoted the legal approach of the Texas abortion law. A few years earlier he helped write major portions of the Texas abortion bill that was rejected by the Supreme Court in 2016. Mitchell who was the Texas state government’s top appeals court lawyer was called out then for his attempt to structure the law in a way that would prevent judicial action to block it. Last month a new Texas legislation that practically bans abortion in the state was allowed to go into effect by the Supreme Court’s majority. Notable the Court’s decision did not address the law’s constitutionality.

The legislative structure that Mr. Mitchell has conceived here is built around deputizing ordinary citizens to enforce it rather than the state. Critics say that Mr. Mitchell is gaming the judicial system through a legislative procedure since the law is deliberately devised to make it much more difficult for the courts to stop it by evading judicial review. The new Texas law represents a new iteration of the anti-abortion campaign, one that’s not based on principles, according to reports.

Mr. Mitchell briefly addressed his work in a statement. “The political branches have been too willing to cede control of constitutional interpretation to the federal judiciary, but there are ways to counter the judiciary’s constitutional pronouncements, and Texas has shown that the states need not adopt a posture of learned helplessness in response to questionable or unconstitutional court rulings.” Mitchell has written a law review article pointing at the legal vulnerabilities at the state level resulting in challenges in the court. This article set out the approach that he would go on to use in the municipal ordinances across Texas and then in the 2021 state law: helping states protect themselves from judicial review by delegating enforcement authority to private citizens. In a largely procedural ruling last month, the Supreme Court declined to block the Texas law, emphasizing that it was not ruling on its constitutionality.

The Texas abortion law, known as Senate Bill 8, amounts to a nearly complete ban on abortion in the state. It prohibits most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy and makes no exceptions for pregnancies resulting from incest or rape. Citizens, not the state, will enforce the law. The law effectively deputizes ordinary citizens — including those from outside Texas — allowing them to sue clinics, health providers, doctors, staff and even a patient’s driver to become potential defendants for violating the law. It awards them at least $10,000 per illegal abortion if they are successful.
The persistence of the anti-abortion movement has shifted from focusing on stacking the courts with anti-abortion judges to a willingness to embrace unconventional approaches to further erode the right to abortion. The novel approach conceptualized by Mitchell hinges on civil enforcement while the state itself is being prohibited from enforcing it purposely structured to largely evade liability which was the intention from the start of the legislation’s adoptions in municipalities across Texas.

Mr. Mitchell runs a one-person law firm since 2018 after efforts by the Trump administration to bring him onboard proved unsuccessful.

News Report Summary by Rafaela Prifti

The Rewarding Work of Aleksander Nilaj’s Open Hand Association

September 11, 2021 by s p

Interviewed by Rafaela Prifti

Albanian American Open Hand Association (AAOHA) is a Bronx based not for profit organization that has stepped up its work, during the pandemic, to help meet the increased needs of the community for food, clothing, school supplies and more. Dielli talked to Aleksander Nilaj, Founder and President of AAOHA about its operations and mission at its food pantry in the Pelham Parkway section. It is a converted apartment on the ground floor of a building on Holland Avenue. Before COVID-19, AAOHA helped feed hundreds of people through weekly food-pantry offerings.
Months into the pandemic, Open Hand was providing food at double and sometimes triple those amounts. Nilaj and his team have reached out beyond the borough’s borders to meet the needs of paraplegic and tetraplegic communities in Albania, flood victims, and so on. He believes that “all of us collectively can be more successful rather than each one individually.”

-Food insecurity has been a problem in the Bronx. ICNA Relief USA opened this facility in July 2019. Since then, you say that AAOHA hosted clothing drives and food giveaways in other boroughs. How did you start and how did AAOHA get here?

AAOHA was founded in 2012. My initial idea was supported by a group of founding members. The association received its registration as a not-for-profit organization in 2014.

All along I have been fortunate to have friends who believe in our mission and are willing to give their time and money to support it. In the beginning, the work and the size of our operation were much different. We would prepare 50 food packages as food giveaways per household per week. I contacted several community organizations that operate in different areas in the Bronx. I was an immigrant myself and did not have many contacts. So I approached local organizations that helped out the needy, such as the Bronx Park East, Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association, Morris Park, and the Bronx House. I said that I can provide food for 5 families per week to each organization to distribute to them. Our role was more a facilitator in the community. The limit was 50 to 60 families per week, for over a year. After a year, the families started to come directly to us. At that point the food giveaways reached to 180 up to 220 families per month. At that time AAOHA had no facilities. In order to notify the community of the time and drop off place, we relied on fliers and social media. We also rely on our partnerships with different community organizations and appreciate the help and support of local representatives, elected officials including the Albanian-American City Councilman Mark Gjonaj.

-What was your inspiration to lead this initiative? What prompted you to lead the AAOHA?

I came to the US in 2006. The Nilaj family is known in Vukel of the Kelmend region in Albania. It has been persecuted by the communist system. I am proud of my family and the heroic history of the people of Kelmend. One way to honor the legacy of our brave ancestors is to extend a helping hand to one another. I was involved with a number of humanitarian efforts of organizations that operate here, both Albanian and American. They are very valuable to our communities. I realized that their work did not meet my vision.

-What did you feel was missing?

Their work was oriented to meet or to address one specific area. I saw such efforts as a multi-directional work. I founded the Open Hand organization with that vision in mind. Luckily the Bronx is such a diverse community in terms of ethnicities that it feels like an international family. The families who come to us have appreciated us. As far as volunteers, more than half of them are Albanians. I am so proud of each and every one of them.

– In August, in your conversion with Sokol Paja, the editor of Dielli, you said that the Open Hand is wherever people need it, so they don’t miss anything, and no one feels lonely. How do you define your role?

Many people are in desperate need. During the time of the pandemic the divisions and gaps grew for various reasons. Our mission is to bring help to everyone who needs it, with no distinction. Two years ago we got the facility in Pelham Parkway as well as another larger storage for clothing items and materials. In the year of the pandemic, while a number of community outreach organizations were conducting their operations under lockdown conditions, a newly founded nationwide American organization started placing orders through us directly. We did drop offs to destinations assigned by them such as churches, places of worship, shelters. The families would arrange the pick up. At that point, we came to understand the large size of established associations that were serving the community for years and years. We connected with a quite a number of them and continue to coordinate with a few ones to this day.

– What is the day to day logistics and planning for you? By the way, I saw the AAOHA van parked outside the food pantry.

The van was donated to us by a fellow Albanian from Kosova last year. He has been helping us for years. From February through December of 2020 we got 500,000 meals from a catering in the South Bronx and delivered them to families. It was Representative Nathalia Fernandez who referred them to us since Open Hand was the only place that stayed open in the time of the pandemic to serve those in need.

– The work is done by hundreds of people who give their time, support and funds for the betterment of our communities. As you say, the list of supporters and volunteers is too long to cover. I talked briefly with two of them, who were at the pantry today. Hysni Lika and Viktor Popaj. They said to me they have been involved with humanitarian efforts and organizations in Albania before joining AAOHA. You said that more than half of the volunteers are Albanians but there are other nationalities as well. What do they all have in common?

This is a calling to help people who are in desperate need. During the time of the pandemic the divisions and gaps grew for various reasons. Our mission is to bring help to everyone without distinction. The purpose is to help everyone who is in need that we are able to reach. That’s what brings all of our volunteer together. And they are so many of them who offer their time and services. I never have to look for volunteers. They find us. Other than food we provide equipment supplies for people with physical challenges. One example would be a wheelchair. If someone in need contacts us for a certain item, we try to get to the right place to provide that need for someone.

– Open Hand started as a nonprofit organization almost a decade ago. It has hosted food and school supply giveaways, as well as clothing drives and care packages for the disabled. Since then, its work has well exceeded the local borders and stretched across the ocean. To give one example, “Albanian American Open Hand Association delivered 2,600 aid packages to Bosnia that was impacted by flooding in 2014. In 2015, AAOHA partnered with other associations to organize a clothing drive for Albania’s flood victims. It has raised funds and shipped home care materials to Albania and Kosovo. How do you work internationally? Is this part of your vision?

We have a coordinator in Albania, Luigj Gegaj, who is in charge for all the region. Rexhep Myftari from Dardamedia and Kanto Sokaj have been tireless in their roles to the association. We also coordinate with churches and various centers there. Once the shipment is ready from here, it goes to these points and they do the distribution themselves. Due to the high costs of international transport and customs, we don’t ship out food to Albania. Another restriction with regard to food is the requirement for sanitation certificates, expiration dates etc.

– You take pride in the fact that Open Hand is an Albanian American Association.

I do. To be able to help the fellow countrymen is very rewarding. We are aware of the needs they have. Although AAOHA is limited in its capacities, our mission is to give as much as we can. There are good people who want to help here and there. With our coordinated efforts we can reach out to more families in need. It is also a matter of giving hope to so many who despair and feel hopeless. A package once in six months will not last long but letting someone know that people care makes the whole difference in the world.

– What stands out about the Open Hand Association?

This is an Albanian American organization. Its name is meant to convey the idea of open arms and an open heart. One more point is that just like the founding members, donors and our volunteers are as diverse as the community we serve. In terms of our operations, we distribute in all boroughs of New York. The food pantry is open twice a week. The hours go on from Monday to Saturday. The number of people who come here reaches 200 to 250 on Saturday. Up until May, we distributed to 1,000 people. Our contract is good for two more years. We will keep on going.

-You hosted an event in early September to honor donors and volunteers. You said that you also intended for it to be an annual event.

This Labor Day event coincided with the fifth anniversary of Mother Teresa’s Sainthood and International Day of Charity. The best way for our organization to honor her figure as an Albanian and appreciate her legacy of giving and being the champion of the needy is to start a tradition that marks the day annually.

– I noticed that you make a point to thank sponsors, volunteers and always the media. Local and city papers and online media like Bronx Times, NYCity News Service, News 12 Bronx have covered AAOHA’s help to feed families during holidays, the clothing drive and other events. With respect to Vatra and Dielli, you have been a supporter over the years. As recently as this month, you participated at a book promotion hosted by Vatra’s offices where you donated Back to School giveaways to ‘Children of the Eagle’. How do you see the role of the media?

The physical work in on us. The sponsors are very valuable to us. Our volunteers are priceless. The media brings and connects us to the people who might need us. That is how I see the role of the media. And all of us together and collectively are able to be more successful rather than each one individually.

– Thank you for the interview! Much success in the future!

NËNË TEREZA KA KOMBËSI SHQIPTARE

September 6, 2021 by s p

Naum Prifti

Për redaksinë e gazetës Nju Jork Tajms

Shoqata e Shkrimtarëve Shqiptaro-Amerikanë ka konsideratë të lartë për gazetën prestigjioze New York Times, prandaj i vjen keq kur botohen në faqet e saj artikuj dizinformues ose që shtrëmbërojnë të vërtetën. I tillë qe artikulli i Z. Ian Fisher botuar më datë 6 gusht 2003, faqe 6, ku autori e mohon kombësine shqiptare të Nënë Terezës, me argumente te pabaza historike a shkencore.

Ja argumentet kryesore që paraqet zoti Fisher për të mbrojtur tezën e tij:

1. Nënë Tereza nuk ka si të jetë shqiptare a me kombësi shqiptare, kur dihet se ishte katolike e ritit Latin, ndërsa shqiptarët janë myslimanë.

Çdo njeri që ka sado pak dijeni mbi shqiptarët, e di se ata u përkasin tre besimeve fetare myslimanë, ortodoksë të ritit Bizantin dhe katolikë të ritit Roman, pa llogaritur sektin Bektashi. E njëjta përbërje fetare zotëron edhe në trevat e banuara nga shqiptarët, si në Kosovë, Maqedoni dhe Mal të Zi. Në Maqedoni gjithmonë ka patur ortodoksë dhe katolikë shqiptarë, ashtu sikurse ka edhe sot. Dijetarët dhe etnografët e huaj kanë shfaqur admirim për tolerancën fetare ndërmjet shqiptarëve që vazhdon prej shekujsh. Ndofta në asnjë vend të botës nuk ka aq martesa mikste sa te shqiptarët, në raport me popullsinë.

2. Mbiemri vajzëror i Nënë Terezës, Gonxhe Bojaxhiu hedh dyshime mbi kombësinë e saj, mbasi gjuha shqipe nuk ka mbaresa “u” për mbiemrat.

Ky argument filologjik dëshmon se autori ka mangësi në fushën e onomastikës shqipe. Edhe librin e telefonave sikur të kishte shfletuar, do të kishte gjetur një tok mbiemrash me mbaresën “u.” Shumica e mbiemrave të shqiptarëve me prejardhje nga profesionet mbarojnë me “u.” Shembuj: “Bojaxhiu,” (painter); “Kundraxhiu,” (shoemaker); “Terziu,” (taylor); “Furrxhiu” (bakery); “Djepaxhiu,” (cradlemaker); “Sapunxhiu,” (soapmaker); “Hanxhiu,” (owner of an inn); etj.

3. Nënë Tereza nuk dinte shqip dhe nuk fliste shqip.

Nënë Tereza haste vështirësi për të folur rrjedhshëm shqip, pas një emigrimi prej 7 dekadash, por ajo kurrë nuk e ka mohuar origjinën e saj shqiptare. Kur ishte e re jo vetëm ka folur, por ka shkrojtur edhe poezi në gjuhën shqipe. Në kohën që shkruajti poezinë, të cilën po ua servirim shqip e anglisht, ajo ishte 22 vjeçe. Besojmë se kjo dëshmi e patjetërsueshme mjafton për të bindur edhe më skeptikët për kombësinë e saj shqiptare.

Për Shoqatën e Shkrimtarëve Shqiptaro-Amerikanë

Kryetari

Naum Prifti

A Poem by Mother Teresa

Gonxhe Bojaxhiu

Composed Dec. 9, 1928, en route to India

GOODBYE

I am leaving the glowing hearth,

And my birthplace and kinsfolk;

To go to disease-wracked Bengal,

Far, far away.

I bid goodbye to fretful friends,

From hearth and relatives I turn away,

To obey my heart that tells me

To serve Christ.

Goodbye, dear mother,

Take care friends of mine;

A pure force stirs within me

And drives me toward inflamed India.

The boat sails ever so lightly,

As it awaits stormy scars;

For the last time, my eye surveys

The coastline of wrathful Europe.

On the boat, joy and exultation

Light up the face care-worn

Of a soul betrothed to Christ-

The tender bride of the new world.

An iron cross she clasps in her hand,

A cross that rings with the message of salvation;

And her spirit is ready

To sacrifice all for it.

“Accept, oh, Lord, this sacrifice,

as a testimony of my love;

and on this day help my soul

that wants to exult Your name.

In return, oh, Gracious Lord,

Our kind Father,

I ask only that I be filled with the spirit

Known only to You.”

Pure as a summer drizzle at dawn,

My hot, wistful tears roll softly down,

And uplift my public oath

To make my life a ceaseless prayer to You.

Translated from Albanian by Peter R. Prifti

San Diego 1991

ALBANIAN CATHOLIC BULLETIN, San Francisco, CA., Vol. XII, 1991

Poezi e Nënë Terezës

Gonxhe Bojaxhiu

Hartuar më 9 dhjetor 1928, kur po udhëtonte për në Indi.

LAMTUMIRË

Po lë shtëpinë zemërfanar

Vendlindje e farefis

Po vete n’Bengalin dergje-vrarë

Atje, në të largtin vis.

Lë të njohurit në mejtime

Të afërmit e vatrën shqim,

Më tërheq zemra ime

T’i shërbej Krishtit tim.

Nënë e dashur, lamtumirë

Ju le shënde’n miq të mi

Më djeg, o, një fuqi e dlirë

Drejt të përflakurës Indi…

Dhe anija lehtë lehtë lundron

Pret valët e detit të trazuar,

Për herë të fundit syri vrojton

Brigjet e Evropës së hakërruar.

Qëndron në anije e galduar

Fytyrë e përvuajtur gjithë hare

E Krishtit flijetarja e vluar

Nuse e njomë e botës së re,

Një kryq hekuri n’dorë shtërngon

Shpëtimi lëvarshëm kumbon në të,

E shpirti i gatshëm pranon

Blatën e rëndë fli për të,

“Pranoje, këtë flijim, o Zot,

Dëshmi e përbetimit që të dashuroj,

Ndihmoi gjallesës Tënde sot

Që emrin do të madhëroj!

Si shpërblim, Të lus o i Hirt’,

O Ati ynë plot mirësi

Të më japësh vetëm atë shpirt

Atë shpirt që-veçse Ti e di.”

Dhe t’imtë, të pastër si n’ag vere vesojnë

Të valët lot rjedhin qetë, me mall,

Që betimin për Ty prore e madhërojnë

Për të madhin blatim që tani u shpall.

Unvaccinated U.S. Visitors Could Face New Restrictions on Travel to Europe

September 2, 2021 by s p

By Rafaela Prifti

The daily average for hospitalized Covid-19 patients in the United States is now more than 100,000 over the last week, a figure not seen since the winter peak. Ahead of a new academic year worldwide, the W.H.O. urges actions to keep schools open. The European Union has recommended that its member countries reintroduce travel restrictions for visitors from the United States who are unvaccinated against the coronavirus, a fresh blow to the continent’s ailing tourism sector and a sign that potential measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus might remain in place for months. The European Council, which comprises the leaders of the bloc’s 27 countries, removed the United States from a “safe list” of countries whose residents can travel without requirements such as quarantine and testing.
The change is not mandatory. Each E.U. member state imposes its own travel rules and can decide whether to follow the guidelines or not, so it was not immediately clear which countries, if any, would reintroduce restrictions or when they might begin. If enforced, the new restrictions would only apply to unvaccinated travelers — the European Council already recommends that all visitors who have been fully inoculated with an E.U.-approved vaccine be allowed to travel. That includes the three vaccines available in the United States. Most countries in the bloc do not require Americans to isolate upon arrival, but a few have kept quarantine requirements in place this summer, including, in some cases, for inoculated visitors. Still, most vaccinated American tourists have been able to enjoy the beaches of Greece, Spain or Portugal, the Italian countryside or the streets of Amsterdam or Paris without hurdles, boosting a tourism industry that was closed to them last year. In countries such as France, Greece and Spain, U.S. visitors make up the largest contingent of tourists from non-European countries. In others, such as Portugal, total spending by Americans is among the highest of any nationality. But as the United States returns to a daily average of 100,000 Covid hospitalizations over the last week, the European Council has advised E.U. countries to keep their borders shut to nonessential travel by unvaccinated Americans, in the hope of containing the spread of the Delta variant. The seven-day average of U.S. Covid hospitalizations peaked in mid-January with nearly 140,000 people hospitalized, according to federal data. One of the council’s criteria for lifting restrictions is that a country should have fewer than 75 coronavirus cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the past 14-day period, but the United States has a reported infection rate well above that threshold, according to data provided by the European Center for Disease Control. The United States is also classified as a red zone by the agency, the second-most risky color, after dark red. Other criteria outlined by the European Council include a stable or decreasing trend in Covid cases. While reported coronavirus infections in the United States have surged this month, that figure has remained relatively steady across the European Union.
A European official with knowledge of discussions around the announcement, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the amendment to the list, said that the update had been made based on the latest scientific data available. Other countries removed from the “safe list” include Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro and North Macedonia.
The European Union recommended that its member countries reopen their borders to American travelers in June, but there has been growing frustration and incomprehension about the lack of reciprocity from the United States. Hospitalizations nationwide have increased by nearly 500 percent in the past two months, particularly across Southern states, where I.C.U. beds are filling up, a crisis fueled by some of the country’s lowest vaccination rates and widespread political opposition to public health measures like mask requirements. “We encourage all countries to keep schools open and urge all schools to put in place measures to minimize the risk of Covid-19 and the spread of different variants,” the official, Hans Kluge, said in a statement released jointly with the United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF.

Edited NYT Reporting, WHO Press Release