Dielli | The Sun

Albanian American Newspaper Devoted to the Intellectual and Cultural Advancement of the Albanians in America | Since 1909

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

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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

NEW YORK CASE COUNT ON THE RISE, OFFICIALS OBSERVING NUMBERS

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Selected and Edited by Rafaela Prifti/

At Monday’s Press Conference Mayor Bill de Blasio warned that the city was “dangerously close” to a second wave that might mean more restrictions. According to reports, the cases of Coronavirus have surged across the country. Last month the data released by the Department of Health shows the daily cases within the range of 500 to 700. The number of new infections is swiftly rising, with more than 1,000 cases identified in the city for five days in a row, a level that last occurred in last May. Last Sunday, the numbers were up in all five boroughs, with 1,156 new cases. Unlike the spring, the number of hospitalizations and deaths related to Covid 19 are low, and the test positivity rate in New York City is still well below that in neighboring states. New Jersey and Connecticut are seeing a continued surge in cases. The weekly average was 2.26 percent, according to the city’s health department. As per guidelines, should the seven-day average of positive test results climb at above 3 percent, the mayor said that further lockdowns were possible.

There have been reports of discussions between city health officials and Mayor de Blasio’s aides regarding new restrictions including a broader shutdown of nonessential businesses, if the seven-day average rate of positive test results climbs up. Mayor de Blasio said that the restrictions “could mean even having to shut down parts of our economy again,” and having to close schools. He noted that he is watching three indicators to determine if the city is dealing with a “full-blown second wave”: the overall number of cases in New York City; the positivity rate, and the number of hospitalizations, which he doesn’t want to exceed 200 a day. With regard to the limited in-door dining that is allowed in the city, the mayor said that it was time to ‘re-evaluate’.

Governor Cuomo reiterated that the effectiveness of any state restrictions would be dependent on local enforcement. He also rejected the idea that the state was seeing a second wave rather than an uptick. The officials said that this week is very important in keeping the cases under control and avoiding new restrictions which would put in jeopardy the city’s recovery from the pandemic. In the early months, the outbreak killed tens of thousands, overwhelmed the hospital system and severely undermined the local economy. Governor Cuomo’s “microcluster strategy” has earned him praise by the public health officials, while New York has become a national model for curbing the outbreak.

New Jersey Governor announced new coronavirus restrictions on Monday, rolling back his reopening strategy to confront a statewide infection rate that has reached levels not seen since the pandemic ravaged cities and towns across the Northeast. Under the new restrictions, which begin Thursday, restaurants and nightclubs across the state must close to indoor customers at 10 p.m.

On Monday the coronavirus cases remained at record high in the United States and around the globe. Pfizer and its partner, the German company, BioNTech, announced preliminary results that suggested their vaccine was more than 90 percent effective. It is worth noting that the news is still preliminary, and there remain a lot of questions about the vaccine. Most importantly, the next several months are very critical and the public needs to follow the health measures of wearing the mask, practice social distancing and personal hygiene.

TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES PROFILES ALBANIAN DIRECTOR XHANFIZE KEKO

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by Rafaela Prifti-Xhanfize Keko is Director of the Week at Turner Classic Movies. Women Make Film series was launched on September 1st. Since then, every Tuesday TCM airs movies directed by women filmmakers around the world. Last night, it aired the movie Tomka and His Friends (1977) by Albanian director Xhanfize Keko. Turner Classic Movies celebrates classic movies without commercial interruptions. The network began in 1994 by founder Ted Turner to bring Turner’s Entertainment’s massive library of classic films onto the TV screen.

As a female director, she was a pioneer in Albania’s film industry. Her professional career spans from the early fifties into early nineties, at a time when creativity and artistry grappled with restrictions imposed by Albania’s communist regime. Nevertheless, Xhanfize Keko directed eleven full length feature films for younger audiences that generations of Albanians, including the author of these lines, grew up watching. In May of this year, director Mevlan Shanaj presented a documentary on a premier creator of children’s films, Xhanfize Keko (1928 – 2007). She studied documentary techniques at the Russian Academy of Arts in Moscow. In 1952, the young director Keko co-founded the New Albania Film Studio, according to the TCM webpage. For two decades, she was a documentary editor and developed her own style that she shared with audiences in her documentary short film in 1971. Four years later, Keko directed Beni Walks on His Own (a mechanical translation from Albanian title, Beni Ecen Vete) and two years after that Tomka and His Friends (Tomka dhe Shoket e TIj). Her movies present a sensitive and unique approach to family and personal matters through the eyes of the children. International film critics have praised the Albanian director for her originality and technical craftsmanship.

It is worth noting that the movie was remastered by the Library of Congress in Washington DC. It raises an important point that needs to draw more attention to the poor storage conditions and the antiquated quality of past works, Albania’s artists have long demanded that the films and art produced in the pre-nineties period be remastered in order to save the creative works that are part of our history and collective memory.

CONVERSATION WITH VATRA PRESIDENT ELMI BERISHA

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by Rafaela Prifti-

In these difficult times it is encouraging to uphold the founders’ goals for Vatra as “a national organization” in America that has stepped up to champion national interests and to preserve our cultural heritage,” said Vatra President Elmi Berisha, who recently returned from a short visit to Kosova and Albania. He stated that the best assest for the advancement of our nation are our human resources. To the critics of his meetings with the Chairman of Albania’s Legislatures, Mr. Berisha responded by saying that the Executive Council and Board members of Vatra have been on board with the program he presented at Vatra’s Convention last January. “I continue to follow through the initiatives of the same agenda supported by Vatra leadership. Despite the lockdown restrictions and challenges due to the pandemic, Vatra’s performance during these months has been unparalleled in its activism,” said Mr. Elmi Berisha. 

The takeaways:

In line with the US and Western diplomacy, Vatra respects the institutions of Kosova and Albania that have been elected by the Albanian people.

Over a century ago, the Pan-Albanian Federation of America Vatra was founded and organized with a focus on the national program to promote the spirit of helping one another and to strengthen the bond of friendship between Americans and Albanians. Vatra is a 108 year-old respected institution in the community that is now well poised to advocate for pan-Albanian interests in the 21th century.

Here is the summary of the conversation:

The round of meetings in Tirana and Prishtina were successful in advancing Vatra’s activism and in promoting Albanian interests in the region and beyond. Representatives across the political spectrum in Kosova and Albania have displayed willingness for future cooperation while being respectful of the program of Pan-Albanian Federation of America Vatra.  While the global pandemic has hindered all aspects of life, Vatra has continued its efforts to meet its mission and further the national agenda outlined by the leadership of the Federation aligned with the Albanian-American community.  Vatra has answered the call to commit to  the national interest. VATRA HAS MET THE MOMENT while being aware of the long road ahead. Vatra’s message is to stand united on the Albanian national issues, to encourage inter-state cooperation and bolster the support from all political sides, institutions and personalities to carry out the reforms that bring Albania and Kosova a step closer to the integration processes.  
Our unified stand on national issues is the path to the development of the countries.  An across the board cooperation backed by all political factors and institutions is the right national approach. Building a strong economy and standing firmly against corruption and anything that slows down the integration process go hand in hand with a national diplomatic stance on talks with Serbia and the advancement of our European integration. So far the steps to join the Euro-Atlantic structures  have been slow paced.  It is an area where advocacy in Washington and the Western countries can play a bigger role. One of Vatra’s resources is the expertise and experience of Vatra members, with some well-respected personalities and many who have received their education in the US. It is evident that the authorities in our homelands have their work cut out for them. Vatra is aware of the task at hand and recognizes how important her role is at this time.      
When considering Vatra ‘s contribution in diplomacy, I am proud of Vatra’s involvement in advocacy and negotiations in Washington DC in early September. It is advantageous to our nation to be able to assist and contribute to the efforts that present a consolidated Albanian factor to the United States capital and the whole world. Vatra is not just present in Washington DC, it is actively advocating on behalf of Albania and Kosova. Leading up to the signing of the September 4th agreement at the White House, Vatra’s position to the Kosova delegation was to stand as ONE. Vatra stands firmly on the issue of Kosova’s borders and its territorial integrity as non-negotiable items.  It is important to understand the round of visits in Prishtina and Tirana in the context of Vatra’s mission for the new century. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding  between the Republic of Kosova’s  Ministry of Foregin Affairs and Diaspora and Vatra entails a coordinated platform of a pan-Albanian cooperation strategy. As Minister Meliza Haradinaj-Stublla said: “The Memorandum is an expression of our shared willingness to promote the values and legitimate interests of Albanians.” 
These are difficult times but it is encouraging to uphold the founders goals for Vatra as “a national organization” in America that has stepped up to champion national interests and preserve our cultural heritage. Our human resources are our greatest asset in the advancement of our nation. The Executive Council and Board of Vatra have been on board with the program I presented at the Convention in January. I continue to follow through the initiatives of the agenda supported by Vatra leadership. Despite the lockdown restrictions and challenges due to the pandemic, Vatra’s performance has been unparalleled. Given the unusual circumstances, I traveled by myself rather than with respectable representatives of Vatra as I would not jeopardize anyone’s health.  The message of my visits in Prishtina and Tirana has been in compliance with Vatra’s guidelines and in accordance with its leadership goals.
Over a century ago, the Pan-Albanian Federation of America Vatra was founded and organized with the national program to promote the spirit of helping one another and to strengthen the bond of friendship between Americans and Albanians, through the spread of education. The intention and purpose of my recent round of visits in Kosova and Albania was in line with the national agenda and advocacy that has been laid out in the by-laws of the Federation. I am thankful for the enthusiastic support and pledges of cooperation by the Albanian officials for what promises to be a great national platform that would advance our countries into the future.  
From the start of my presidency at Vatra, I have invited, received and visited with officials and elected representatives of the Albanian people. In the course of my recent visit in Prishtina and Tirana, I did respect the institutions of the Albanian people in my official meetings with political party heads, members of the parliament, government representatives, legislatures and dignitaries. The frustration voiced by some Vatra members is directed at the fact that the people of Albania must have more say in the election of their office holders and representatives. Moreover, these are authorities that are acknowledged by the United States government and the Western countries.  I have 30 years of experience in diplomacy and communications. I firmly believe that Vatra is a 108 year old respected institution in the community that is now well poised to advocate for Albania’s interests in the 21th century. I am aware of the painful past of our people: communism in Albania and the repression resulting in war in Kosova. Having said that, I am convinced that we need to move forward with our national approach.  In line with the US and Western diplomacy, Vatra is respected and respects the institutions of Kosova and Albania that have been elected by the Albanian people. I am particularly proud to have signed on a commissioned five volume publication on the history and contribution of Vatra to the national Albanian movement to be put together by a team of members of Academia led by Professor Doctor Beqir Meta. I am thankful to the donors and friends who raised $20,000 for this unique project many years in the making. The purpose of the recent round of visits is in line with the national agenda and in compliance with the advocacy role that the Vatra Federation has championed in the past and can proudly take on for the future.  

FORMER PM PETITIONS AUSTRALIA’S PARLIAMENT TO END MURDOCH’S MEDIA DOMINANCE

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The former prime minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, has emerged as one of the fiercest critics of the Murdoch family’s media company, News Corp, which he says has the power to sway public opinion to protect its own agenda and to damage its political enemies.
Mr. Rudd created a petition to establish a royal commission to ensure the strength and diversity of Australian news media. The effort to look into the media concentration and its effects on democracy has captured public sentiment. On October 10, the petition for Murdoch Royal Commission was posted online and attracted 247,693 signatures. So many Australians rushed to sign it that the Parliamentary website crashed. On the one hand, News Corp owns more Australian newspapers than any other company. On the other hand, in an era where there are more local and international online sources of news and many consumers get their news via Google and Facebook, the question remains as to the power of a traditional media company to shape public opinion to the extent that News Corp’s critics believe.
Rupert Murdoch is one of the world’s most successful media proprietors and his conservative views on politics and business are well known. His son Lachlan, who is co-chair of News Corp and runs the family’s other US-focused business, Fox Corp, is said to share a similar world view. Media mogul’s younger son, James Murdoch had reportedly left the family’s company because he was concerned its newspapers were disguising facts and endorsing disinformation. Rupert Murdoch has been living in the United States since 1973. Over a decade later, the Australian-born publishing magnate, became a U.S. citizen to remove an obstacle to his acquisition of a network of then-independent American television stations. Today Rupert Murdoch is one of the most influential people in the media industry globally, with business interests that span television broadcasting and entertainment content to newspapers and book publishing. The two empires that he built over the last six decades—News Corp (NWS) and Fox Corporation (FOX)—own well-established media properties that operate in five continents including The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, HarperCollins, and the New York Post.
Petition Reason
Our democracy depends on diverse sources of reliable, accurate and independent news. But media ownership is becoming more concentrated alongside new business models that encourage deliberately polarising and politically manipulated news. We are especially concerned that Australia’s print media is overwhelmingly controlled by News Corporation, founded by Fox News billionaire Rupert Murdoch, with around two-thirds of daily newspaper readership. This power is routinely used to attack opponents in business and politics by blending editorial opinion with news reporting. Australians who hold contrary views have felt intimidated into silence. These facts chill free speech and undermine public debate. Powerful monopolies are also emerging online, including Facebook and Google. We are deeply concerned by: mass-sackings of news journalists; digital platforms impacting on media diversity and viability; Nine Entertainment’s takeover of the Melbourne Age and Sydney Morning Herald; News Corp’s acquisition (and then closure) of more than 200 smaller newspapers, undermining regional and local news; attempts to replace AAP Newswire with News Corp’s alternative; and relentless attacks on the ABC’s independence and funding. Professional journalists further have legitimate concerns around unjust searches, potential prosecution, whistle-blower protection, official secrecy and dispute resolution that should be comprehensively addressed. Only a Royal Commission would have the powers and independence to investigate threats to media diversity, and recommend policies to ensure optimal diversity across all platforms to help guarantee our nation’s democratic future.
Petition Request
We therefore ask the House to support the establishment of such a Royal Commission to ensure the strength and diversity of Australian news media.