All my quotes & information come directly from the Ministry of Foreign affairs Greece. I too, would NEVER trust the US to accurately portray the complexity of affairs in that area... (let alone it's own).
Negative... this is a fun thread, a get away from the tension thread, a pie in the face laugh your butt off thread with all the fun & none of the guilt.
On 25 April 2005, for the first time in many years, the conclusions of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council made reference to recent developments regarding the issue of the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The reference was as follows: The Council noted the recent developments with regard to the dispute over the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and specifically the proposals presented by the UN Secretary Generals Special Representative in support of efforts toward a solution. The Council encouraged Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to intensify their efforts with a view to finding a negotiated and mutually acceptable solution within the framework of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 817/1993 and 845/1993 as quickly as possible.
On 8 October, 2005, Mr. Nimetz presented a new proposal, the contents of which have not been made public. FYROM initially accepted this new proposal. Greece, however, declared it unacceptable as it adopted FYROMs position.
Greece continues to support the procedure stipulated in UN Resolution 813/93, stating its readiness to reach a jointly acceptable solution on the name issue.
Greece has demonstrated its desire to reach a solution that will lead to the full normalisation of bilateral relations, facilitate the course of its neighbour towards the Euro-Atlantic institutions, and consolidate stability and cooperation in our region, which would be conducive to solving the issue of Kosovo. Greece has also made it clear that there is no question of its neighbour acceding either to the European Union or to NATO under the name Republic of Macedonia.
As humans, we find our comforts in labeling things for identification purposes. It ties us to our world. Throw in a very subjective historical sense of pride & you have an instant hockey match(minus the actual game).
For those who do NOT have an accurate & current understanding, this is the official statement from the ministry of foreign affairs:
What is the problem?
The choice of the name Macedonia by FYROM directly raises the issue of usurpation of the cultural heritage of a neighbouring country. The name constitutes the basis for staking an exclusive rights claim over the entire geographical area of Macedonia. More specifically, to call only the Slavo-Macedonians Macedonians monopolizes the name for the Slavo-Macedonians and creates semiological confusion, whilst violating the human rights and the individual right of the Greek Macedonians to identify themselves as such. The use of the name by FYROM alone may also create problems in the trade area, and subsequently become a potential springboard for distorting reality, and a basis for activities far removed from the standards set by the European Union and more specifically the clause on good neighbourly relations. The best example of this is to be seen in the content of school textbooks in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
For the first time in their history, in recognition of the problem the United Nations (Security Council and General Assembly) gave the new state the temporary name of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).
What is the current state of play?
For the first time on 29 March, the UN Secretary-Generals Special Envoy Mr. Nimetz tabled a global proposal for finding a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue. Mr. Nimetz proposes that for international use the name Republika Makedonija-Skopje should be used in untranslated form. This name would be valid for all UN bodies, and the UN will propose to other international organisations and states that they also adopt it for official international use. On 8th April, Greece announced that it accepted the Nimetz proposal as a basis for negotiations despite the fact that there were many points in the proposal which needed to be clarified and amended. The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, on the other hand, rejected the proposal and insisted on a double name, proposing that its constitutional name be used as is on an international level, and that a mutually acceptable name be used exclusively in its bilateral relations with Greece.
*In announcer's voice...'The party fountain 9000XE is specially equipped to handle even the heaviest refreshment needs. With 23 faucet heads & numerous pressure gauges, it can accommodate everything from chocolate milk... (*looking at Riya & Clayer...) ...to your favorite bar top specials. You want soft serve ice cream? It can deliver that, too. So, dig in everyone! This puppy can do it all!
All you can do is relax & keep your wits about you. You're never powerless~
Stay someplace in the house that has a stairs or main support area(like a center closet). Fill the tub with water in case you have no fresh water to drink afterwards. Find all your canned foods(meats, beans & veggies, ect..) & put them in a box with a can opener. Put anything from the fridge that you want to keep fresh(milk, juices, fruits, cheese) in the freezer. The more you have in the freezer, the better/longer it will keep them cold. Cook some perishables like eggs so you still consume them if you lose power. Put your candles into cans to make windproof holders, put your valuables into ziplock bags, stash extra put food in bags, too. Put together a 1st aid kit with aspirin, safety pins, tweezers, a small jar, peroxide, bakingsoda, charcoal, a sharpie, matches...ect.... (and put in extra ziplock bags, too)all into something airtight. Get together with other people. More people stand a better chance should something happen. Watch what the animals do. A cat will not panic until the tornado/hurricane is about to hit, then they tend to try to hide. DO NOT HOLD ANIMALS. Take everything off the walls & tops shelves. No one needs to get konked on the head. Have you things in a central location(eg- stairs) in case you have to move FAST. Wear sneakers & lose fitting pants, have a jacket ready. Find your axe or shovel & keep it near by. Find any camping supplies & keep them close... like in a closet. Try to take pictures. It sounds silly but if something were to happen & they found your digital camera, the pictures might be able to tell them where your were last. Nibble on calming foods... bananas, chocolates, carbohydrate foods such as: # Oatmeal snacks # Popcorn # Bagels # Tortillas # Rice cakes # Dry cereal with no milk
Play word games or board games. The right brain/left brain stimulation can be very calming & distracting. Avoid alcohol... yeah yeah... THAT sucks, I know. It impairs your train of thought, causes your blood to thin(preventing clotting if you were to get hurt), & increases mental stress. Seriously, I know that sucks.
~*~You know me, I leave my two cent laying around all over the place ~*~
Well, it always sucks to have high hopes & then to find them dashed by the details.
Once I thought I had found an interesting guy to go grab dinner with... pretty simple, eh? Well, he shows up in cut off jeans(of the Richard Simons just wrong kind), and flip flops & sporting a strong drinking odour. We were supposed to be going to a steak house, mind you. He also appeared to have been using a pic from a good 15 yrs back. *boo hiss...
I managed to get the steak house idea dropped & we went across the street to a coffee bar, which just so happen to have a real bar in it. To this day I do not know how I managed to tolerate the bragging about drinking stories for a whole 30 mins. This was a man who was supposed to be 43... not 24. I excused myself & he made an attempt to face plant me with a vomit scented whisker mauling. I've never channeled Bruce Lee so fast in my whole life... but I did one hell of a good job, even in heels. He got a pat on the shoulder & a mis air wave as I walked out.
I sent him a text later that stated, "while that was an interesting experience and all that, let's not do it again. Thanks. Be happy :)"
It took a Phd in blowing sunshine up one's *ss to keep from splitting a bottle, chair, plate or general heavy object over this person's head... but I manged. To this day, I'm still stunned that the well spoken(sober), polite(must have been at work), interesting(could have been reading off a cue sheet) man turned out to be... well, that thing.
spiceygamble Forum Posts (4,493)
RE: Something tells me....
OMG... you're SOOOOOO right.I think Jeff has had a hand in this.
Baaaaaaad