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1Januari 2007 Makedonski Glasnik - Glasilo na Organizacijata Obedineti Makedonci vo Kanada

UNITEDMACEDONIANS Established 1959

Proudly Canadian

Makedonski Glasnik Glasilo na OrganizacijataObedineti Makedonci vo Kanada

Macedonian Herald Voice of the United MacedoniansOrganization of Canada

JANUARIJANUARY 2007 GODINA 48, BROJ 1

VOLUME 48, NUMBER 1ISSN 1488-6006

G O C E V AK O M I T S K A V E ^ E R

SABOTA, 3TI FEVRUARI, 2007 GODINA – 19:00 ~asot

2 January 2007Macedonian Herald - Voice of the United Macedonians Organization of Canada

Established 1959Proudly Canadian

United Macedonians Organizationof Canada is the publisher of“Macedonian Herald” as a voiceof the Macedonians in NorthAmerica.Editor-in-Chief: Dragi Stojkovski

Macedonian Herald advertising price list :

Business Card - $ 20.00 Quarter Page - $ 65.00 Half Page - $ 100.00 Full Page - $ 200.00 Back Page (full page) - $ 300.00 Front Page (quarter page) - $ 250.00

Organizacijata ObedinetiMakedonci vo Kanada eizdava~ot na “MakedonskiGlasnik” kako glasilo naMakedoncite od SevernaAmerika.Glaven i odgovoren urednik:Dragi Stojkovski

Prodolùva na str. 7

IN MEMORIAM@ALNA VEST

Vo ranite utrinski~asovi na 20ti noemvri2006 godina, nenadejnopo~ina Boris Mangov,pretsedatel naOrganizacijata ObedinetiMakedonci vo Kanada.

Boris Mangov be{eroden na 15ti oktomvri,1942 godina, vo selotoBanica, egejski del odMakedonija, od roditeliBlagoja i Pro{ka Mangovi,isto taka rodeni vo s.Banica.

Kako malo detebe{e proteran od rodnotoselo vo 1947 zatoa {totatko mu Blagoja be{evklu~en vo partizanskotodvièwe i so celotosemejstvo se naselija voBitola (NRM), kade {tozavr{i osmoletka vo OU“Todor Angelevski”.

Vo 1957 Boris sepreseli vo Nov Belgradkade tatko mu be{evraboten vo fabrikata zaname{taj “Partizan”, i kadezavr{i dve godinigimnazija.

Na 20 januari, 1959zamina za Kanada soitalijanskiot brod“Saturnija”.

Vo Toronto prvo sevraboti vo restorantot“Kamador” a potoa dve godiniode{e na u~ili{te zaangliski jazik. Potoa, trigodini u~e{e zanaet~iskou~ili{te i postanamehani~ar za parno greewena nafta. Po u~ili{teto sevraboti vo “General Motors”kako op{t rabotnik ame|uvrmeno se zdobi sodozvola za proda`ba nanedvi`nosti i na toa polerabote{e honorarno 20godini prodavaj}iindustriski zdanija.

Pove}e od dvaesetgodini Boris be{esopstvenik na firmata “BMSelektiv”, koja se bave{e soproizvodstvo na kabineti zakujna i nu`nici.

Boris aktivno sevklu~i vo makedonskatazaednica vo Toronto odsamoto doseluvawe.

Aktiven ~len be{e voMPCO “Sv. KlimentOhridski” vo Toronto odsamoto osnovawe vo 1964godina i ~len na nekolkuUpravi; pove}e od 15 godinibe{e pretsedatel naDramskata sekcija priMPCO “Sv. KlimentOhridski” vo Toronto;dolgogodi{en aktiven ~lenna organizacijata“Obedineti Makedonci voKanada”, tri patipotpretsedatel i po~inakako aktuelen pretsedatel.Pretsedatel na “ObedinetiMakedonci Boris ” be{e odmaj 2003 godnina.

Oènet be{e soBlaga Mangova (Tanasovska),rodena vo s. Smilevo izaedno imaa tri vozrasnideca (Ile, \orgi i Simeroni)i {est vnuci.

Otkako Blagapo~ina, Boris stapi vo brakso Olivera Boìnovska.

GOCE DELÊV - @IVOT I DELO

Goce (Georgi) Del~eve roden na 4 fevruari (23januari star stil) 1872godina, vo Kuku{, kakoprvo ma{ko dete, treto pored ~edo na brojnotosemejstvo Del~evi, koeimalo vkupno devet deca:bra}ata Mico, Milan iHristo, i sestrite Ru{a,Coca, Tina , Lika i Elena.Goce e roden vo relativnoimotno semejstvo, odtatko kuku{anec, NikolaDel~ev i majka SultanaNurxieva, so poteklo odkuku{koto selo Murarci.

Goce izrasna vocentar koj bil poznat ikako “politi~ko gnezdo”,blagodarenie nadlabokite koreni koi voKuku{ gi ostavijapoznatite makedonskiprerodbenici DimitarMiladinov, Rajko@inzifov, PartenijZografski i Kuzman[apkarev.

Goceviot kratok‘ivotopis e odraz namakedonskite kopneì zasloboda i dostoen ìvot.Vo eden kratok vremenskiperiod od deset godini(1894-1903), period kojcelosno go posveti nasvojot poroben narod, Goceprerasna vo vizioner,

ideolog, organizator ipredvodnik na makedonskoton a r o d n o o s l o b o d i t e l n odvièwe od krajot nadevetnaesettiot i po~etokotna dvaesettiot vek. Gocenajdobro od site negovisorabotnici, ja spoznadu{ata na Makedonecot,uslovite vo koi Makedonijase nao|a{e i na~inot na kojosloboduvaweto e vozmo‘no.Vo ovoj period se ra|a islednava poznata izreka naGoce: “Osloboduvaweto naMakedonija se krie vovnatre{noto vostanie. Kojmisli inaku da se oslobodiMakedonija, toj i sebe si selaè i drugite.”

Ponatamu vo istotopismo do Karanov, kade e igornata misla, Goce veli: “VoMakedonija se razvivasistematska agitacija zaedno op{to vnatre{novostanie koe zema golemirazmeri i nema kat~e voMakedonija {to ne eopfateno.”

Istovremeno, vo edenrazgovor so general DanailNikolaev, Goce ja braninezavisnosta namakedonskata borba zasloboda kade veli: “Nie,znaete koj sme nie: selanite,makedonskoto neselenie,narodot. Nie ne moème da

pravime politika, nitupak }e dozvolime na drugida pravat politika soMakedonija. Na{ataborba, toa e za nas ìvotili smrt. Nie nema dadozvolime drugi dare{avaat dali daìveeme ili da umreme ikoga. Koga }e se podigavostanie, }e re{inarodot. Nema daostavime da nikomanduvate od ovdeka(Sofija, n.z), za da n#vnesete, kako {to seobidovte lani, vo igra navostanie.”Ovie Gocevi misliodeknuvaat so zna~ewe ideneska koga pogolemiotdel od Makedonija e podtu|a ~izma, dodekaedinstveniot slobodendel, t.e. RepublikaMakedonija, se davi odbeskrajnite i nikoga{nezadovoleni barawa naalbanskite {ovinisti irasisti, in e p r i n c i p i e l n i t evlijanija name|unarodnata zaednica,istata taa zaednica kojae slepa na opravdanitebarawa na obespraveniteMakedonci

Dragi Stojkovski

685 McCOWAN ROADP.O. BOX 66517

TORONTO, ONTARIO,CANADAM1J 3N8

TEL: (416) 490-0181FAX: (416) 490-0398

[email protected]

UPRAVATA NA ORGANIZACIJATA OBEDINETIMAKEDONCI VO KANADA IM GO ÊSTITA BO@I] I

NOVATA 2007 GODINANA SITE MAKEDONCI VO SVETOT

SO @ELBI ZA ZDRAVJE, SRE]A, NAPREDOK INACIONALNO OBEDINUVAWE


Vo prvata polovinana septemvri 1946 godinaMakedonija ìvee{e votreskavi~no is~ekuvawekoe ja gree{e du{ata na

sekoj Makedonec. Po 43godini od ubistvoto voBanica, posmrtnite ostankina velikanot nam a k e d o n s k o t orevolucionerno dvièwe,Goce Del~ev, treba{e dastignat vo Skopje, glavniotgrad na {totuku oslobodenaMakedonija. So toa be{eispolneta negovata èlbada po~iva vo svojatatatkovina.

Sekoj Makedonecsaka{e da gi vidiostankite na svojot idol.Tokmu zatoa mo{tite naGoce patuvaa celi tri denaod Sofija do Skopje.

Povorkata sosarkofagot trgna od Sofijana 7 oktomvri i prekuPirinska Makedonija,Strumica i [tip na 10oktomvri stasa vo Skopje zapotoa posmrtnite ostankida bidat pogrebani vocrkvata ”Sveti Spas”. Site{to slu{naa za dolgiot patna Goce izleguvaa napati{tata kade {topominuva{e povorkata,nosej}i cve}e v raka imolkum oddavaj}i mu po~itna ~ovekot koj dodeka be{eìv stana legenda i simbolna makedonskata borba.

Goce moèbinema{e nikoga{ da stasa voMakedonija ako negovotoprenesuvawe vo negovatatatkovina ne se sovpadna somo{ne dobrite odnosi me|utoga{na Jugoslavija iBugarija i ako ako toa nebilo celosno poddràno odnivnite prvi lu|e - Josip

Bros Tito i Georgi Dimitrov.Bugarskiot lider toga{izjavuva{e dekaMakedoncite se posebnanacija i deka Goce Del~ev

kako Makedonec treba dabide prenesen vo slobodnaMakedonija.

Prviot pretsedatelna makedonskata vlada,Lazar Koli{evski, velideka idejata Goce da bideprenesen vo Makedonija serodila u{te vo vremeto kogabil vo zatvorot vo Pleven,Bugarija. Tamu sesprijatelil so bugarskiotrevolucioner Georgi ̂ ankov,koj podocna stanalorganizacionen sekretar naCK na BRP (k). Poosloboduvaweto go pokanilna gosti vo Skopje zaedno sopretsedatelot na Zemjo-delskata partijana Bugarija, GeorgiTrajkov. Toga{ gizapoznal sonegovata ideja, aTrajkov koj inakubil po potekloMakedonec, iânkov vedna{ japrifatile.

Kako {toi z v e s t u v areporterot na”Nova Makedonija”od Sofija,primopredavawetona posmrtniteostanki biloizvr{eno na 7oktomvri 1946godina. Napretstavnicite naM a k e d o n i j akoskite na Goce imgi predalerakovoditelite naI l i n d e n s k a t aorganizacija koi

dotoga{ gi ~uvale vospecijalno sanda~e. za tojgolem nastan bil izraboteni poseben sarkofag odpoznatiot makedonskirezbar Nestor Aliksiev. Naprednata strana nasarkofagot bil izdlabenlikot na Goce Del~ev, nazadnata strana znameto naVMRO, a na rabovite grbotna Narodna RepublikaMakedonija i na FNRJ.

Mo{tite najprvobile izloèni voMakedonskiot dom voSofija. Na zboguvawe soGoce do{le 5.000makedonski begalci {to‘iveele vo pove}e mesta voBugarija. Oficijalnotoprimopredavawe seizvr{ilo vo Narodniotteatar na Sofija kade {tobila odràna posebnaakademija. Nea ja otvorilMihail Smatrakalev, a vodelegacijata {to goispratile Goce se nao|ale inegovite soborci - MihailGerxikov i Du{e Deliivanovi akademikot Todor Pavlov.

Novinarite navesnikot ”Nova Makedonija”za celo vreme }e go sledatpatuvaweto na Goce i odmestata kade {to }epominuva povorkata }e goprenesuvaat voodu{evu-vaweto na narodot koj tolkumnogu slu{al za Goce, iprvpat imal mo`nostneposredno da mu re~eblagodaram za s# {tonapravil za Makedonija.Organizatorite na dolgotopatuvawe nastojuvalelafetot na koj bil postavensarkofagot so mo{tite ipu{kata na Goce da pominepo pove}e mesta za da gividat {to e mo`no pove}elu|e. Po patuvaweto nizBlagoevgradsko, Sandansko iPetri~ko, na 9 oktomvripovorkata ja preminalagranicata i vlegla ”voslobodna Makedonija, me|u

slobodniot makedonskinarod”, kako {to }enapi{e reporterot na”Nova Makedonija”.

Golem brojstrumi-~ani pove}e odtri ~asa ~ekale naulicite za da mu oddadatpo~it na Goce i otkakosarkofagot bil smestenvo centarot na gradot, vodolgi redici doa}ale odsite strain so cve}e vraka, go baknuvalesarkofagot i sonasolzeni o~izaminuvale. Posebenpre~ek na Del~ev mu bilorganiziran od {tipjani.Posmrtnite ostankinajprvo bile odneseni voNovo Selo, kade {tou~itelstvuval Gocezaedno so Dame Gruev, zapotoa da bidat izloènivo centarot na [tip. Voknigata na àlost, me|udrugite, se zapi{ale inegovite u~enici od NovoSelo - Trajko Lazarov,Jordan Trajkov i JordanIvanov.

Dodeka lafetotso sarkofagot vleguvalvo Skopje nebotoisturalo silen do`d, notoa ne gi spre~ilopove}eti iljadi skopjanida izlezat so ~adori vraka da go vidatpristignuvaweto nagolemiot makedonskirevolucioner. ”Pove}eiljadi gra|ani na Skopjepove}e od eden ~as,izloèni na nepre-stajniot do`d, ja ~ekaapovorkata pred crkvata”Sveti Spas”. Stotinamladinci so venci v race~ekorea pred lafetot nakoj bea postaveniostankite i negovatapu{ka, a zad lafetotodea negovite tri ìvisestri - Tina Andonova,Lika Stani{eva i ElenaPejnerxieva”, }e napi{e

GOCE STASA VO SLOBODNA MAKEDONIJA 43 GODINIPO ZAGINUVAWETO

Mo{tite od Sofija bea isprateni na 7 oktomvri, a vo Skopje pristignaa na 10 oktomvri 1946 godina

novinarot na ”NovaMakedonija”.

Pred crkvatapovorkata bila li~nopre~ekana odpretsedatelot namakedonskata vlada,Lazar Koli{evski. Predda bidat poloèniGocevite mo{ti vove~noto ìveali{te,pred prisutnite govorel ipretsedatelot naI l i n d e n s k a t aorganizacija, StefanAvramov, i na Makedonija& ostavil amanet:

”ûvajte go kako {togo ~uvavme nie”.

Otkako zavr{ilapogrebnata ceremonija,Lazar Koli{evski,pretsedatelot naPrezidiumot nanarodnoto sobranie,Bogoja Fotev, ip o t p r e t s e d a t e l o t ,poznatiot gemixija Pavel[atev, gi poloìleposmrtnite ostanki vosarkofagot izdelkan odkamen od poznatidrimkolski kamenoresci,denes ve~noto ìveali-{te na velikanot.

Od toj dencrkvata “Sveti Spas” enajgolemoto svetili{tena Makedoncite. Da mu sepoklonat na Goce doa|aatsite makedosnkiiselenici kade i da se vosvetot, a na 4 maj, nadenot na zaginuvaweto, sospecijalni avtobusipristignuvaat Makedonciod Bugarija, Grcija iAlbanija za da mu re~atblagodaram na ~ovekot kojostavi neizbri{livitragi vo makedonskataistorija.

Utrinski vesnik,19 oktomvri, 2006

Viktor Cvetanoski

Goceviot ve~en dom vo dvorot na crkvata “Sv. Spas” redovno e poseten odMakedonci-po~ituva~i na Gocevoto delo.


Philip II of Macedonia(382-336 BC), king of Macedonia(359-336 BC), was born in Pella,the capital of ancientMacedonia. Long before Philipwas born, the ancientMacedonians regarded the an-cient Greeks as potentially dan-gerous neighbors, not as kins-men. The Greeks stereotypedthe Macedonians as “barbar-ians” and treated them in thesame bigoted manner in whichthey treated all non-Greeks.

Herodotus, the Father ofHistory, relates how theMacedonian king Alexander I(498-454 BC), a Philhellene (thatis “a friend of the Greeks” andlogically a non-Greek), wantedto take a part in the Olympicgames. The Greek athletes pro-tested, saying they would notrun with a barbarian. Historian

Thucydidis also considered theMacedonians as barbarians.

Philip II, the Macedonian“barbarian” was a hostage inThebes, from 367 to 365, then thegreatest power in Greece. Duringthat period he observed the mili-tary techniques of Thebes,which will help him later reorga-nize the Macedonian army onthe model of the Theban pha-lanx. In 364 Philip returned toMacedonia and in 359 he wasmade regent for his infantnephew Amyntas. Later thatyear he seized the Macedonianthrone.

Philip came to power atthe time when the Macedonianshad just suffered a defeat fromthe Illyrians. Macedonia was inpolitical and military turmoil, andPhilip immediately set aboutbringing the people of

Macedonia under his control. Inless than two years he will se-cure the safety of his kingdomand firmly establish himself onthe throne. After defeating theIllyrians in 358 BC, Philip soughtto bring all of Upper Macedoniaunder his control and make themloyal to him. Apart from military,Philip had several political in-ventions that helped turnMacedonia into a world power.His primary method of creatingalliances and strengthening loy-alties was through marriage. In357 BC he married Olympias,from the royal house ofMolossia, and a year later theyhad a son, Alexander.

In 357 Philip conqueredthe Athenian colony ofAmphipolis in Thrace. That gavehim a possession of the goldmines of Mount Pangaeus,

which will finance his wars. In356 he captured Potidea inChalcidice, Pydna on theThermaic Gulf, and in 355 theThracian town of Crenides, lateracquiring new name Philippi. In354 Philip conquered Methone,advanced into Thessaly but didnot attempt to take the pass ofThermopylae in 352 because itwas strongly guarded by theAthenians. In 351 the greatAthenian orator Demosthenesdelivered the first of hisPhilippics, a series of speecheswarning the Athenians aboutthe Macedonian menace toGreek liberty.

The great Athenianstatesman, spoke of Philip II: “...not only no Greek, nor relatedto the Greeks, but not even abarbarian from any place thatcan be named with honors, but

a pestilent knave fromMacedonia, whence it wasnever yet possible to buy a de-cent slave.” [Third Philippic, 31]The Macedonian “barbarian”defeated Greece at the battle ofChaeronea in August 338 BCand appointed himself “Com-mander of the Greeks”.

This battle had estab-lished Macedonian hegemonyover Greece and this date is com-monly taken as the end of Greekhistory and the beginning of theMacedonian era.

Two years later, in thespring of 336 BC, Philip startedpreparing for his big invasion ofPersia. He sent Attalus andParmenion with 10,000 troopsover into Asia Minor but justbefore he was to travel to Asiato begin the conquest, he wasassassinated.Source: Macedonia FAQ website


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Alexander the Great(356-323 BC), the king ofMacedonia that conqueredthe Persian empire and an-nexed it to Macedonia, is con-sidered one of the greatestmilitary geniuses of all times.He is the first king to be called“the Great.”

Alexander, born inPella, the ancient capital ofMacedonia, was the son ofPhilip II, king of Macedonia,and of Olympias, a princess ofEpirus.

Alexander ascended tothe Macedonian throne whenhis father was assassinated inthe summer of 336 BC. Once onpower, he disposed quickly ofall conspirators and domesticenemies by ordering their ex-ecution. Then he descendedon Thessaly, where partisansof independence had gainedascendancy, and restoredMacedonian rule. Before theend of the summer of 336 BChe had reestablished his posi-tion in Greece and was elected

by a congress of states atCorinth.

But, Greek cities, likeAthens and Thebes, whichhad pledged allegiance toPhilip, were unsure if theywished to do the same for atwenty-year-old boy. Likewise,northern barbarians that Philiphad subdued were threateningto break away from Macedoniaand wreak havoc in the north.Alexander’s advisors sug-gested that he let Athens andThebes go and to be gentlewith the barbarians to preventa revolt. However, in 335 BC,Alexander campaigned towardthe Danube, to secureMacedonia’s northern frontier.

On his return hecrushed in a single week thethreatening Illyrians.

On rumors of his death,a revolt broke out in Greecewith the support of leadingAthenians. Alexander marchedsouth covering 240 miles intwo weeks. Arrian related thestory of how Alexander dealt

with Thebes and Athens. Therewere rumors in these cities thatAlexander had been killed, and thatthe time was right for them to sepa-rate themselves from Macedonia.Instead, in the fall of 335 BC,Alexander marched up to the gatesof Thebes, and let them know thatit was not too late for them tochange their minds. The Thebansresponded with a small contingentof soldiers, which Alexander re-pelled with archers and light infan-trymen. The next day, Alexander’sgeneral, Perdiccas, attacked thegates. Perdiccas broke through andinto the city, and Alexander movedthe rest of his force in behind toprevent the Thebans from cuttingPerdiccas off from the rest.

The Macedonians thenstormed the city, killing almost ev-eryone in sight, women and chil-dren included. They plundered,sacked, burned and razed Thebes,as an example to the rest of Greece.Only the temples and the house ofthe poet Pindar were spared fromdistraction. Athens then quickly re-thought its decision to abandon

Alexander. Greece remained underMacedonian control.

Alexander began his waragainst Persia in the spring of 334BC by crossing the Hellespont(modern Dardanelles) with an armyof 35,000 Macedonians and 7,600Greeks. He threw his spear from hisship to the coast and it stuck inthe ground. He stepped onto theshore, pulled his weapon from thesoil, and declared that the wholeof Asia would be won by the spear.

His chief officers, allMacedonians, includedAntigonus, Ptolemy, andSeleucus.

The Macedonian armysoon encountered the Persianarmy under King Darius III at thecrossing of the river Granicus, nearthe ancient city of Troy. Alexanderattacked an army of Persians andGreek hoplites (a heavily armedfoot soldiers of ancient Greece)who distinguished themselves onthe side of the Persians against theMacedonians. Alexander’s forcesdefeated the enemy (totaling40,000 men) and, according to tra-

dition, lost only 110 men.Then he turned north-

ward to Gordion, home of thefamous Gordian Knot. The leg-end behind the ancient knotwas that the man who coulduntie it was destined to rule theentire world. Alexander simplyslashed the knot with his swordand unraveled it.

Continuing to advancesouthward, in November of 333BC, Alexander met Darius inbattle for the second time at amountain pass at Issus, innortheastern Syria. The size ofDarius’s army is unknown butalthough the Persian armygreatly outnumbered theMacedonians, the narrow fieldof battle allowed Alexander todefeat the Persians. The Battleof Issus ended in a great vic-tory for Alexander. Cut off fromhis base, Darius fled northward,abandoning his mother, wife,and children to Alexander, whotreated them with the respectdue to royalty.

Continues on page 13


Tsar Samuil.At the end of January

969, immediately after the deathof Tsar Petar, the four sons of theKomitadji Nikola-David,Moysey, Aron and Samuil-began an uprising againstBulgarian authorities. Takingadvantage of a Russian invasionby Prince Svyatoslav whichpreoccupied the Byzantines andBulgarians, they quicklysucceeded in overwhelming allopposition in the region. Theyoung Komitadjis, whoseterritory was far distant from theRusso-Byzantine conflict,remained neutral despiteattempts by both sides to swaythem. In the summer of 971 nearthe Danube River, ByzantineEmperor John I Tzimiscesdelivered a decisive blow toSvyatoslav, and incorporatedthe Bulgarian empire intoByzantium following the victory.

For two years theMacedonian state of the fourbrothers had been independentof Byzantium. With theTzimisces’ victory overSvyatoslav and the extension ofByzantine borders as far asDalmatia, the Macedonian state

could be subordinated to thesupreme authority ofConstantinople in 971, andBulgaria and Serbia weretransformed into Byzantineprovinces. By 976, theKomitopulis made severalattempts to gain internationalrecognition; there is record of avisit paid by two of them to thecourt of the Holy RomanEmperor Otto I in 973, with theintention of contactingEuropean rulers gathered inOtto’s capital at Kwedlinburg. InJanuary 976, immediately afterthe death of Tzimisces, thekomitopulis rose in revolt: somehistorians consider this to be asecond, new uprising by thefour brothers, while others arguethat it was a continuation of theirfirst uprising of 969.

“The first date, theyear 969,” writes StyepanAntolyak, “marks the beginningof the formation of a state corein Macedonia under theleadership of the komitopulis,who, after their liberation fromthe authority of the Bulgarianchurch began to extend [theborders of] their still small statein the shadow of nominal

Byzantine supremacy. The year976 marked the beginning ofstrong development of the statecommunity, the borders of whichsoon extended from the BlackSea to the middle part of theAdriatic and to the Sava, Dravaand Danube Rivers.”

In the newly-established state, completelyindependent of Byzantium, thebrothers ruled jointly. This jointrule lasted for a very short time:“Of the four brothers, David wassoon killed in the area betweenPrespa and Kostur by someVlach travelers, while Moyseywas slain by a stone thrown fromthe ramparts during the siege ofSerres. According to therecords, Aron, either because hesupported the Romaeans orbecause he sought to grasppower for himself, was killedtogether with his family by hisbrother Samuil. The ambitions ofSamuil, called “a brilliantcommander” even by Byzantinechroniclers, lay in the west: heattacked Thrace, Macedonia,Thessaly, Greece andPeloponnesus. By the 10thcentury, he succeeded inincorporating the entire territory

of Macedonia (withoutSalonika), most of the formerBulgarian Empire, part of Greece,a large part of Albania, Dioclea,Serbia, Bosnia and a part ofDalmatia within his MacedonianEmpire. At the close of the 9thcentury, Pope Gregory Vheralded and blessed Samuil asa king, and the empire of theyoungest son of the KomitadjiNikola acquired internationalrecognition and character.

It is very important tonote which church recognizedSamuil. Some Bulgarianhistorians have asserted thatSamuil’s empire was acontinuation of the FirstBulgarian Empire-recognized byConstantinople and theOrthodox Church. But Samuil’sempire was recognized by theCatholic Roman Curia. Inaddition, Samuil represented anew imperial dynasty, the empirewas founded on a new state andlegal basis, with new twincapitals at Prespa and Ohrid, andwith a precisely defined corecentered around Macedonia andthe Macedonian Slavs as thefundamental element of the newempire. All of this points to the

fact that Samuil’s empire was notmerely a continuation of the FirstBulgarian Empire recentlyshattered by Byzantium, but anew political entity whichemerged independently. The firstcapital of Samuil was Prespa,later transferred to Ohrid. At thattime, the latter was a stronglyfortified town and well-suited toforestall Byzantine reconquest.In Ohrid Samuil built imperialpalaces and a church to be theseat of the Macedonian church.It is also significant to note that,throughout the existence of theMacedonian Empire, the capitalwas situated within Macedonia-a confirmation of the essentiallyMacedonian character of thismedieval Balkan state.

As recorded inByzantine chronicles, Basil II,the new Byzantine emperor,invaded Macedonia almost“every year” and graduallysucceeded in capturing anddestroying a number ofstrongholds. The fall of Durresand of the fortified towns on theother side of the Maritsa Riverand the submission of Greaterand Lesser Preslav, Pliska, Veria,

Continues on page 13


Dame Gruev sopravo go vbrojuvame me|uprvencite narevolucijata iprvenec na revolucio-nernoto osoznavawe.

Se rodil 1871godina vo semejstvo nayidarski majstor-pe~albar, koj na svojot sinmu obezbedil obrazovaniekoe }e pote~e od rodnotoselo, za da mine prekuBitola, Solun, Belgrad i

Sofija, i da zapre vo [tip,kako prva stanica vonegovata profesionalnaopredelba-u~itel.

Ako Goce Del~evbe{e srceto, \or~e Petrov-razumot, Pere To{ev-sovesta, Dame be{e voljatana revolucionerna Make-donija. I po Ilindenskotovostanie toj ostana me|usvojot napaten narod, da gote{i i uveruva deka

slobodata bez krv ne sedobiva.

Vo 1905 gdina, naRilskiot kongres, kogaOrganizacijata e preime-nuvana vo Vnatre{namakedonska revolucio-nerna organizacija (VMRO),Dame povtorno e izbran za~elnik i go praviposledniot obid da seza~uva edinstvoto voOrganizacijata i

dvièweto. Vra}aj}i sevo Makedonija, na 11dekemvri 1906 godina, senao|a opkolen od turskiotasker vo male{evskotoselo Rusinovo. Probivaj}igo obra~ot i dvièj}i sekon vrvot Petlec, podlabok sneg i stud, otkakomu zaginuva verniotpridru`nik Sando Kitanov,i samiot ranet, a vle~ej}igo na ple}i i ranetiot

Kar~ev, Dame prifa}aneramna borba. No otkakoranetiot Kar~ev }e sesamoubie, po s# izgledadeka i samiot si go odzemaìvotot za da ne padne ̀ ivvo racete na turskiotasker. Selanite mu gozakopale mrtvoto telo vodvorot na selskata crkva,od kade podocna ostankitemu bile preneseni vorodnoto Smilevo.


\or~e Petrov eroden vo Varo{ krajPrilep (vo 1864 ili 1865godina). Isklu~en odSolunskata gimnazijaporadi u~estvo vogimnaziskite buntovi(1885).

Dodeka bil u~itelvo [tip formiralrevolucionerni grupi vo[tip, Bitola, Prilep,Ohrid, Kru{evo, Ki~evo,

Resen, Lerinsko iKostursko. Vo 1888 ostanalbez rabota i istata esen sevrabotil vo skopskataprogimnazija kade rabotelna sobirawe materijali zastudijata “Materijali poizu~uvaweto na Makedonija”(1896). Vo Skopje ostanaltri godini. Obvinet deka gopoddrùva mitropolitotTeodosij vo negovotonastojuvawe da ja obnovi

Ohridskata episkopija,premesten bil za u~itel voBitola, kade {to ostanalpet godini (1891-1895). VoBitola i stanal ~len naVMORO. Osnova~ iurednik na vesnikot“Buntovnik” (1898 i 1899).Na Solunskiot kongres naVMORO (1896) nemu i naGoce Del~ev im bilodovereno da go napi{atUstavot i Pravilnikot na

Organizacijata. Iscelo seoddava na revolucionernatarabota. Vo 1895 godina doa|avo Solun i vedna{ bilkooptiran za ~len na CK.

U~esnik e voIlindenskoto vostanie sosvoja ~eta vo Prilepsko iMariovsko. U~esnik e naPrilepskiot (1904), Stru-mi~kiot (1905) i Rilskiotkongres (1905). Za vreme naBalkanskite vojni, kako i za

vreme na prvoto golemosvetsko sudruvawe,rabotel vo Ser, Bitola iDrama (izvesno vreme ikako nejzin kmet).

Po naredba naTodor Aleksandrov ubiene vo Sofija na 28 juni 1921godina.

Prevzemeno od“Li~nosti od Makedonija”,od Petar Karajanov, HristoAndonovski i JovanPavlovski, 2002.


OD PROSLAVATA NA ILINDENSKIOT PIKNIK - 2006 GODINA

“OBEDINETI MAKEDONCI” DOSTOJNO GO ODBELE@A

Dragi Stojkovski, Jordan Veselinov (Generalen konzul na Makedonija voDetroit), Stiv Plijakas, \orgi Plukovski i Xim Jankovski

Na 6-ti avgust2006 godina, iljadniciMakedonci od ju`noOntario zaedni~ki goproslavija Ilinden,n a j g o l e m i o tm a k e d o n s k inacionalen i verskiden. Tradicionalenorganizator na prosla-vata e OrganizacijataObedineti Makedoncivo Kanada koja i ovaagodina piknikot goodrà na svojot pre-krasen Ilindenskipark, severo-isto~nood Toronto.

P r a z n i ~ n a t aprograma zapo~na soutrinskata svetaslu`ba vo manastirot“Sv. Ilija”, koj se nao|ana najvisokiot del odparkot.

Grupata “Rumba”potoa gi zabavuva{egostite koi se sobraapred binata so èlbada se razonodat soprekrasni makedonskipesni i ora. Golem del

mladi posetiteli gipokaùvaa svoitepoznavawa na tradi-c i o n a l n i t emakedonski narodniora.

S v e ~ e n a t aprazni~na programazapo~na vo popladne-vnite ~asovi sopozdravite na po~e-snite gosti, me|u koibea i Nase Nasev,ambasadorot naRepublika Makedo-nija vo Otava, i LuiTemelkovski, edin-stveniot sojuzenpratenik od make-donsko poteklo.

Otecot TrajkoBoseovski go pro~itaPoslanieto od G.G.Stefan, poglavarotna MPC, dodekavoditelot DragiStojkovski go pro~i-ta pozdravot odBranko Crvenkovski,pretsedatelot naR e p u b l i k aMakedonija.

Xorx Pliakas - “makedonski Elvis”.

Od pozdravite na po~esnite gosti

Od zabavnite trki


MAKEDONSKIOT NACIONALEN PRAZNIK - ILINDENZa vreme

zabavniot del odprogramata, XorxPliakas se pretstavikako “makedonskiElvis”.

Vo prikve~er-nite ~asovi dvaesetmladi Makedonkiu~estvuvaa vo izborot

za Ubavica naObedineti Make-donci za 2006 godina.Za Ubavica be{eizbrana Meri Kami-novski, dodeka MeriLazarevski i KatiStojanovski beaizbrani za prva ivtora pratilka.

Na ovoj piknikOrganizacijata pri-redi zabavni trki zakoi ima{e dobarodziv, i organiza-torite se nadevaatdeka za slednatagodina }e ima pogolembroj sportski igri sou{te pove}e u~esnici.

Ubavica na Obedineti Makedonci za2006 godina be{e izbrana Meri Kaminovski,dodeka Meri Lazarevski (levo) i KatiStojanovski (desno) bea izbrani za prva ivtora pratilka.

MeriKaminovski,

Ubavica naObedineti

Makedonci za 2006godina

DvaesetmladiMakedonkiu~estvuvaavoizborot zaUbavica naObedinetiMakedonciza 2006godina.

IljadniciMakedonci budno go

sledeja izborot zaUbavica na Obedineti

makedonci za 2006 godina.


Jane Sandanski(1872-1915) be{e eden odglavnite stratezi iorganizatori na revo-lucionerno-komitskotodvièwe i borbata zaosloboduvawe na make-donskiot narod od dolgotoropstvo pod turskiotjarem, no i od sekakva drugazavisnost od okolniteasimilatorski reìmi naBugarija, Grcija i Srbija,

koi ne gi krieja svoiteprisvojuva~ki apetitiinameri kon makedonskiotteren i narod. Roden na 18maj 1972 godina vopirinskoto selo Vlahi, vobedno zemjodelsko semej-stvo, Jane u{te na mladinibil zadoen so revolu-cionernite idei zapremavnuvawe na dolgototursko ropstvo. Ineizbe`noto vojnikuvawe

vo redovite na turskiotasker, Jane go iskoristilza dobro izu~uvawe navoenite umeewa, pa dobropodgotven vo stru~no-vojni~ki pogled, nabrzo sevklu~il vo revolucio-nerno-komitskata borba.

Vo tekot napetnaesetina godini sepretstavi kako eden odvrvnite predvodnici nanacionalno-revolucio-

nernoto dvièwe voMakedonija.

Dejstvuvaj}i vosvojata rodna pirinskaMakedonija, Jane neprestana so svoitedejnosti za osamostoju-vawe na Makedonija nitu voperiodot koga negovatatatkovina se najde voramkite na slobodnataBugarija, pa zatoa be{enajgolemiot trn vo o~ite na

m o n a r h i s t i ~ k i t evlastodr{ci vo imperija-listi~ka Bugarija, koipove}epati se obidoanasilno da mu go odzematìvotot, vo {to i uspeajana 22 april 1915 godina,postavuvaj}i mu oru‘enazaseda kaj Pazar-âir,blizu do negoviot rodenMelni~ki kraj.

Dr. Tome Sazdov-Makedonski Iseleni~ki

Almanah’87


Obedineta Makedonija

Saturdays 9 – 10 am on CHKT AM 1430

Alexander entered Egyptin 331 BC. When he arrived, hewas welcomed, and he ordered acity to be designed and foundedin his name at the mouth of theriver Nile. Alexandria would be-come one of the major culturalcenters in the Mediterraneanworld in the following centuries.He was then made pharaoh vol-untarily by the Egyptians, whodespised living under Persianrule. In the middle of 331 BCAlexander marched back to Per-sia to find Darius.

Alexander reorganizedhis forces at Tyre and started forBabylon with an army of 40,000infantry and 7000 cavalry. Heconquered the lands betweenthe rivers Tigris and Euphratesand found the Persian army,which, according to the exagger-ated accounts of antiquity, wassaid to number a million men atthe plains of Gaugamela (nearmodern Irbil, Iraq). The twoarmies met on the battlefield themorning on October 1, 331 BC,and the Macedonian forcesswept through the Persian armyand slaughtered them. Dariusfled as he had done at Issus tothe mountain residence ofEcbatana, while Alexander occu-pied Babylon, the imperial capi-tal Susa, and Persepolis. Hence-forth, Alexander was proclaimedking of Persia, and to win thesupport of the Persian aristoc-racy he appointed mainly Per-sians as provincial governors.After four months, theMacedonians burned the royalpalace to the ground thus com-pleting the end of the ancientPersian Empire.

Alexander continued hispursuit of Dariusand when he fi-nally caught up to him, he foundthe Persian king dead in hiscoach, assassinated by his ownmen. Alexander had the assassinexecuted and gave Darius a royalfuneral.

In the spring of 327 BC,Alexander and his army marchedinto India invading Punjab as faras the river Hyphasis (modernBeas). The greatest ofAlexander’s battles in India wasagainst Porus, one of the mostpowerful Indian leaders, at theriver Hydaspes. On July 326 BC,Alexander’s army crossed theheavily defended river in dra-matic fashion during a violentthunderstorm to meet Porus’forces. The Indians were de-feated in a fierce battle, eventhough they fought with el-ephants, which theMacedonians had never beforeseen. Alexander captured Porusand, like the other local rulers hehad defeated, allowed him to

continue to govern his territory.Alexander even subdued an in-dependent province and grantedit to Porus as a gift.

Alexander and his armyreached the mouth of the Indusin July 325 BC and turned west-ward for home.

Alexander the Great, theMacedonian king and the greatconqueror, died at the age of 33,on June 10, 323 BC.Source:: http://faq.RMacedonia.org/

Continued from page 6

Macedonian Radio Program

Micko i Dragica Dimovski Tel/Fax: 905-265-2197

16 Condotti Dr., Woobridge, ON L4H 2C8

Servia, Voden, Vidin, Edirne andSkopje considerably erodedSamuil’s power. The decisivebattle between Samuil and Basil IItook place at the foot of Mt.Belasitsa on July 29, 1014.

“The emperor had givenup hope that he would be able topass, when NicephorusSciphianus, appointed by him asstrategist of Philippopolis, badehim stay there and assault thebarriers [before the battle ofBelasitsa Samuil had blocked theroad where Basil II sought to enterMacedonia by barriers andtrenches], while he would attempta rescue action. And he took hissoldiers and, unexpectedly, withshouts and great noise, appearedon the hill behind their backs.Frightened by the unexpectedappearance of enemy soldiers, thearmy [of Samuil] started to runaway. The emperor pulled downthe barriers and began to chasethem. Many of them were killed,and even more were taken captive.Samuil narrowly escaped deathwith the help of his son, whobravely fought against theattackers. He put his father on ahorse and took him to the fortresscalled Prilep. The emperor blindedcaptives-about 15,000 of them,they say-and ordering afterwardsthat every hundred of them be ledby a one-eyed soldier, he sentthem thus to Samuil. The latter wasso shaken by the sight of themwalking in rows of equal numbersthat he felt sick. Everything wentblack in front of his eyes and hefell on the ground. Those present,who tried hard to restore hisbreathing with water and herbs,succeeded to bring him back toconsciousness for a few minutes.When he revived he asked for coldwater; however, when he began todrink, he suffered a heart attackand two days later he died.” Thisis the 12th century account of theByzantine historian Skylitzesabout the defeat of Samuil by BasilII. There is no definite proof whereSamuil died-in Prilep, as claimed bySkylitzes, or in Prespa, as statedby Michael Attaliot. But the dateof Samuil’s death is placed atOctober 6, 1014. Source: http://www.unet.com.mk/

Continued from page 7 - Samuil

NOVI KNIGI OD ISTORIÂROT ALEKSANDAR DONSKI

Ve izvestuvamedeka vo tek se podgotovkiteza pe~atewe na najnovatakniga od istori~arotAleksandar Donski podnaslov: MAKEDONSKITECAREVI VO VIZANTIJA Knigata donesuvaprecizni podatoci dekanajmalku dvaeset i tricarevi na Vizantija imalemakedonsko poteklo! Vo knigata }epro~itate detaqni poda-toci za sekoj od niv, kako idokazi za nivnoto make-donsko poteklo! Vo knigata }epro~itate i deka: - Carevite odmakedonsko poteklo vla-deele so Vizantija re~isipolovina milenium i tiebile svedoci na najgo-lemite uspesi i padovi naovaa svetski poznatadràva! - Nekoi svetskiu~eni, tokmu poradi make-donskoto poteklo na brojnivizantiski carevi, Vizan-tija ja smetaat kakoprodolènie na Makedon-skata (a ne na rimskata)imperija. - Vo Vizantijapostoelo mo}no politi~kodvièwe koe se vikalo“Makedonska partija”, aposebna edinica vo vizan-tiskata vojska go noselaimeto “Makedonska vojska”! - Makedoncite kakonarod, bile spomnati odbrojni vizantiski istori-~ari! - Deka carevite odmakedonsko poteklo zadr-àle nekoi anti~ko-make-donski obi~ai i vo vremetona svoeto vladeewe. - Deka najpoznatiotperiod vo vizantiskataumetnost, do denes sredeu~enite vo svetot e poznatpod imeto “Makedonskarenesansa”. Knigata ima nad 230stranici (A5 format) iplastificirana korica voboja. Koj saka da bidepredvremen pretplatnik naknigata, za $ 50.00 }e dobie7 knigi i se razbira dekaza vozvrat imiwata nap r e d v r e m e n i t epretplatnici }e bidatspomnati vo knigata.

Neodamna izleze odpe~at knigata (studija) podnaslov “JAZIKOT NAA N T I ^ K I T EMAKEDONCI” od avtorotAleksandar Donski. Vo knigata }epro~itate: - Kritika nasovremenite gr~ki iprogr~ki nastroeniistori~ari, koi tvrdatdeka jazikot na anti~kiteMakedonci bil “gr~kidijalekt”. Avtorot Donskiza prv pat predpo{irokata javnostotkriva eden neverojatensovremen gr~ki falsi-fikat vo odnos naanti~kata makedonskaistorija, ~ie obelode-nuvawe }e predizvikatektonski potres vogolemogr~kata propaganda. - Za prv pat predmakedonskata javnost }epro~itate svedo{tvo odpoznatiot anti~ki gr~kipisatel Atenaj, kojdoslovno zapi{al dekaMakedoncite i Grcite inavistina imale zaed-ni~ki zborovi vo svoitejazici, no deka toa bilotaka zatoa {to Grciteprevzele mnogu zborovi odjazikot na Makedoncite! - Kritika na gr~kiotstav spored koj Makedon-cite zboruvale sli~enjazik so Epircite, abidej}i Epircite bile“Grci”, toa zna~lo deka iMakedoncite se Grci (!?).

Vo knigata e navedentaen izve{taj naBritanskata vlada od 1881godina, vo koj se citiranisite poznati anti~kiatori koi pi{uvale zaetni~kiot sostav na Epir.Pritoa avtorot na ovojizve{taj (voeniot istori-~ar Ardag) decidnozaklu~uva: “Nikade nenajdov dokazi deka Epirbil gr~ka teritorija”. - Pove}e anti~kinarativni svedo{tva zazasebnosta na anti~kiotmakedonski jazik. Anti~-kiot gr~ki istori~arArijan vo Biografijata zaEvmen, jasno zapi{al dekamakedonskite vojnici gopozdravile svojot omilengeneral (citat): “na make-donski jazik”.

Anti~kiot istori~arPlutarh vo svojataBiografija za AleksandarMakedonski zapi{al, dekakoga Aleksandar vo ednaprilika pomislil deka senao|a vo smrtna opasnost,gi povikal na pomo{ svoitetelohraniteli na svojotmaj~in (citat) “makedonskijazik”.

Plutarh zapi{aldeka makedonskiot jazikbil maj~in jazik i naslavnata egipetska krali-ca od makedonsko poteklo“Kleopatra Sedma”.

Latinskiot istori-~ar Kvintij Kurtij Ruf,pak, vo svojata Biografijaza Aleksandar Makedonskijasno posvedo~il dekaMakedoncite i Grcitekomunicirale prekupreveduva~i. Posebniotmakedonski jazik gospomnal i latinskiotfilozof Seneka. Pi{u-vaj}i za Makedoncite koi,u{te od vremeto napohodot na AlekandarMakedonski, ostanale daìveat vo Indija i Persija,vo svoeto delo “Deconsolatione ad Helviam”,7,1), Seneka zapi{al: “Odkade makedonskiot jaziksrede Indijcite iPersijancite?” Na edennatpis vo Makedonija od212 godina po Hristadevoj~eto Nike bilozapi{ano deka pripa|a nasemejstvo koe “zboruvalomakedonski”... - Deka Makedoncitebile tretirani kako“barbari” od strana naGrcite.

- Deka pove}edesetici anti~ko-make-donski zborovi se so~uvanivo deloto na aleksandris-kiot gramati-~ar Hesihij,koj ìveel vo 5 vek, kako ivo Leksikonot “Suda”. - Najvozbudliv del odknigata sekako e pretstavu-vaweto na samite anti~ko-makedonski zborovi ikratok osvrt na nivniotizgovor i zna~ewe. Za primerok na ovaavredna kniga, koja pre-dizvika ogromen interesvo makedonskata javnosti po{iroko, obratete sedo OrganizacijataObedineti Makedonci.

MAKEDONSKITECAREVI VOVIZANTIJA

JAZIKOT NA ANTI^KITEMAKEDONCI


December 18, 2006Dear Sirs,

In the last couple ofweeks on the territory of Re-public of Bulgaria we wit-nessed unprecedented ques-tioning and harassing of themembers of one political party– OMO “Ilinden” – PIRIN. Thepolice and other organs of theInterior Ministry are carryingout these actions by orders ofthe Sofia City Prosecutor – Il.Slavovska. All of the 6 000members of the party weresummoned to the police sta-tions or the village halls or havebeen visited at their homes orhave been taken with patrolcars from their workplaces.

The mass summoningby the organs of the InteriorMinistry is shameful and unac-ceptable in a democratic soci-ety, which Bulgaria claims tobe. There are many civilizedways of conducting such in-vestigations, unlike the onechosen by ProsecutorSlavovska. We insist on re-minding you that to the major-ity of the people the police stillprovoke a strong fear andthose who’ve been taken to thepolice stations were treated ascriminals. The campaign wasmade after months of hysteriain the media and threats bystate officials (MPs, mayors,counselors) and politiciansstating that the members of theparty must be put in prison andthe party itself prosecuted withall means of the law.

With concern we con-clude that none of the state’s in-stitutions did anything to counterthis wave of malicious and publicthreats. On the contrary, with theiractions the Prosecution and Inte-rior Ministry identified them-selves with them. The Prosecu-tion has no reasonable explana-tion to start such a drastic andunusual action that never tookplace against any of the other ex-isting 380 parties in the Republicof Bulgaria. 17 mistaken PersonalIdentification Numbers (EGN),some mistakes of the address reg-istration and three minors in the6 000 handwritten list of the partymembers cannot be a solid basefor initiating mass interrogations.

It cannot be a cause eitherfor some twenty, received with in-timidation and manipulation, dec-larations from members of ourparty, and gathered by the Pros-ecution in mid October.

About this case we madea non-resulting complaint to theSupreme Prosecutor General,Ministry of Interior, Ministry ofJustice and in connection withthat we insisted on a session ofthe Sofia City Court on 18th Oc-tober to put the applications formembership of those people incourt. Prosecutor Slavovska ob-jected to our request. Also theprosecutorial investigationsmade in connection with the pressslanders for “purchasing of sig-natures” were completed yet inSeptember with the conclusionthat “there are no data for com-mitted crime.”

For the above reasons weare to conclude that the order bythe Prosecution and the subse-quent actions have no reason-able meaning and are being ten-dentious and malicious againstour party.

By executing this illegalorder of Prosecutor Slavovska,the Interior Ministry has mademany breaches of the law andcaused severe psychologicalpressure upon our members. Dif-ferent methods were used withconfusing and leading questionsas well such ones that could notbe of any interest for the Prosecu-tion (such as place of work andnationality). Our members are agi-tated that we are being accusedof being an anti-state and sepa-ratist party, that being a memberof our party is dangerous andthat the members and their rela-tives could get into trouble be-cause of that. The police normallydid not introduce themselves anddid not show any order, visitedhomes during the night, took the

members from their workplaces,etc.

The actions of the po-lice discredit our members andparty before society. They alsoput the party in a bad situationin front of its members. Theydiscredit the police as an instru-ment of security and as a demo-cratic institution as well.

We can’t find any ex-cuse for the order of the Pros-ecutor or for the way in whichthe organs of Interior Ministryare acting. We are forced toconclude that they are a resultof an extreme intolerance,rooted in the society againstour ideas and against the mem-bers of one peaceful and loyalminority in Bulgaria – theMacedonian one, on which ourparty is the only one politicaldefender.

It is without doubt thatthe actions against our partyare neither dictated by legalbases, nor made in a legal way.They are only after the politi-

Blagoevgrad, December 4, 2006The Presidency of OMOIlinden PIRIN is gravely con-cerned by the continuing un-precedented and unprovokedinterrogations of our membersby the Bulgarian police. Fol-lowing the “NO” vote in theEuropean Parliament last week,the Bulgarian police have sum-moned a great number of our6,000 members to local policestations for interrogations. Thevote in the European Parlia-ment to not recognize the eth-nic Macedonian minority, norintroduce a monitoring mecha-nism to ensure minority rightsare protected in Bulgaria, hasencouraged the police to stepup their efforts to suppressOMO Ilinden PIRIN and pre-vent it from registering. By in-terrogating and intimidatingour members, the police seek toscare our members into back-ing out of their memberships.This is unprecedented in anydemocratic country, let aloneone that will become a full Eu-

ropean Union member on January1, 2007. This is an explicit attemptto destroy our party, and to makeimpossible our bid for registra-tion. This shows the firm determi-nation by the Bulgarian state touse all means, including violationof human rights and it own laws,to prevent the registration of ourParty. It also shows that the SofiaCity Court decree was legallybaseless. It is clear that the “no”vote in the European Parliamenthas encouraged the totalitarianforces in the Bulgarian society.We call on the authorities to im-mediately cease and desist allpolice actions; all police sum-monses to be withdrawn and re-garded as null and void; and wedemand an official apology by thepolice and the Prosecutor’s officeand sanctioning of all responsiblefor these actions. We call on theEuropean Union and all other in-stitutions to intervene and put theBulgarian state under monitoring,especially during the forthcomingjudicial processes. We insist thatthe court abides by the laws ofthe country and register our Party.

cal goal to prevent by all costsand with all means the registra-tion of one political party – theparty which has observed all thelegal procedures and demandsfor its registration and whichcame upon unprecedented and,unthinkable in a democratic so-ciety, problems every step of theway in the process of its found-ing and registration. These ac-tions strongly discredit ourcountry internationally and willlead to negative results for ourstate. But most of all it will nega-tively affect democracy in theRepublic of Bulgaria.

Although the current ac-tions of the state institutions donot give us any reason to hopefor your positive interference,we will still be hoping that youwill remember your duties to allthe citizens of the Republic ofBulgaria and the laws and youwill do what is in your authorityfor stopping this abusive unlaw-fulness and trampling of basichuman rights, of this tramplingof the principals of democracy,of this open discrimination ofpart of the citizens of Republicof Bulgaria on a political and eth-nic basis.

I hope that this time, un-like what happened with the doz-ens of our other complaints tothe institutions, you will re-spond to our request in writing.Regards:

On behalf of the Leadership ofOMO “Ilinden” – PIRIN

Stoyko Stoykov

Brussels, November 29, 2006Right to self-determination:“Only Macedonians can definethemselves as Minority”

Following the debate inthe Foreign Affairs Committee onthe progress report of Bulgaria to-wards EU membership the Euro-pean Free Alliance (EFA) hasemphasised that every commu-nity has the right and prerogativeto define themselves as a minor-ity if they choose. The state ofBulgaria has no role to play indefining minorities but has animportant role in recognising andrespecting these minorities.

Co-President of OMO“Ilinden” Pirin, observer memberof EFA, Stojko Stojkov addresseda press conference and com-mented:

“I Call on the Bulgarianauthorities to recognize, respectand protect the rights of all self-identified ethnicities and minori-ties within its borders, including

Macedonians, Pomaks, Roma,Turks, and other minorities,and to implement all decisionsof the European Court for Hu-man Rights (ECHR). I am aMacedonian, I am a member ofthe Macedonian communityliving in Bulgaria, and I exist.The state denies my existenceand that of thousands of otherpeaceful Macedonians.“

Nelly Maes, Presidentof EFA, declared:

“Bulgaria, as all mem-ber states, must respect the de-cisions of the European Courtof Human Rights, including theone regarding the registrationof OMO “Ilinden” PIRIN.”

Bernat Joan i Maríadded:

“It is also the right andprerogative of theorganisation OMO “Ilinden”Pirin to enjoy the freedom ofassociation as the ECHR con-cluded last year and therefore

we request the Committee ofMinisters of the Council of Eu-rope to oblige Bulgaria to takeall necessary initiatives to reg-ister the party.”

The right to self-identifi-cation is enshrined in interna-tional law (Framework Conven-tion on National Minorities[FCNM], Art. 3). This right hasindividual and collective dimen-sions. Each person has the rightto identify themselves with aminority group (or not), andeach group has the right to de-cide whether it would like to pre-serve its own group identity; in-cluding customs, traditions, lan-guage and religion. It is not upto the state to decide whether aminority group exists.

We would expect Bul-garia to comply with theCopenhagen criteria as wewould any other EU memberstate or any country aspiring toEU membership.

Right to self-determination: “Only Macedonians candefine themselves as Minority”

European Free Alliance - Press ReleaseOMO Ilinden PIRIN Condemns BulgarianHuman Rights Violations AgainstMacedonian Minority

OMO Ilinden PIRIN OPEN LETTER to the President of BulgariaTo: The President of the Republic of Bulgaria; The Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria; The Leader of the Parliamentary Commis-sion for fighting discrimination; The Chief Prosecutor of the Republic of Bulgaria

Macedonian gathering at Rozen monastery


The use of the name“Macedonia” can be traced toantiquity. We know that thepeople who lived in the centralpart of the Balkan Peninsulawere called Macedonians andtheir country as Macedonia.Macedonia’s rulers were knownby their first name and the nounof “Macedon” (Makedonski inMacedonian), thus denotingtheir ethnicity, such as Philip ofMacedon or his more famousson, Alexander of Macedon,who later received the title TheGreat. Throughout history,many ethnic Macedonians haveused “Makedonski” as their lastname (of Macedon) and the fe-male version “Makedonka” isstill used by many Macedonianwomen. The northern part ofhistoric Macedonia is namedthe Republic of Macedonia and113 countries have already rec-ognized the republic under itsconstitutional name-the Repub-lic of Macedonia As expected,in Macedonia there are manyother uses of the nameMacedonia: streets and squaresare named Macedonia; govern-ment and educational institu-tions as well as private busi-nesses use the nounMacedonia/Macedonian…

However, the use of thename Macedonia is not re-stricted to Macedonia and theBalkans only. Now in the age ofthe Internet, it is easier to re-search the use of the nameMacedonia throughout theworld and this time we will in-troduce some.

Macedonia exists inAustralia, or more precisely thetown of Macedon (population1416, 2001 census) on the CalderFreeway between Melbourneand Bendigo, Victoria in theMacedon Ranges in centralVictoria (Australia). It is in theLocal Government Area of theMacedon Ranges Shire, and islocated at the foot of MountMacedon, a 1,013-metre peak tothe north. Macedon has a pri-mary school, which was onceattended by wartime Prime Min-ister of Australia, John Curtin.Another case is MountMacedon, also called UpperMacedon (population 1183,2001 census) is a small town lo-cated 60 kilometres northwest ofMelbourne in the Australianstate of Victoria. It is situated onthe side of the mountain of thesame name which rises to 1001metres above sea level. MountMacedon is best known for itscollection of 19th century gar-dens and associated extrava-gant large homes, which is con-sidered to be one of the mostimportant such collections inAustralia.

Mount Macedon town-ship was largely established byMelbourne’s wealthy elite in thepost gold rush era of the mid tolate 19th century who used it as

a summer retreat.Due to its relatively high

elevation, (Mount Macedon vil-lage is around 620 metres abovesea level), the area experiencesmuch cooler temperatures on av-erage relative to nearbyMelbourne. The area also re-ceives high rainfall relative to thesurrounding plains and much ofthe Melbourne area. This combi-nation of geographic factorshave contributed to the town’sreputation as a resort town. Thegardens and homes of MountMacedon are well known for theirlavish size and scale. Many ofthese gardens contain collec-tions of exotic plants that are rarein cultivation.

One of the major attrac-tions of Mount Macedon is the21 metre high memorial crosswhich stands near the summit ofthe mountain. This structure wasestablished by early resident Wil-liam Cameron in 1935 as a memo-rial to those who died in WorldWar 1. The view from the summitof Mount Macedon is spectacu-lar and takes in Melbourne city,the Dandenong Ranges and theYou Yangs near Geelong.

Another attraction of theMount Macedon area is the ex-tensive native forests whichcover the mountain and surroundthe town. Much of the forest onMount Macedon consists of wetsclerophyll communities whichare more commonly associatedwith areas east of Melbourne.Alpine ash (Eucalyptusdelegatensis) occurs here at thewestern extent of its range andMountain Ash (Eucalyptusregnans) at the northwestern ex-tent of its range.

North-East of Australiaand East of New Guinea, withinthe Solomon Islands there is anartificial island called Macedonia.South America is home to a num-ber of Macedonia’s: Macedônia,is a municipality in the state ofSão Paulo in Brazil (population in2004 was 3,661, with an area of330.18 km²); Colombia has aMacedonia in the Amazonas re-gion and a Macedonia in theBolívar region, which is alsocalled Caserio Macedonia.

In Central America, Cubahas her own Macedonia in theCamagüey province.Not to be outdone, Europe toohas her own Macedonia’s: Roma-nia has the town of Macedonia;while Scotland has oneMacedonia in the Glenrothes re-gion and another Macedonia inthe Fife r egion.

Perhaps the mostMacedonia’s outside ofMacedonia proper are in theUnited States of America.

There is one Macedonia inPickens County, Alabama. ThisMacedonia is a town, which, ac-cording to the 2000 census had apopulation of 291. Then there isone Macedonia in Arkansas, andone Macedonia in Connecticut.

There is a communityalso called Macedonia in Geor-gia, which is situated along GA20 in Eastern Cherokee County.Its main intersection is withEast Cherokee Drive whichruns from south of Ball Groundto north of Woodstock along ahigh-growth corridor.

One theory as to howthe community got its name isfrom Macedonia BaptistChurch which was establishedin the late 1870s; from there anelementary school along DockLathem Trail (now closed) wasalso called Macedonia. TheMacedonia Community has re-cently become a hotbed of sub-urban growth with a mix of resi-dential and commerical devel-opment. One major residentialdevelopment is the WoodmontCountry Club which boastsover 900 houses and thecommunity’s first golf course(privately-owned).

Franklin County in Illi-nois has a village namedMacedonia with a population of51 at the 2000 census. Indianaalso has a settlement calledMacedonia.

Another Macedonia is acity in Pottawattamie County,Iowa with a population of 325at the 2000 census and a totalarea of 0.9 km.Then there is Macedonia inKentucky, Macedonia in Loui-siana, Macedonia in Missis-sippi and Macedonia in NewJersey.

Perhaps the secondmost populated settlement un-der the name Macedon/Macedonia (of course outsideof Macedonia proper) is theTown of Macedon in WayneCounty, New York, which ac-cording to the 2000 census hada population of 8,688. The firstsettlers arrived in 1789 andMacedon was created from theTown of Palmyra in 1823. Theopening of the Erie Canal madethe communities ofWaynesport and Macedonports on the canal. The westtown line is the border of Mon-roe County, New York and thesouth town line is the border ofOntario County, New York. TheErie Canal passes across thetown. According to the UnitedStates Census Bureau, thetown has a total area of 100.6km² (38.9 mi²).

The Town of Macedoncontains a village also namedMacedon, which is located inthe south part of the town onRoute 31 and which in the 2000census had a total populationof 1,496.

This area seems to besaturated with Macedonias,because northwest of theMacedon village, located onRoute 31F, there is a hamletcalled Macedon Center,whereas north of Macedon vil-lage, also on Route 31F, there

is another hamlet called NorthMacedon.

The State of North Caro-lina also has a community namedMacedonia, whereas the State ofOhio can boast to have the mostpopulated North AmericanMacedonia with a population of9,224 at the 2000 census and atotal area of 25.1 km². The city ofMacedonia is in Summit County,Ohio, conveniently locatedamidst the crossroads of 4 ma-jor highways: I-480, I-271, I-80and State Route 8. It’s posi-tioned directly south of Cleve-land & north of Akron & Can-ton.

Just 25 minutes from ei-ther downtown Cleveland orAkron, Macedonia is a greatplace to stay for a business orfamily trip. There is an abun-dance of lodging and restau-rants, plus it is within a shortdrive of several major attractionslike: Geauga Lake (20 minutes);The Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame (30minutes); The Football Hall ofFame (45 minutes); BostonMills/Brandywine Ski Resort (10minutes); Jacob’s Field (25 min-utes); Akron Zoo (20 minutes);Cleveland Zoo (34 minutes); E.J.Thomas Hall (23 minutes); andthe Cleveland Playhouse (35minutes).

The history of the city’sname is very interesting: In theearly 1800’s, young theologystudents from Western ReserveCollege in Hudson were asked tocome to “The Corner”, as thearea was known then, to preachon Sundays at the Free Will Bap-tist Church. Within their ownlittle circle these theologiansbegan using the biblical pas-sage, “Come over intoMacedonia and help us”, whenreferring to their Sunday preach-ing visit. Either by accident or bydivine intervention, the littlesettlement at “The Corners” be-came permanently know asMacedonia.

One can also findMacedonia in Pennsylvania,Macedonia in Tennessee,Macedonia in Texas, as well asMacedonia in Virginia.

Of course there are othermeanings that the nounMacedonia is used for. For ex-ample, Macedonia is a name forsalad in some countries. In Italy,Spain and Latin America it is aname for a fruit salad made fromfresh fruits and it is a commondessert in those countries. InFrance, it is a name for a veg-etable salad made from, amongother vegetables, red beans. TheFrench version of the word ismacédoine.

During the First WorldWar there was a Macedonianfront as part of the Balkans Cam-paign from the end of 1915 to theend of 1918.

In the field of vegetationthere is a Macedonian Oak(Quercus trojana , syn. Q.

macedonicus), which is part ofthe turkey oak section Quercussect. Cerris. It is native to south-east Europe and southwest Asia,from southern Italy east acrossthe southern Balkans to westernTurkey. It is a medium-sized treereaching 20 m tall, deciduous tosemi-evergreen, with serratedleaves 4-9 cm long and 2-5 cmbroad. The acorns are 2-4 cmlong when mature about 18months after pollination.

In the religious field therewas a Macedonia Regular Bap-tist Association in the UnitedStates which existed from 1910-1916, and presently there are anumber of Macedonian BaptistChurches: Macedonian Chris-tian Academy in Donna, Texas;Macedonian Baptist Church -Macedonian Missionary Baptistin Maitland, Florida; HeritageBaptist Church in Kingsville,Texas (within which there are theMacedonian Tent Makersspeacializing in quality afford-able tents for other ministries;Faith Baptist Church-Macedonian Missionary Servicein Lakeland, Florida, which has abi-monthly magazine calledMacedonian Call and which is inits 30th year.

Another interesting as-pect of the Baptist Churches inthe United States is theMacedonian Call Foundation inHouston, Texas – which namecomes from Acts 16:9, whichstates, “During the night Paulhad a vision of a man ofMacedonia standing and beg-ging him, ‘Come over toMacedonia and help us.’”- For 27years, the Macedonian CallFoundation has been providingdonated automobiles to interna-tional missionary families onstateside assignment, recentlyreaching the 1,000 vehicle mile-stone in assisting with immediatetransportation needs. HarveyKneisel, a former Southern Bap-tist missionary is the presidentand co-founder of MacedonianCall.

What is particularly curi-ous is the fact that even non-Macedonians use the nounMacedonia for their last name, asthe example of a certain RichardMacedonia. On January 11 2005,Mr. Macedonia was appointed asPresident and Chief ExecutiveOfficer of Sodexho, a leading pro-vider of food and facilities man-agement in the US, Canada andMexico, with $5.8 billion in an-nual revenue and over 120,000employees. Headquartered inGaithersburg, Maryland, RichardMacedonia is a graduate of Indi-ana University of Pennsylvania.He began his career with thecompany in 1968 as a unit man-ager in the Campus Services Di-vision, and joined Health CareServices in 1975. He held posi-tions of increasing importanceduring his tenure with the divi-sion, rising to become the presi-dent of Health Care Services.Married for 36 years, Macedoniaand his wife have four children.

And here our storyends…or does it? With more re-search, we may be able to findmore sites and uses of the nounMacedon/Macedonia.

Dragi Stojkovski

THE USE OF THE NAME MACEDONIAIN THE WORLD

THE NAME MACEDONIA IS USED BY MANY SETTLEMENTS AND RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONSTHROUGHOUT THE WORLD


Nikola Karev bilroden vo Kru{evo vo 1887godina kako sin nasiroma{ni roditeli. Na 16godi{na vozrast zaminalna pe~alba vo Bugarija.Rabotel kako stolar vorabotilnicata na VasilGlavinov od kogo se zadoilso socijalisti~ki idei.

Na 8-mi april 1903godina vo Solun dalintervju za vesnikot

“Akropolis”. Eve nekoidelovi od razgovorot: “-Makedonec li si? – Da! – Isledovatelno Grk? – Za toane znam. Jas sumMakedonec. – Direktennaslednik na AleksandarVeliki? – Da! – Zo{tosakate da se oslobodite sopomo{ na Bugarija? – AkoBugarija misli da nepretvori vo nejzinaprovincija, si napravila

lo{a presmetka. Inaku,nas ne n# interesira {tomisli Bugarija, tukuobrnuvame vnimanie samona slednovo: Si japostignavme li celta? Sidobivme li na{a sloboda?Ne n# interesira dali }ene oslobodi Grcija iliBugarija!. Edinstveno {tomoè da dobie sekoja odniv e na{a blagodarnost…-Vie {to sakate? – Sakame

republika! – Demokratija iprijatelstvo so Bugarija? –Ne samo so Bugarija, tukuso sekoj {to }e ni pomogneda se oslobodime. – Sakateda se obedinite soBugarija? – Ne! Ne!”

Na Smilevskiotkongres (1903) bil nazna~enza na~alnik na Gorskiot{tab na Kru{evo. Na 2avgust 1903 godina vooslobodenoto Kru{evo bil

izbran za pretsedatel naKru{evskata republika.

Vo april 1905godina na pat kon Kru{evo,vra}aj}i se od Bugarija,zaginal vo borba soturskiot asker vo s.Raj~ani, Ko~ansko.

Prevzemeno od“Li~nosti od Makedonija”, odPetar Karajanov, HristoAndonovski i JovanPavlovski, 2002.


Pitu Guli,legendaren vojvoda, deecna makedonskoto revolu-cionerno nacionalnodvièwe. Po nacio-nalnost Vlav. Roden voKru{evo vo 1865. @iveelkako pe~albar vo Sofija.Kako 17-godi{no mom~evklu~en vo nacionalno-osloboditelnoto delo namakedonskiot narod. Vo1885 godina so svoja ~eta

preminal vo Makedonija. Porazbivaweto na ~etata bilzaroben i ispraten narobija, vo Mala Azija, kade{to vo kreposta Dijarbekirodleàl osum godini. Porobijata se vratil voKru{evo i se vklu~il voaktivnostite na VMRO. Voedna borba so askerot(1902), kako komita vo~etata na Toma Davidov,bil ranet a potoa prefrlen

vo Bugarija na lekuvawe.Vo mart 1903

godina so mala ~eta sevratil vo Kru{evo.Blagodarej}i na negovataagitacija Vlasite odzapadna Makedonija,osobeno od Kru{evo, zedoaaktivno u~estvo vo VMROi vo Dvièweto zaosloboduvawe na Make-donija. Pred Ilinden eizbran za ~len na

Kru{evskiot vostani~kikomitet. Vo vostanietokomanduval so golem odredvo borbata za oslobo-duvawe na Kru{evo.

Bil besprimernohrabar. Koga Turciteprezele golem kontranapadodbil da se povle~e soglavninata od gradot. Sosvoite komiti zazelpozicija na Me~kin Kamen,re{en da go brani Kru{evo

do posledniot borec.Herojski zaginal na 13avgust 1903 godina na vrvotMe~kin Kamen, nad rodnotoKru{evo. Edna od golemitelegendi na makedonskotonacionalnoosloboditelnodvi‘ewe, opean od narodot.

Prevzemeno od“Li~nosti od Makedonija”, odKarajanov, Andonovski iPavlovski, 2002.


THE ‘VIRTUAL’ MP

Saturday, January 06, 2007Like the waterlogged Ital-

ian flag coiled around a pole out-side a nearby sports bar onEglinton Avenue West, Dr. GinoBucchino’s storefront constitu-ency office blends into the patch-work that is multicultural Toronto.But it is a unique space in Canada,created only after Dr. Bucchinowas elected to the Italian parlia-ment in April.

That historic electionmarked the first time seats inRome were reserved for candi-dates representing Italians citi-zens living abroad, many of whomstill cultivate strong ties to theirnative country. Indeed, Dr.Bucchino’s decision to seek pub-lic office in a country he had notpermanently lived in since 1983 isone more indication of just howdeep those roots can run amongCanada’s immigrant population.

“Even though I am Cana-dian, I’m not really Canadian,” Dr.Bucchino admitted recently in aninterview at his Eglinton Avenueoffice, situated just northof thevibrant Corso Italianeighbourhood, where post-warItalian immigrants settled.

The elegant 60-year-olddoesn’t spend much time in hissimple Eglinton Avenue office,decorated only with a oil paint-ing of Venetian boats. He is thereonly a few days a month (the of-fice is staffed by an executive as-sistant), before flying Air Italia to

Rome to sit with other Italian MPsin the Palazzo Montecitorio.

One recent weekday, Dr.Bucchino discussed his work,sketching on a pad the outlines ofNorth and Central America — hisriding—and trying not to be dis-tracted by the phone ringing on histidy desk. Although unknown tomost Torontonians before his elec-tion, Dr. Bucchino has long beenan Italian-Canadian celebrity.

Weekly Italian-languageradio and television health pro-grams, along with a wildly suc-cessful nutrition clinic, made Dr.Bucchino a household nameamong Italian families in theToronto area — and, he believes,could have helped him win a localelection.

“But is it fair to involvemyself in Canadian politics, to be-come someone who makes impor-tant decisions for others ... andspeak on behalf of a group ofpeople that I don’t know well?” Onthe other hand, he says he feels an“obligation” to defend in the Ital-ian parliament the rights of Italianswho live abroad.

About four million pass-port carrying Italians live outsideof Italy. In 2001, the Italian govern-ment enacted a law allowing vot-ers to cast ballots for elections intheir country of residence (before,they had to travel to Italy to vote)and making it possible for ex-patsto run for seats in the federal par-liament — a global innovation.

Eighteen of some 945 seats,

12 in the chamber of deputies andsix in the senate, were set aside.The elections actually proved justhow significant the ex-pat votecould be— the slim victory of thecoalition centre-left party was pro-pelled by overwhelming supportamong voters living abroad.

Lenny Lombardi, presidentof CHIN Radio, said Italo-Canadi-ans were “happy to be recog-nized” in the last election, which“ignited a sense of cultural pride”in second, third and subsequentgenerations. “What’s uniqueabout this population is that thereare still very strong ties to Italy.We’re only a few hours away soit’s easy to get back and forth.”

Raffaella Nanetti, presidentof the Conference Group on Ital-ian Politics and Society and a pro-fessor of Political Economy at theUniversity of Illinois, believes thecreation of what she called “virtualelectoral districts” outside ofItaly’s borders has actually pro-

Thanks to a historic election in Rome, a Toronto doctor rep-resents more than 400,000 Italians in North and CentralAmericaNatalie Alcoba, National Post

18 seats set aside to represent Italians living abroad (12 in the chamber ofdeputies and six in the senate) 24 million square kilometres: area ofBucchino’s riding, which includes Canada, the United States and CentralAmerica 400,000: number of constituents from Italian citizens 100,000:number of Italian citizens living in Canada 50,000 Italian citizens live inToronto and 25,000 live in Montreal

While Macedonia’s Parliament is debating about a new law to allowMacedonian citizens in the Diaspora to vote in the future, here wepresent Italy’s example in relation of Diaspora’s right to vote:

duced two tiers of repre-sentation. “I’man Italian living abroad andI feel like a second classcitizen,” she said. “My rep-resentative is a representa-tive for many, many morepeople than parliamentar-ians in Italy.”

Dr. Bucchino con-fesses that the staggeringgeographic size of a ridingthat extends from Panamato Alaska makes it difficultto maintain close ties withconstituents. Two otherparliamentarians, one fromPhiladelphia and anotherfrom Chicago, also repre-sent this region.

“For the most part,the troubles of Italians liv-ing abroad are the sameeverywhere,” says Dr.Bucchino, an NDP sup-porter who for years beforeseeking elected office saton committees like the Gen-eral Consulate of ItaliansAbroad that advised theItalian government aboutthe concerns of its citizens.

Much of his worknow revolves around get-ting Italians the pensionmoney they are owed. Dr.Bucchino also works topreserve the Italian culturein Canada. A partnershipbetween the Italian govern-ment and the province ofOntario has provided in-

struction in Italian during regu-lar class hours for schools incommunities like Woodbridge,where there is a large Italianpopulation.

Dr. Bucchino has aslightly different story thanmany of the immigrants heserves. He earned a medical de-gree in his native Florence, andmet his physician wife, Marisa,after moving to Venezuela,where she grew up as thedaughter of Italian immigrants.They moved to Canada in 1988.

A year later the pairfounded a successful nutritionclinic that capitalized on their in-timate understanding of the Ital-ian lifestyle. “You can’t tell anItalian who has high cholesterolnot to eat pasta, so you have tofind other ways to balance theirdiet,” the spectacled grandfa-ther of three chuckled in conver-sation. Dr. Bucchino also hostedweekly Italian radio and televi-sion programs (on CHIN radio,Telelatino and then OMNI) thatexplained common ailments andtook questions from callers foran hour.

That only ended in Mayof this year, when he started hisjob in Rome. And that is wherehe spends most of his days now,lobbying for the rights of theItalian Diaspora. ‘’In this age ofglobalization, we are going to bean example for other countries.’’

Gino Bucchino


Sunday, January 7, 2007

Macedonia is a lavishlyfertile land of volcanoes and min-eral hot springs, a land perhapsmore gracious to health and heal-ing than any other, and yet it isso little-known as to be almostabstract.

Just 14.5 miles south-east of Skopje, where the riverPcinja passes through theKatlanovo hills, is theKatlanovska Banja, a “center forprolonged healing and rehabilita-tion.” It seems the anti-spa; itsoutside is distinguished by thenumber of broken windows andcracks running down the crumblywalls. The delicate perfume ofrotten eggs wafts.

But people don’t comehere for the ambience. They comefor the waters.

Blissfully soothing

Since the second cen-tury B.C., the Romans and sub-sequent cognoscenti have usedthese baths to cure rheumatism,arthritis and a host of chronic,neurological and orthopedic dis-eases. It’s also considered afountain of youth, and villagerscome from all over to fill theirplastic bottles.

In a starched white uni-form and sensible shoes, Dr.Stefonka Mateuska, the chief re-habilitation specialist atKatlanovska, explains that thewater is hypermineralized, aunique cocktail of sulfur, chlo-rides, carbonates, calcium, iron,magnesium and more.

In the main bathhouse,which is gender-segregated, Istrip and ease into the hot water,which is indeed blissfully sooth-ing. In the pool, I meet two en-thusiasts: Koce Sokolov, whowas in an awful car crash thatbroke his back, and who hasfound near-total healing here,and Dusan Antovski, who showsa 6-inch scar on his knee from abasketball accident. He says hehobbled here on crutches, andafter 20 days of treatments threwhis crutches away; now he runs.

Later, Mateuska com-

pares the waters to the spas ofVichy, with one noteworthy dif-ference: Whereas treatments inFrance often go for $200 or even$2,000, here the soak I just en-joyed was $2.

High in the blue moun-tains above the village ofDrugovo, inside the walls of the

Monastery of Sveta BogorodicaPrecista, there is a cool mountainspring that serves all denomina-tions with its healing powers.

The nun who is care-taking when we arrive tells usthat the water here regularly per-forms miracles. A 17-year-old girlwho had suddenly gone mutecame, drank the water, washedsome over her face, and the nextmorning her voice rang over thehills.

Brilliant plants

The nun herself is a liv-ing testimonial. In 1999, she andsix others, including a 3-month-old baby, all of whom had par-taken in the holy water, left themonastery for a road trip. On acurve going down the steepmountain, the car veered off acliff. It crashed into a tree andwas totaled. Yet miraculously allseven were thrown clear beforeimpact. The police later puzzledover the impossibility as theyfound all the doors locked andthe windows rolled up in thesmashed vehicle.

It’s not just the watersthat cure, but the plants as well.Wherever one sets a foot inMacedonia there are brilliantplants and flowers with naturo-pathic powers. One of the se-crets of Alexander the Great’ssuccess, they say, was that heand his soldiers knew theseproperties. One plant was apoultice for battle bruises; an-other was used to healsword cuts; yet another helpedwith swelling from a javelinwound.

Potent remedy

Atop a hill outside ofOhrid is a little clapboard housewhere I meet Dr. Nikola Juloski.From a crude steaming still in his

driveway, a copper tubecrosses several feet to a cool-ing container with a spigot. Thegood doctor puts a glass be-neath the spout, and out de-cants the most widely usedhome-brewed therapy inMacedonia: the Slavic Tonic,double-distilled rakija.

I can almost see thevapors as he hands me theglass and prescribes that I mustdown the potent remedy in asingle shot. He demonstrates. Ifollow. The dosage is appar-ently not sufficient for what ailsme, and he prescribes severalmore shots, each time leadingthe way.

Between doses,Juloski tells me the secret to along life is a glass of rakija inthe morning, a glass ofMacedonian red wine at lunchand glasses of both in theevening. He shares that his 95-year-old mother, who has reli-giously followed this protocolall her adult life, is planning on“catching 100.”

If there are miracles inMacedonia, one is certainlythat I woke up in my own hotelbed the next morning, well be-fore noon, phenomenallyunlooped, and actually feelinga bit better for the treatment. Inthis sanitarium country that isa whirlpool of high tectonics,rakija, I now believe, is indeedthe low-tech tonic that heals.

* * *With a population of

just 2 million people in a coun-try the size of Taiwan (whichhas 23 million), a culture of bik-ing and walking, and no realheavy industry, Macedonia hasthe cleanest air and water inEastern Europe. Combined withits abundance of mountains

and canyons, the country is de-signed for adventure.

In our brief stay, weset out on a too-ambitiousschedule to scuba dive amongthe ruins in Lake Ohrid, rappelthe 90-foot-high Smolare water-

fall on Belasica Mountain,spelunk a galaxy of caves,paraglide over vineyards, jeepsafari the Sara Mountains, hikethe blossoming highlands, andmore. We can’t squeeze them allin, of course.

At a reasonable hour,our group makes a four-wheeltrundle through the MavrovoNational Park, up Mount Bistrato the Mavrovo Ski Resort,where we hook up with super-fit and Lycra-bedecked ZlatkoSapundzija, at 56 the top moun-tain biking guide in Macedonia.We take a ski lift to a denudedsummit that sprawls in the lee ofthe country’s highest peak,Kobilino Pole, on the Albanianborder, 9,068 feet above theAdriatic.

Whirling descent

From here we start ourwhirling dervish-like descent,unwinding the alpine mount,passing long streams of sheepand digressing into herds of gal-loping wild horses.

These hills breedtough animals and people, andsome say it was here thatAlexander the Great gathered hisbattle-worthy horses, includinghis legendary steed,Bucephalus.

We eventually ride intothe nearly empty village ofGalichnik, literally hanging overthe Radika gorge. Every summerGalichnik comes to life asMacedonian couples flock tothe village for traditional wed-dings.

Our guide, NoraBuklevska, summers here at hergrandmother’s 100-year-oldhouse. She says the hamlet once

thrived year-round, as it pro-duced a special sheep cheesethat was exported to places asdistant as America. But Norasays many residents, includingher mother, left the town duringthe Socialist era when

By RICHARD BANGS

SLIPPING INTO MACEDONIA’S HEALING WATERS

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Skopje, capital of the Republic of Macedonia

Macedonia was a part ofYugoslavia. Galichnik now ap-pears as a faded postcard of anearlier day.

Up another river valley,the Treska, the water does a“danse de ventre” through a se-ries of green- and red-stripedgates. This is one of the world’stop wild-water slalom runs, builtin 1975 by Olympics championkayaker Mico Popovski.

It seems this river hasproduced one of the only, if notthe only, father and son Olym-pic kayaker duos: LazarPopovski, Mico’s son, com-peted with Mico in theBarcelona Olympics. Lazar wenton to vie for gold in Atlanta,Sydney and Athens, and is nowtraining for Beijing.

Organic by default

After a week of adven-turing in the countryside, we de-cide to explore the capital city ofSkopje for some deserved indul-gences. We sample the justlypraised red wines, with the localvarietal vranac leading the pack;we shop for plump tomatoes andother healthful foods at thecity’s Green Market — almosteverything is organic by default,as most farmers can’t afford pes-ticides.

Come the evening, wedine in riverside cafes across theOld Stone Bridge, pairing thin-crust pizza and sopska salad (to-matoes, cucumbers and gratedgoat cheese) with Skopsko beer,or meander the alleys of the OldBazaar, with its shops of Turk-ish rugs and copper, preciousstones and kebab restaurants.

It might be said thatMacedonians, like many othersin the Balkan states, are wistfulfor the time when their borders

had the longest reach,when their power wasat its apogee. But theydon’t live in the past— they continue liv-ing lives to the fullest,rich withadventure, ardent withpassion, bright withopportunity and filledwith the never-endingquest for good food,good drink and bril-liant moments.

Still, they re-main always watching,waiting and hopingthat the greatness ofthe past will onceagain knock on thedoor, and the worldwill be right again.

For more in-formation, contact the

Macedonia tourism office,e x p l o r e m a c e d o n i a . c o m .

Copyright (c) 2007 North JerseyMedia Group Inc.

Ohrid, Macedonia’s jewel
