BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Estonian boy, 12, overjoyed after city doctors remove rare and benign facial tumor

Georg Tamm, 12, of Estonia smiles before facial surgery performed by Dr. Alejandro Berenstein at Roosevelt Hospital. The rare and delicate procedure removed a large tumor and was hailed as a success.

Marianna Tamm traveled the world for 11 years, frantically looking for a surgeon to remove a rare and benign vascular tumor on her son’s face. She sought out doctors in her native Estonia, and in Russia, Austria and Finland, all of whom were stumped. It wasn’t until a doctor from the Boston University School of Medicine recommended a team at Roosevelt Hospital that her search ended happily in New York.

“My son is the love of my life,” said an emotional Tamm through an interpreter, as she nervously awaited the start of 12-year-old Georg’s two-day surgery last week. “I am very grateful we found the best hands.” Those hands belong to interventional neuroradiologist Dr. Alejandro Berenstein and pediatric facial surgeon Dr. Milton Waner — who began their unique collaboration in 2004 treating complicated blood vessel problems of the brain, face, neck and spine. Together they have done more than 1,200 procedures on 550 patients from more than 50 countries.

Georg, an adorable blond-haired, green-eyed sixth-grader, was born with a glomovenous malformation, a purple cobblestone-like swelling under the skin that has grown to cover most of his left cheek and eyebrow. The tumor is filled with millions of blood vessels below the skin — compared with just 10 or 20 blood vessels in a normal face. In addition to distorting his left cheek, if he were in a car accident or got hit in the face playing sports, doctors say he could bleed to death.

Baltimore-Washingtoni Eesti Segakoor kutsub teid laulma meie kooriga

This event has become a five year tradition. All Choirs who can sing in Estonian and all dancers of Estonian Folk Dances are invited,

Harjutused toimuvad esmaspäeva õhtutel kell 7:30 Calvary luteri kirikus Silver Spring, Marylandis (9545 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910).  Järgmine harjutus on esmaspäeval, 1. oktoobril!!!

Peale kohaliku esinemisi, on tulemas veel Torontos kooride Jõulukontsert laupäeval, 1. detsembril, 2012. a., nendele kes saaks sellest osa võtta.  Kanadas on ka Seedrioru Laulupäev VII laupäeval, 22. juunil, 2012. a. (kellel on FB saavad informationsiooni selle kohta näha:  www.facebook.com/events/395930023791125/  ), LEP 2013 (Lääneranniku Eesti Päevad) (www.facebook.com/pages/LEP-ESTO2013/205026716221664) ja siis Eestis Laulupidu on ainult kahe aasta pärast!!!

Loodame, et tulete meiega laulma!  Endised koorilauljad ja uued koorilauljad!!!

Tervitades,
Anne Sarapik, koori vanem

P.S.  Palun parkida kiriku taha ja sealt uksest sisse minna.

Hey Esto skiers & boarders

Didn’t expect to see that subject line in your inbox did you? Well now that we grabbed your attention…here goes the first of many trip announcements to follow…

The 2013 East Coast East Ski Trip will take place on March 7 – 10 at Jay Peak Vermont

For those of you that have been yearning for an Esto Jay experience…your dreams have come true! A little further for Estos coming from the south but a little closer for our Canadian friends…either way a mountain that has a legendary reputation…namely the most snow in eastern North America!

Plus...if you haven’t visited Jay Peak recently…they’ve undergone a massive transformation that includes new upgraded accommodations, base lodge, conference centre and a year round water park that will wow both kids and adults. In other words, something for everyone.

That said…please mark your calendars for the 2013 group trip. And for our early birds who want first dibs on the best accommodations…booking options/instructions are attached. So switching back to summer…enjoy your Labour Day weekend but it’s not too early to…………..

THINK SNOW!!!!!!!

Andrus Ers & Aini Maripuu - estoskitrip@hotmail.com

International Black Ribbon Day

Dear Friends, 

The Joint Baltic American National Committee, Inc. (JBANC) and the Embassies of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania support this event on August 23rd.

Karl Altau
Managing Director
JBANC

***

The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation invites you to remembrance ceremony to
commemorate the victims of Soviet communist and Nazi regimes, on the anniversary of the
1939 signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which divided Europe between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany (International Black Ribbon Day).

The event will take place on Thursday, August 23, 2012, at 12:00 noon
at the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, DC,
located at the intersection of Massachusetts Ave., NW, New Jersey Ave., NW, and G Street, NW
(two blocks from Union Station and within view of the U.S. Capitol).

For more information, please contact Nathaniel Green at
202-536-2373 or via e-mail at: vocmemorial@aol.com.

Please feel free to distribute this notice to members of your community or to other individuals.
We hope you will consider attending.

**************
Karl Altau
Managing Director
Joint Baltic American National Committee, Inc.
Representing:
Estonian American National Council, Inc.
American Latvian Association, Inc.
Lithuanian American Council, Inc.

400 Hurley Avenue
Rockville, MD 20850
tel. 301-340-1954
jbanc@jbanc.org
http://jbanc.org
Twitter@JBANCchatter
**************

Praegu tegelen elukoha otsimisega : seeking room to rent in Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle, Georgetown !

Minu nimi on Liiri ja ma tulen augustis Washingtoni Georgetown'i ülikooli õigusteaduskonda õppima. Asun tegema magistrikraadi (LLM in International Legal Studies). Washingtoni tulen Fulbright'i stipendiaadina ning olen loomulikult väga-väga elevil. Praegu tegelen elukoha otsimisega, sest ülikooli ühikasse magistrandid ei saa. Kuna niimoodi kaugelt Eestist on seda päris keeruline teha, palusin WESilt abi.

Äkki kellelgi seltsi liikmetest on anda tuba üürile või teab keegi kedagi oma tutvusringkonnast, kes otsib korterikaaslast, üürilist?

Soovin üürida ühte tuba korteris või majas (ajavahemikus 24.08.2012 - 21.05.2013) ning üür võiks jääda vahemikku 700-1000 dollarit ühes kuus. Ma eelistaksin elada teaduskonnast mitte väga kaugel ning mulle on soovitatud piirkondi nagu Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle, Georgetown, aga ma olen tegelikult avatud ka teistele pakkumistele.
Oleksin abi ja vihjete eest väga tänulik!:)

Minu meiliaadress on liiri.oja@gmail.com. In English, below ..

Resident in Finland, or in Estonia ? That's the question

For census purposes, some of the Estonians who work and live permanently in Finland were still counted as being among the Estonian population.

If a person lives in two countries, among which country's population should he or she be counted?
For example the Estonian house-painter and father Raitti Nõurus, 31, who drove his Mazda off a Tallinn ferry and into Helsinki earlier this week?
Nõurus had been in Pärnu, spending his four-day break at home.
Upon arrival in Finland, he was to have about ten working days ahead in the Helsinki region. He has had this kind of schedule for many years, shuttling between Estonia and Finland.

”I was counted among the Estonian residents. I am sure about that, as I filled in the census form myself on the Net”, Nõurus says.
”In terms of time, I spend most of my year in Finland, but on the other hand my life is in Estonia”, he points out.
While in Pärnu, Nõurus lives with his wife and four-year-old son in a detached house.
In Finland, he lives with three other workmen in a two-room flat in the neighbourhood of Myyrmäki in Vantaa.

When Nõurus registered himself as a citizen of Estonia, he followed precisely the principles of the Estonian population census.
”If a person works in one country, but his or her home and family are in another country, he is counted among the population of the country in which he spends more than half of his free time. This is the general international practice”, says Professor Ene-Margit Tiit from the University of Tartu, who has planned the census method.
Some people have also been counted among the Estonian population, even though they spend most of their time in Finland - and are even officially registered in this country.
According to the authorities, the purpose of the census was not to exaggerate artificially the Estonian population, which is declining to threateningly low levels.

Jäänipäev : Silver spring, MD 20901

Estonian pianist Hando Nahkur is performing at the College of Southern Maryland on May the 6th

Estonian pianist Hando Nahkur is performing in Ward Virts Concert Series on the 6th of May at 3 PM at the College of Southern Maryland at Prince Frederick Campus (115 J.W. Williams Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678).

The concert is free but seats are in limited quantity, so patrons are encouraged to arrive early.
No tickets or reservations are needed.
More information about the Ward Virts Series can be found at:  http://www.csmd.edu/Arts/WardVirts/index.html

Hando Nahkur, born in Estonia, has distinguished himself as one of his country’s most outstanding young artists. He has garnered top prizes in both national and international piano competitions, including Estonia, Italy, Greece, Russia, the United States and Canada. In recognition of his achievements, he was awarded a prestigious Golden Medal of Merit (Canada) in 2005, joining prominent musicians who have made unique contributions to Estonian music life in Toronto. In 2010 his CD DeusExClavier was named “Record of The Year - Die Platten des Jahres” by ZEIT-ONLINE in Germany. At age sixteen, he made his debut with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. He has also appeared with the Orchestra of the Estonian National Opera, Tallinn Music High School Symphony Orchestra, Tallinn Music High School String Orchestra, the Bergslagen Symfoniker, the St Andrew’s Festival Orchestra and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

*** Washingtoni Eesti Seltsi Sünnipäev ***

It happened on Emakeelepäev

A funny thing about us older guys. We no longer meet at bars, or for that matter aktused. Our offspring are way too old to go to Seedrioru, grandkids not quite there. It takes something like the Sportsmen’s Show in Toronto to have three old friends meet, who had not seen each other for a while. Living in three different cities makes that a reality. Bumping into each other at Suvihari occasionally is not unexpected but is often unplanned. This time, explorative e-mails made the meeting an event to book and to anticipate.

Two of us, with but a week’s difference in age just that they could be twins, for both were conceived in Estonia but fled in utero and made their first earthly noises in Sweden. The third was also conceived elsewhere, but not in war-torn Estonia (de jure still free). Still, a common thread, for even if not “made in Estonia”, then where the parents ended up, and born in yet a third country, Canada. Just three musketeers growing up with Estonian names in a foreign culture, learning to speak the language of the new homeland, chosen by their parents, only upon reaching school age. English as a second language. Not the immigrant experience, but the refugee one. An experience that Toronto’s multicultural enclaves know very little about today with cosseted immigrants demanding treatment that our parents could not even conceive. Freedom, self reliance and hard work formed them, our communities and us.

Arrestation and deportation : 1949 remembrance

On Sunday, March 25, 2012 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. we will light candles and sing national songs to honor and remember the innocent citizens of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, who were arrested and deported to the Soviet Union in March, 1949, and those victims from Belarus. Bring a candle or light one of ours.

Let's show solidarity with people in Eastern Europe who gather on the same day with us to remember the tragedy that took place more than 60 years ago. We should never forget and we should never let the world forget.

The Victims of Communism Memorial is located at the intersection of Massachusetts and New Jersey Avenues NW in Washington, DC (two blocks from Union Station). See map: http://victimsofcommunism.org/contactus.php

Washington Estonian Society

Let's Go : Music from the Baltic

Cantus will perform “The Singing Revolution,” an inspiring story of music and revolution in the Baltic States.

In 1989 the people of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia joined hands in a peaceful revolution of song to gain their independence from the Soviet Union. Cantus shares this inspiring story and the music of the Baltic states.

Time: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15
Cost: Adults $25; students $10
Location: The Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis

Time: 8:30 p.m. Friday, March 23
Cost: Adults $25; students $10
Location: Colonial Church, 6200 Colonial Way, Edina

Info: cantussings.org or (612) 435-0055

Read more: Chanhassen Villager - Let s Go Music from the Baltic

No-one knows the number of Estonians living abroad

More and more Estonians have found new home and work abroad, but until now the state has lacked accurate data about their number.

For instance, the population registry says that more than 71,000 Estonian citizens are living abroad, with the largest communities in Finland (33,000), Russia (14,000), Sweden (3,300), UK (3,200), Canada (2,800), US (2,800), Germany (2,600) and Australia (1,600).

The actual number is likely to be at least two or three times bigger. For instance, according to Estonian consul-general in Australia, the number of Estonians living in Australia is estimated to be between 6,000 and 10,000 and, including back-packers, about 15,000.

As many as 10,000 Estonians may be living in UK, while the official figure shown by the Estonian population registry is 3,200.

Aho Rebas, representative of the worldwide council of Estonians, who has been compiling statistics of Estonians living abroad for years, estimates that about 200,000 people living outside Estonia consider themselves Estonians and about 125,000 of them have Estonian citizenship. 

Toomas Hõbemägi

Estonian Ski Club - CHINA PEAK March 8 - 11, 2012

China Peak March 8 – 11, 2012
51st Anniversary!
We are now taking reservations for China Peak!
Check out the video from last year http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c583eRPAlc
The resort received over 3 feet of new snow a week ago! There is now a Tubing Hill, great for kids ages 3 years old and up.
Don’t forget to bring your best tuxedo and gown to slide down the mountain on our Formal Day. If you have an Estonian Flag, bring it along for the parade.
Kids are always welcome and China Peak is a great place to make new friends.
http://estonianskiclub.com/

Estonian motorists evading taxes

Nearly half of all Estonian cars in Finland have legally dubious status, estimates the Customs Board. Many are kept here permanently but still registered in Estonia to avoid paying Finnish taxes. Estonia does not levy annual car taxes.

There are some 50,000 foreign-registered vehicles in the country, most of them from Estonia, which is Finland's nearest neighbour to the south.

By law, an automobile must be registered in the country where its owner primarily lives and works. A foreign vehicle may be driven in Finland for up to six months before it must be registered here -- but only as long as its user is a permanent resident of another country.

This may of course be open to interpretation, but by law Customs officials can make the decision in uncertain cases. The state of Finland loses out on hundreds of thousands of euros annually due to improperly registered cars.

"Most don't pay"

"Sure, I know people who live and work in Finland but don't pay car taxes here," says Mare, an Estonian who has lived here for six years. "There are lots of them. Some pay, but most don't. I don't think it's fair. If you live and work in Finland, then you should follow Finnish laws, too," she adds.

Russian soft power in the 21st Century : An examination of Russian compatriot policy in Estonia

REMINDER You are cordially invited to a discussion with: Ambassador Marina Kaljurand Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to the United States on "Russian Soft Power in the 21st Century: An Examination of Russian Compatriot Policy in Estonia" Thursday, October 27, 2011 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm CSIS 1800 K St. NW, Washington, DC 20006 B1 Conference Room Please join us for a discussion with Ambassador Marina Kaljurand, Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to the United States.  The discussion will focus on the recent CSIS report entitled "Russian Soft Power in the 21st Century: An Examination of Russian Compatriot Policy in Estonia," written by Heather Conley and Dr. Theodore Gerber.  As the former Estonian Ambassador to Moscow from 2005 to 2008, Ambassador Kaljurand will share her thoughts and insights on the impact of Russian soft power in Estonia.  If you have not already, please RSVP to The Europe Program at europeprogram@csis.org or (202) 775-3184 if you plan to attend. The event will be on the record.

 

October 14 - 18 : EstDocs 2011

Please check www.estdocs.com for detailed information and pick up a program booklet at the Toronto Estonian House various locations (ETCU, ESTore, cafe etc.) and at the Estonian Foundation of Canada office.

NB! Special warm-up night on October 13th at 7 pm, Tartu College. Tickets at the door, $5 in Korp! (frat/sorority) colours, $10 without. Everyone is welcome!

From the exciting close of last year’s festival exploring endangered languages, the EstDocs team has been busily pulling together another vibrant program for this seventh annual EstDocs.11.
 
Once again, we encountered no shortage of excellent documentary films on themes Estonian from which to compile this year’s program. The selections highlight the achievements in Estonian documentary filmmaking and diversity in Estonian storytelling. To bring it all together, we’re delighted to welcome the winner of four EstDocs Audience Awards, filmmaker Artur Talvik as this year’s festival moderator.
 
I’m not sure that even EstDocs founder Aarne Vahtra could have anticipated the resonance that EstDocs has found with its audience. We mourn the passing of Aarne deeply and this year’s EstDocs is dedicated to his memory.
 
On behalf of all the organizers, welcome to the fun, entertaining and enlightening films that form EstDocs 2011 – teretulemast!
 
Ellen Valter
Festival Director

Euro Night 2011 : 23/09/2011 - Washington D.C.

Dear Friends of La Maison Française, On Friday, September 23 from 6:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m., La Maison Française will host Euro Night – an opportunity to discover the captivating world of European traditions! This annual event is a collaboration between more than 20 European Union embassies in Washington, D.C. Throughout the evening, each country will showcase its respective culture, traditions and culinary specialties. This year’s musical highlights will include the Irish duo Sean McComiskey & Shannon Dunne from The Kitchen Quartet, the Polish Highlanders Folk Group, dance mixes by DJ DIGITAL 21 from Spain and more! Take a cultural tour around Europe, feasting on national dishes and drinks from the open bars (cash bar from 9:30 p.m. until close) – a great way to discover Europe right here in DC! WHAT: Euro Night 2011 - program below WHEN: Friday, September 23 from 6:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m. WHERE: La Maison Française, Embassy of France, 4101 Reservoir Rd, NW Parking available on Reservoir Road and across the street from the Embassy at Georgetown University Hospital’s pay lot. ADMISSION: General: $35; Benefactor: $50 Open bar from 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Cash bar from 9:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. TICKETS / MORE INFO: www.EuroNightDC.org                      Proceeds from this event will help support the numerous and varied cultural activities at the participating European embassies. E.U. Member nations: Austria, Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Romania, Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia and United Kingdom. We look forward to welcoming you to La Maison Française for this fourth annual Euro Night celebration! Please take the time to scroll down to the bottom and discover our complete 11/12 cultural season at the Embassy of France. Warm regards, Roland Celette Cultural Attaché | Director of La Maison Française www.HouseofFranceDC.org ============= P R O G R A M ============= From 6:30pm to 9:30pm, visit each countries' table to sample food, beverages, and recieve information. Several live concerts will complete the ambiance and deliver vibrant rythms from Europe! Participating artist include Irish duo Sean McComiskey, button accordion & Shannon Dunne, concertina/sean nos dance from the The Kitchen Quartet and the Polish Highlanders. From 9:30pm to 11:30pm, we will crank up the volume and let our guests take over the dance floor with Spanish DJ DIGITAL 21. Drinks will be available via the cash-only bar.

JBANC founded 50 years ago on April 27, 1961

The Joint Baltic American National Committee, Inc. (JBANC) was founded on April 27, 1961.

The Committee was founded during a period of great political and social upheaval: the Cold War had been going on for 15 years, and would last for another 30. The Berlin Wall would go up in just over three months. JFK had become U.S. President three months earlier. Sierra Leone declared itself independent that day from British rule. Colonialism was crumbling around the world, everywhere but within the expanding Soviet empire.

In 1961 it had been over twenty years since the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were occupied and illegally annexed by the Soviet Union. The Second World War had ended 16 years earlier in 1945, but the Baltic struggle would continue – in the forests and on the home front, but also across the Baltic Sea and further away across the Atlantic Ocean. The United States, thanks to the Welles Declaration of July 23, 1940, had not and would never legally recognize the Soviet takeover of the Baltic countries nor the legitimacy of Soviet rule. This non-recognition policy would last for over fifty years until 1991.

Lithuanians historically had a larger presence in America than Estonians and Latvians, primarily due to earlier waves of immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Lithuanian American Council was established in 1915, and was reorganized in 1940 to address new wartime concerns and challenges.

The largest migrations, however, of post-war Balts arrived in the United States about ten years prior to JBANC’s founding, following the signing of the Displaced Persons Act into law in 1948 by President Harry Truman. This allowed tens of thousands of Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians to come to the United States, mostly between 1948-1952. These newly-arrived Balts joined or set up organizations, schools, and cultural and religious institutions, and thus established their presence throughout the United States, from small farming communities to the largest urban centers, especially in the Northeast and Midwest. It was during this time, in the early 1950’s, when the American Latvian Association and the Estonian American National Council came into being.

Estonians now Finland’s largest immigrant group

Estonians are currently Finland’s largest group of foreign-born residents. According to the Finnish Population Register Centre, there were 28,965 Estonian citizens living in Finland at the end of last year.
      The Estonians narrowly overtook the Russians, who numbered 28,459 at the end of 2010.
     
“People come here from Estonia mainly as labour”, says Antti Saastamoinen of the police immigration unit. Saastamoinen is responsible for registering EU citizens living in Finland.
      “Judging from the labour contracts, construction and cleaning are the biggest sources of employment. It is much rarer for professionals involving high levels of education to come to Finland to work from across the Gulf of Finland.”
     
Estonians are driven to seek work in Finland by their own country’s poor employment situation.
      Urmas Soots, from Otespää, came to Finland to study already in 1990, when Estonia was still part of the Soviet Union.
      “Then I just stayed, as the system became more familiar, and I felt good here. In Estonia the construction industry is so quiet that there would probably not be much work available. All contractors are either here or in Sweden”, says Soots, a 38-year-old construction engineer.