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Labas everybody!  This is Jack, and I’m Raminta, and you’re listening to Lithuanian Out Loud, the world’s first Lithuanian language lessons in a podcast series! 
So, what’s new in Lithuania today?  According to the Wikipedia page “Lithuanian Nationality Law" in 1944 when the Soviet army pushed the Nazis out of Lithuania and Lithuania’s people were forced to become part of the Soviet Union, there was a great Lithuanian diaspora to the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina and other parts of the world.

In 1990 after Lithuania reestablished its independence, the Lithuanian Seimas or parliament enacted the “Lithuanian Nationality Law."
According to this law, a person is a citizen if they’re born in Lithuania or if they’re naturalized.  To become a naturalized citizen a person must;

1-Complete a residency period
2-Pass a Lithuanian language exam
3-Pass an exam on the Lithuanian Constitution
4-Proof of financial support
5-An oath of loyalty to the Republic of Lithuania

But according to the Lithuanian Nationality Law there’s a third way to become a citizen - if you’re a descendant of a member of the Lithuanian diaspora.
It’s called the Right of Return Clause and it was included in the 1991 constitution.
In November of 2006 the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania ruled the Lithuanian Nationality Law was “controversial, inconsistent, and confusing."
One problem, it seems, is that grandchildren and great grandchildren of the diasporans who’ve never been to Lithuania and who don’t speak the language and who may live in Canada, Argentina or France, can vote in Lithuanian elections, receive Lithuanian passports, and as a result, European Union passports.
The Lithuanian Parliament or Seimas plans to work on the law in 2007.
And in case you ever wondered, what’s the official name of Lithuania?  It’s The Republic of Lithuania or Lietuvos Respublika.
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Let’s say we’re back in a restaurant or nightclub having drinks and you want to toast your drinking partner.
In English we might say “to you" or “to your health!" or “here’s mud in your eye!"
In Lithuanian we say už jus when we’re being formal and už tave to someone we know well.
Už is a word we touched on in episode 0018.  Už  is one of those words that has many uses.
Please repeat… prašom pakartoti…

už jus!                to you!
už tave!               to you!
už jus!                to you!
už tave!               to you!

Now let’s toast Lithuania.  Well, why not?

už Lietuvą!           for Lithuania!
už Lietuvą!           for Lithuania!

Of course we can toast other nations as well…

už Australią!         for Australia!
už Airiją!              for Ireland!
už Nyderlandus!    for the Netherlands!
už Egiptą!             for Egypt!
už Angliją!            for England!
už Braziliją!          for Brazil!
už Botsvaną!         for Botswana!

Great!  Now let’s toast our friend across the table…

už Džiaką!         for Jack!
už Ramintą!       for Raminta!