http://www.croatia.org/crown en-us http://www.croatia.org/crown N/A letters@croatia.org Sun, 19 Apr 2026 09:36:37 +0000 20 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8991/1/Help-me-collect-another-100000-signatures-for-the-Congressional-hearings-in-48-hours.html     AlGore@algore.com (Al Gore) Mon, 19 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8981/1/GRB---the-embodiment-of-the-psyche-of-a-whole-nation-and-a-potent-ancestral-record.html   Red & white were symbols of life & death.  It was believed that the sahovnica was sourced from such traditions & that this made it a powerful symbol, not merely because of the red & white, but the way it was patterned reflecting life-death-life-death... and symbolising the movement from one generation to the next & the passing down of traditions croworldnet@aol.com (Marinko Tomasich) Mon, 12 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8977/1/Looking-for-authors-to-write-an-English-language-books-about-the-Culture-and-Customs-of-Croatia-Slovenia-and-Bosnia-Herzegovina.html     lordlord@siu.edu (Suzanne Lord) Fri, 09 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8859/1/Npr-salica-caja-kosta-3rp-a-to-je-oko-113-dolara-Davor-iz-Delhi-a.html     Davor.Pavuna@urbanet.ch (Prof.Dr. Davor Pavuna) Thu, 07 Dec 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8841/1/Can-We-Go-Higher.html www.croatia.org is a web site initiated by Nenad Bach. It is an attempt to answer the question "Can We Go Higher?", raised in the title of his beautiful song. We invite you to visit his fantastic video-clips maintained at video.google.com, revealing the driving force and spirituality of the artist. This video is a Christmas gift for all of us, that everybody should see and listen to.   darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 29 Nov 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8507/1/E-Philippine-Community-Herald-Newspaper-about-Bevan--CROWN.html Philippine Community Herald Newspaper about Bevan & CROWN http://www.croatianworld.net/Letters/Bevan_philcomnews.pdf   Hi Nenad, I only got back a few days ago from a trip to Philippines. One of the mail awaiting me was a copy of the March 2006 issue of the Philippine Community Herald Newspaper which is distributed Australia wide on a monthly basis, with copies also provided to Philippine Consulate/Embassies worldwide as well as other to other organisations. This issue contains an article about the publication of the piece on Bevan on your website. Attached is a scanned copy of the article which appeared by itself on the back page of the newspaper. Other little bit of news is that the first season of handball club competition concluded last weekend. Bevan's club came first and he also was top goal scorer. Bevan attributes this achievement to the the support of his team and appreciates being one of the players to take penalty shots for the team. Pasted below is the result of the competition.   Top 10 Scorers Player Team Goals Bevan Calvert HHC 73 Jerome Schultz Taysols HC 58 Rajan Pavlovic Sydney Uni 58 Russell Garnett Hills HC 47 Josh Parmenter HHC 45 Jason Hoppner HHC 44 Ivica Djuric Blue Star 42 Mirko Pavlovic Blue Star 41 Christoph Mecker Taysols HC 39 Herve Le Feure Sydney Uni 36 The next major handball event is the Oceania World Championships Qualifying Tournament which is being held during 22 - 27 May 2006, The winner of the tournament will compete in the Handball World Championships to be held in Germany in January 2007. (op-ed. Violi's letter was received before the tournament. Australia qualified and will play in Germany in January 2007) Once again, thank you for publishing the article on Bevan and for fostering friendship through your website. Here's wishing you continued success in all your endeavors. Cheers, Violi PS A cousin is visiting your beautiful country next week. We hope to do the same some time in the future.   op-ed: Thank you Violi. Congratulations to Bevan on his great success and qualifications to play in Germany 2007. I am honored and humbled by your attention and actions. Thank you on my behalf and on the the behalf of all Croatians around the world who, I am sure, appreciate your kind comments. Only mother can do that. Our best to Philippine Community,   Nenad letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 Jul 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/5796/1/E-Congratulations-and-Many-Thanks-to-CROWN.html ÂYour aim to foster connection between second and third generations Croatians around the world is noble; you also provide a means for other people to appreciate and understand the Croatian culture and sportsÂTo Nenad Bach,Congratulations for having established a comprehensive and interesting website. Your aim to foster connection between second and third generations Croatians around the world is noble; you also provide a means for other people to appreciate and understand the Croatian culture and sports.Many thanks for publishing the incredible photo of Bevan in his play in Tunisia. One of the handballers was surfing the net and found your website. Thence, the url was sent around and shared with everyone. It is a fantastic gesture that somehow it was acknowledging good play.All the best in all your endeavors.V. Calvert Âop-ed:ÂDear Mr. Calvert,This is precisely why CROWN exist. Thank you for your kindness. I hope that Bevan didn't stop scoring.NenadÂLink to article in subject:(E) Handball - Croatia takes second place in the World 2005http://www.croatia.org/crown/oldphotos/5007.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 09 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/5797/1/E-A-Check-for-St-Theresas-Orphanage.html ÂA check for St. Theresa's OrphanageJust received a check for St. Theresa's Orphanage from Maria Heindle as per the efforts of CroatianWorld.netPuno Hvala NenadDon Wolfop-edPuno Hvala Vama. I thank all three of you, Maria and Don and Hilda, for your noble hearts and for your kind acknowledgment. NBÂÂRead(E) Elevator letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 04 Aug 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/5798/1/H-Sto-trebamo-ciniti-da-nam-se-buducnost-ne-desi---prof-Ante-Simonic.html ÂSto trebamo ciniti da nam se buducnost ne desi ?ÂÂIli cemo mi Hrvati sudjelovati u medjunarodnoj podjeli znanja, izvrsnosti, mudrosti, kulture, blagostanja, partnerstva, rada, reda, slobode i demokracije; ili nas nece biti. Moramo biti dio svijeta. Ante Simonic Rijeka 17. lipnja 2005Âgosp. Nenad Bach Glavni urednik, CROWN Croatian World Network Dragi Nenade,  pocascen mogucnoscu prezentitanja triju knjiga na CROWN-u, te sretan sto sam dio dobro osmisljenog i dobronamjernog nastojanja afirmacije Lijepe nase na medjunarodnome planu - obracam se svima koji zele doprinijeti boljoj sadasnjosti te izgradnji pozeljne buducnosti u Hrvatskoj, ali i podijeliti vlastite teznje sa cijelim svijetom. Kako dodatno afirmirati ideje o izvrsnosti, obrazovanju, kulturi, znanosti, umjetnosti, tehnici, blagostanju, radu, demokraciji, slobodi, ljepoti, istini, nadi, ravnotezi...; te kako se ucinkovito suprostaviti sebicnosti, zloci, neslobodi, zatucanosti, neimastini, jadu, obespravljenosti, nepismenosti, gladi, teroru...? Sto trebamo ciniti da nam se buducnost ne desi (da o nama i nasoj djeci i djeci nase djece ne odlucuju iskljucivo neki drugi), vec da je mi stvaramo? Kako dodatno osmisliti poziv na mudro i strpljivo proucavanje vlastitih korijena i cuvanje tradicije, ali biti okrenut prema pozeljnoj buducnosti kako bi danas kvalitetnije zivjeli? Jer onaj koji ne zna vlastitu povijest (nacionalnu ali i opcecivilizacijsku) osudjen je ponavljati pogrijeske vlastitih predaka. Tko pak ne zna kamo ide, stici ce gdje nije zelio. Za nekoliko dana ce iz tiska izaci trece, novo (ilustrirano), dopunjeno (nekoliko stotina novih stranica) i promijenjeno hrvatsko izdanje mojih knjiga 'Znanost â najveca avantura i izazov ljudskog roda' i 'Tragovima znanja u buducnost- Quo vadis scientia'. Uz pomoc novog nakladnika 'Medicinska naklada' iz Zagreba, elitnih recenzenata, lektora i urednika, knjige ce imati i novu opremu (ukljucujuci i novu naslovnicu). Potaknut mnogim sugestijama, zelja mi je da se knjige prevedu na engleski, a mozda i na neki drugi svjetski jezik. Naime, obzirom na znacenje cijelog projekta, njegovu aktualnost, obuhvatnost i vrsnocu; bilo bi pozeljno predstaviti ga americkoj i siroj intelektualnoj javnosti. Ili cemo mi Hrvati sudjelovati u medjunarodnoj podjeli znanja, izvrsnosti, mudrosti, kulture, blagostanja, partnerstva, rada, reda, slobode i demokracije; ili nas nece biti. Moramo biti dio svijeta (jer nitko nije otok, ali se moramo drugima bolje prezentirati i rastumaciti), medjutim u svijet se ulazi glavom (pamecu...) i to uspravno, a ne na koljenima. Zato pozivam zainteresirane da mi se jave, ako mogu i imaju interes sudjelovati u projektu prevodjenja i/ili izdavanja na engleskom ili nekom drugom jeziku, svih triju ili neke od knjiga iz moje trilogije. Moja adresa je: Prof. dr. Ante Simonic, predstojnik zavoda i katedre za farmakologiju, Medicinski fakultet u Rijeci, Ulica brace Brancketta 22, 51 000 Rijeka, Republika Hrvatska Ante.Simonic@mamed.medri.hr I za kraj ali ne manje vazno, moja zahvala i postovanje su upuceni gospodinu Nenadu Bachu na svemu sto cini za nasu domovinu, te za mnoge poticaje koje donosi Lijepoj nasoj i mnogima od nas pojedinacno. Hvala Ti Neno. Raduju me novi izazovi i kvalitetna suradnja. Vas  Ante SimonicÂOp-edOvo stivo je vrijedno Vase paznje. Prijevod na engleski se po meni 'mora' odraditi. Svaka rijec u sve tri knjige je vise nego na mjestu. Ima svoju sirinu i dubinu. Svatko tko je zainteresiran biti dio ovog vrijednog projekta neka ne ceka, vec prione poslu ili kao partner ili kao sponzor. A novo izdanje koje se sprema, neka se nadje na policama svih Hrvata svijeta.nb letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 06 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/5799/1/E-Postaviti-preduvjete-za-predstavljanje-proizvoda-i-usluga-znanja-i-ideja.html ÂÂPostaviti preduvjete za bolju mogucnost predstavljanja proizvoda i usluga, znanja i ideja.Âwww.poslovniforum.hrÂPostovani,zelim Vas pozdraviti u svoje osobno ime i u ime Poslovnog foruma, hrvatske tvrtke sa prepoznatljivim poslovnim web portalomwww.poslovniforum.hr Vas rad i angazman mi je poznat putem sadrzaja koji se moze naci na Internetu, a sto redovno pratimo.Ja sam Damir Medjurecan, direktor tvrtke Poslovni forum d.o.o. , a Poslovni forum sam pokrenuo u suradnji sa strucnjacima na podrucju ekonomije, financija, prava i informatike, kako bi se uz koristenje suvremenih metoda i visoke tehnologije cjelovito pristupilo unapredjenju poslovanja svih poslovnih subjekata na jednostavan i ucinkovit nacin. Iako je to u Hrvatskoj dosta tesko, uspjeli smo u 3 godine postati najaci hrvatski poslovni centar koji pruza konkretne usluge, a sada vec imamo preko 160.000 posjetitelja mjesecno, odnosno godisnje preko 2 milijuna posjetitelja.Pregled informacija i usluga, mozete vidjeti i nahttp://www.poslovniforum.hr/info.asp Zelja nam je uspostaviti bolju suradnju sa iseljenicima, postaviti preduvjete za bolju mogucnost predstavljanja proizvoda i usluga, znanja i ideja.Suradjivati mozemo u razlicitim oblastima, a s obzirom da smo poduzetnici i iskljucivo poslovni ljudi, iznjet cemo Vam odmah i jedan prijedlog za uspostavu baze podataka proizvoda i usluga, Katalog hrvatskih proizvoda, odnosno Katalog Vase ponude i potraznje prema Hrvatskoj.U attachmentu u "Wordu" dostavljam Vam osnovnu koncepciju i ideju projekta, sa prikazom svih mogucnosti,a ukoliko ste ozbiljno zainteresirani i smatrate da imate interesa se ukljuciti u projekt,bit ce mi izuzetno zadovoljstvo da i dalje nastavimo kontakt.S postovanjem,Damir Medjurecan, direktorPoslovni forum d.o.o. Business forum Ltd.http://www.poslovniforum.hr (Rijeka - Hrvatska) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 25 Jun 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/5800/1/E-I-send-cheers-from-that-never-ending-road---David-Amram.html ÂI send cheers from that never-ending roadDear Nenad,Great to hear from you. Now you are ENSCONCED IN MY COMPUTER!!!!IT WILL BE A TREAT TO SEE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AGAIN.I am going non-stop, like a nut-case.I am just back from Lowell Mass. for the annual Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Festival, where I performed with my trio, accompanied scores of other musicians and poets, read from my books, hosted screenings of "Pull My Daisy," played at an art show where my caricatures of the era are being shown, and did programs with John Cassady, the son of Jack's road buddy and inspiration for "On the Road", Neal Cassady.. I also did a program at U. Mass Lowell, and a bunch of interviews (in three languages) for people from around the World who come every year to this amazing event which also celebrates Kerouac's hometown, where 27 languages are currently spoken. The old French, Greek and Portuguese communities have been replaced with new immigrants from Vietnam, Cambodia. Laos and many countries from Central and South America, and most of the people who were born here still have a strong regional old New England accent that has like so many other regional accents, disappeared throughout so much of the country.Even the way people dress and relate to one another feel s like a much earlier time, and the stark beauty of the old abandoned red brick mills, the rushing waters of the Merrimack River, and the old wooden frame houses and shops with fading hand written signs in many languages are magical in comparison to most plastic chain store franchised Burger-King-ized miles of monotonous malls that make more and more cities in America all seem like the same place.Wish you could have been there, to see all the people gathered from all over to celebrate Jack's life and the enduring value of his life's work...the beautiful books he left us.I'm now back in New York to perform for the City Island Jazz Festival this Thursday night, and then off for Bruce Springsteen concert in Orlando, where Clarence Clemens, his great sax player and I are planning some collaborations, then back to NY to continue work on my new "SYMPHONIC VARIATIONS ON A THEME BY WOODY GUTHRIE,"The following weekend, I am at a festival in Pennsylvania where I am the guest of honor, giving a concert, and screening of "Pull My Daisy," prior to a marathon 12 hour reading of On the Road," the next day. Then off to Texas to conduct a performance of "Giants of the Night," the flute concerto which I composed for James Galway. And also I am preparing a collaboration with Willie Nelson for a new CD with him, using idioms from Native American, Latin American, jazz and classical styles. All in addition to doing programs resulting from the release of my new symphonic CD for Naxos records and the Varese-Sarabande release of my 42 year old score for The Manchurian Candidate"So with all this crazed activity, I won't have any time to get into trouble. My little free time is spent working on my new book, my composing of new orchestral music and trying to answer mail!!!Jack's work is more appreciated than ever, and the positive energy I see in the faces of young people I encounter every day who are inspired by his work are a constant source of joy., proving the old adage that a thing of beauty IS a joy forever.As the sun goes down behind the hills of our old farm here in Putnam Valley and cold early October wintery nights are starting to sneak up on us, I send cheers from that never-ending road, and look forward to our paths crossing soon again.All best.DavidÂDavid Amram ÂMore on David:ÂOp-edÂI met David 20 years ago. His kindness to a stranger is symbolic to all that he does. Amusing, amazing, educational, entertaining, loves life and everything around him. World IS his home.ÂNenadÂFrom the reviews:"Galway inspired in "Giants of the Night".... New Work is exceptional..... Throughout, Amram's genius was apparent, in his blend of musical styles and in the breadth of conception. "Giants of the Night" is an exceptional composition with great potential for becoming part of the flute repertoire. From The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) Sept. 16, 2002"David Amram is one of the most versatile and skilled musicians America has ever producedÂ..." -- Washington Post Sept 1995"Amram was multicultural before multiculturalism existed." -- New York Times, Sept. 28, 1993"...Orchestra audience; On feet for Amram. The audience repeated this tribute twice for Amram and the Philadelphia Orchestra." -- Philadelphia Inquirer"If you have not yet encountered this extraordinary man of music, you will probably be as fascinated as the children ... and will marvel at his multiple gifts as a Composer conductor and solo instrumentalist." -- New York Times"Amram may be able to play more types of music than any other man. He is a relentless pied-piper of pan cultural persuasiveness, leading listeners into a global circle that brings all peoples together." -- Milwaukee Journal"Members of the orchestra love him as much as the children In the audience ... a beautiful, memorable experience, but then Amram Is a most memorable man." -- The Montreal Gazette"David Amram ... a musical catalyst and leader on a par with Leonard Bernstein, Pete Seeger and Dizzy Gillespie ..." -- Minneapolis Star & Tribune"Amram dazzled with his versatility ... one could be but awed by his range. .. Amram was constantly enlightening." -- The London Times"He is a composer of major stature a conductor of winning authority and a jazz musician of noble intent and entertaining brilliance." -- Newhouse Papers"Amram's American music is joyous, great, beautiful ..." -- The Kansas City Times"A perfect pops Concert." -- The Edmonton Journal"A symphonic delight; an Amram crown. It would be difficult to imagine a lovelier display, or one better designed to show off the excellence of the National Symphony, Amram, the conductor, gave a stunning performance." -- Washington Evening StarÂThe composer David Amram has been hailed by the Washington Post as "one of the most versatile and skilled musicians America has ever produced." Since Leonard Bernstein appointed Amram as first composer-in-residence with the New York Philharmonic in 1966-67, he has become one of the most acclaimed composers of his generation, listed by BMI as one of the Twenty Most Performed Composers of Concert Music in the United States since 1974. Amram is also known as the musical collaborator of the great mid-century American author Jack Kerouac, whose book On the Road is consideredÂto be the artistic soul of the 1950's. ÂTheir work together blended poetry, jazz, blues, theatre and what is now considered performance art into an unforgettably intoxicating stew that became a life-changing experience for the many thousands of people who witnessed it. David Amram celebrates his friendship with Kerouac in Offbeat: Collaborating with Kerouac, and discusses their life and times in our July 17, 2002 Jerry Jazz Musician interview. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 07 Oct 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/5801/1/E-Suzanne-Lord---An-Honorary-Croatian.html ÂDear Nenad and Crown Members:I have just come back from a most productive and amazing trip and I hope you don't mind if I share it with the wonderful and amazing people here. My pigeon Croatian came in very, very handy the entire time, so I hope you will indulge me with a few "extra" countries and more length than usual.For several years I have played with an all-flute orchestra which tours various places in the world. This year we toured Eastern Europe. We started in Prague (Praha), which was gorgeous. Having played Smetana's orchestral work, The Moldau, many times it was a joy to actually see the river, and also to visit the graves of Dvorak, Smetana, and Janacek. Later a friend of mine wanted to look at a beautiful amber necklace, but the owners didn't speak English and we didn't know Czech. Then we learned they were Albanians, born in Croatia (near Opatija) - so I ended up using my tiny bit of Croatian, and my friend got a good buy.As we traveled to our next destination, we stopped in Brno. Then we were in Bratislava, Slovakia. Our concert was a fundraiser for cancer research this time. I was playing piccolo and afterwards an older man came up to me and indicated that he, too, had been a piccolo player. Once again, he didn't have English and I didn't have Slovakian - but we both had a little Hrvatski. So we had a very nice conversation of mixed words and gestures. He kept telling people "she came from America, but she's really a Slovak" - and I was beaming.It was very cold this year, and rainy. So on our lunch stop between destinations we were feeling a bit down. The stop was in Austria and none of us spoke German either. We glumly picked at the menus and tried to study the pictures, although we really just wanted some hot soup and cocoa. Slowly it dawned on me that I was reading the menu - but how? I looked at the cover and it said "Jelovnik" - the menu was in Croatian! One of the waiters spoke Croatian, we struck it up and I ended up ordering for our entire table!Our next stop was Slovenia, where we played at their bi-annual Flute Festival. Who should I meet after our concert there, but Ana Domancic - a flutist and flute teacher from Split! Our last concert was in Budapest. It was a very long concert and the Hungarian flutists played so well that we thought they'd probably think very little of our group. We did our best, and they seemed to like it so much that we literally played every piece of music we had. It was very, very gratifying. On our free day I headed for the art museum and was transfixed by the medieval art there. The tour was over, and most of the people went back to the US, but I headed for Croatia. This year a colleague was coming for a few days, and my sister and a friend of hers were coming for two weeks. We were in Dubrovnik. It was my sisters first trip to Europe and I told her that she should start with the best. I was staying for that two weeks, and then for two weeks afterwards. I had a plan….The day after I arrived, I took a bank cheque to Zagrebacka Banka and opened an account. Then all four of us headed for the Second Annual Dubrovnik Film Festival. It was amazing - a wide variety of films at extremely reasonable prices, no trouble getting into anything, and we got to meet everybody. First we saw a Croatian film entitled "Witness" which was an event shown from many different angles. It was confusing at first, but as things unfolded from one person to the next, it became riveting and very engaging for the audience; a puzzle for us to piece together. Then I was extremely privileged to see Brenda Brkusic's Freedom from Despair - music by Nenad Bach. Yes, I finally got to meet Nenad in person (hooray!) and also Brenda, and most of the actors portraying her family in the film. It was a very, very intense film. Really extraordinary and an eye-opener for this ignorant American. I don't know how it will be distributed in the US, but the day it shows - donut miss it. For the last film, I took a deep breath and went to see a film in Croatian - without English subtitles. It was "When the Dead Start Singing" - a very dark comedy that, despite the bittersweet ending - had me in stitches most of the time, laughing wickedly at the ironies and myriad plot twists. I certainly didn't get every word - but I got the gist, and was outrageously proud of "getting" my first untranslated Croatian film. My colleague had to leave after only a few days. But my sister and her friend stayed two weeks, and we filled the time with art, music, history, and - well, Dubrovnik. We heard Fa Lindjo, the excellent female Klapa group, saw Madhouse Theater (a British Group) perform all of Shakespeare's plays in an hour and fifty minutes (it was hysterically funny and clever), and heard the Kwartet Egidius sing "Renaissance music for collectors, tradesmen, intellectuals and snobs." I also showed them to the Rector's Palace Museum, the Franciscan pharmacy, the samostans of the Franciscans and the Dominicans, the Rupe, and of course the Folklorica. And they shopped. Boy, did they shop!!!Our hosts, the Perovic family, piled themselves and all three of us into their car and we took off for the Sunday of our lives. We drove to Cilipi for the dancing (I can never see the Lindjo enough), and then went ALL through the mountains. My sister, who normally has a fear of heights, definitely conquered it! And we had a wonderful lunch at a country inn, where I discovered orahovac! Later, while my sister and her friend did independent errands, I met with my friend(s) and went to other concerts. I heard the students at the Luka Sorkocevic school play their final concert (Iva Vukic, a 12 year old violinist, blew me away), and also the senior flute recital of Ankica Dugandzic. My wonderful friend Dive Franetovic, and I, did something else too. We went apartment hunting. Ever since I saw it, a piece of myself has been left in Dubrovnik. Over the last 2 years circumstances happened, and I realized that if I worked very fast, I might actually be able to pay for a mali stan where I could retire (in 2008). Dive, bless her and her entire family, had been looking up newspaper ads and agencies. And her father, as an architect, knew of some places being built. We looked at about six places over a week. I did a lot of math and a lot of thinking and ended up realizing that the first place we had looked at was the one. Because the building was unfinished, Dive's father could check out the building materials and structure, and ask pertinent questions in Croatian. I could only catch a little. When I made my decision, Dive and I went back to meet the contractor and the owner, and had a pre-contract within 2 days. Meanwhile my hosts, the Perovics, had a school friend who had become a very fine lawyer (and whose son is a violin prodigy!), introduced me, and we looked over the precontract. I had also spent an entire day in the Dubrovnik library with a newly purchased (very good) dictionary, translating the contract as well as I could, so I did understand most of the 11 articles in it. We also talked about the government papers for permission to buy.The new and improved contract was finished over the next 3 days. Me, the lawyer, and the owner met at the notary's to legalize everything, and also to notarize the government permission papers. Between times I was going to every concert I could manage. There was an ancient music festival going on - which is right up my particular alley. Only a music history teacher could grasp how I felt watching authentic dances accompanied by live music on period instruments, danced in the Sponza. Of course I heard the Sorkocevic Quartet, and the Classical Evergreens (playing in Salvation church by candlelight). And I was privileged to see the first ever concert of Dive Franetovic, flute, and Maroja Brcic, an extraordinary guitarist. These two will do very, very well. Another truly memorable evening was the Nederlands Chamber Chorus, where I not only heard two more excellent Croatian composers - Julije Skjavetic (Renaissance) and Igor Kuljeric (early 20th century), but was an emotional wreck from an Eric Whitacre work entitled "When David Heard." I'm back in the US now, having what my sister calls DWS - Dubrovnik Withdrawal Symptoms. But I have sent in the down payment on that mali stan. And I will be going back in December/January to pick out tiles, floor patterns, paint, and styles of appliances for bathroom and kitchen. I have the next four years to work on the place, and to enjoy it (hopefully to have a sabbatical there!). I am very, very excited about the place and its location - between Lapad and Babin Kuk, with buses and old-lady walking distance to everything.I also spent a lot of time in the Dubrovnik library doing preliminary research about composers from the Dubrovnik area - nothing is published in English that I know of - and have also been introduced to a newly retired Music History teacher. So this time I'm not depressed. I've REALLY got to get that Croatian grammar down! And I can't wait to research all the composers of the past and present - all of them new to me. And I feel so secure about retiring now -- looking forward to the day I'll be the little old foreign lady down the street - in the city that has reached inside and grabbed my heart.  Iskreno vasa, Suzanne LordDragi Nenade,It has taken me a couple of days to respond to your incredible email. I was very moved by it. It is an unbelievable honor to be considered an honorary Croatian, and one that I do not take lightly. I find myself without words to adequately thank you, all the people that I have met in the last few years, God, fate, and whatever put my hand on the door that has opened to a whole new life. Just when I thought things were ending, I find that they have only begun.   Tvoja, Suzanne letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 07 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/5802/1/E-Arlene-Martinolic-Kelly-American-of-Croatian-descent.html CROWNHello!....I am so happy to see this base of information on Croatia on the Net!....My maternal grandparents came from the Dalmatian Coast (Mali Losinj and Veli Losinj) at around the turn of the last century prior to World War I. They settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and started a social club stiil in existence called The Adriatic Club.They spoke Italian, considered themselves "Austrian", but, as I found out only after their deaths, were actually Croatian!....My Grandfather's name was Adamo Martinolic and My grandmother's maiden name was pronounced like "Jurich", but my mother said her immigration papers spelled it more like "Hzrich"..In any case, I have always been interested in my Croatian heritage. My family only recently discovered the precise towns in which the grandparents were born (They called the towns "Lussine Picolo and Lussine Grande" - their names in Italian, apparently).....I understand that these places "Mali Losinj" and "Veli Losinj" are quite beautiful and are popular tourist destinations. I intend to visit them, hopefully sometime this year, and will attempt to do a little genealogical searching. ...Thank you for creating this site...I certainly feel more "rooted" at learning so much more of Croatian history and culture...(It's not that I know a lot, it's just that until somewhat recently, I knew next to nothing!Please keep my email address for any further notices, or information. And thanks again.Yours,Arlene Martinolic Kellyattagirl2@att.net Dear Arlene,Welcome ! Dobrodosli, to the Croatian, Honorary Croatian and Friends of Croatia, World communityParticipate and enjoy,Svako dobro, All the best,Nenadp.s. After over 1000 "Dear Nenad" letters, I finally decided to open that category.Thank you for all your kind comments and praise, so good that it was embarrassing to publish them. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 20 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000