Op-ed:
If anybody has any information aboutCroatians in Texas especially in Houston are, please contact me at letters@croatianworld.netor directly Wanda Radetti at: TasteTours@aol.comor/and Victoria Hedrich at: VictoriaHedrich@aol.com
best,
Nenad Bach
Subj: International Sister Cities
Hello Nenad,
As mentioned to you, I am sending you the letter that my colleague and good friend Victoria has prepared regarding the International Sister Cities - and the need to find Croatian organizations in Houston to help follow up and support the project. I am grateful for any help and information that you may be able to provide. I am truly passionate about creating this type of exchange that I believe is absolutely necessary and can prove to be beneficial to Croatia as well as the sister cities in the United States.
I wish you well and hope to see you again and soon.
Wanda S. Radetti
TasteTours@aol.com
3095 Bellaire Ranch Drive
Fort Worth Texas 76109
817 989 1306
817 714 8303
May 30, 2002
Dear Nenad,
Wanda Radetti spoke very highlyof you and felt you could be of great assistance to our effort. I have the pleasure of working with Wanda and Vojko Obersnell, the Mayorof Rijeka, as well as other prominent citizens of Rijeka to initiate an officialInternational Sister City relationship between the cities of Houston and Rijeka. I am interested in identifying members of the Croatian community withinHouston that may help me to champion this initiative.
Sister Cities International (SCI)is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network creating and strengthening partnershipsbetween U.S. and international communities in an effort to increase globalcooperation at the municipal level, to promote cultural understanding and tostimulate economic development. SCI also invites associations, businesses, educationalinstitutions and individuals to participate in the SCI network.
An official SCI relationshipbetween Houston and Rijeka is agreat means to establish meaningful and lasting connections. The success of SCI has opened doors to the world, enhancing quality oflife through educational exchanges, business development opportunities andinformation sharing on issues such as technology, health care, and theenvironment. My many experiences inestablishing such relaionships has made me realize that the success of suchinitiatives is predicated upon a strong grass roots effort, usually by those most familiar with the culture of the foreign partner city.
During the first weeks of June Iplan to visit Houson in further pursuitof this mission and I would welcome the opportunity to personally introducemyself to those individuals withinthe community that have an interest in helping me to champion this intiative.
Appreciatively yours,
Victoria
Rijeka
Rijeka: Latitude 45.20 N Longitude14.25 E
The population of Rijeka is 250.000
Rijekais located in the Kvarner Bay deep in the Adriatic see. With the mountain Učkaon the west and Kvarner islands to the south-east, the view from above Rijekaoutward is magnificent. The city has many streets filled with buildings built inthe styles of past ages: baroque, secession, etc.
The town history begins in Neolit, but the name Rijeka isfirst mentioned in the 9th century. A small village on the mouth of riverRjeeina into the see eventually grew into a big city despite ever-changinggovernments and two disastrous fires. The city was declared a free port in 1719.marking a beginning of a new period in which Rijeka will economically prosper.
Houston
Location- State of Texas, southwest U.S.
- Upper Gulf Coast (50 miles from Gulf of Mexico)
- 1.9 million /city
- 4.5 million / county metropolitan statistical area
- 3.4 million people reside in Harris County. The third most populous county in the nation
- Houston is the seat of ethnically diverse Harris County
- Houston is 54 percent white, 23 percent Hispanic, 19 percent African American and 4 percent Asian.
- 617 square miles / city of Houston
- 8,778 square miles / CMSA
- Founded in August 1836 by brothers Augustus and John Allen. Houston is named after General Sam Houston, who led the Texas Army in its victory over General Santa Anna's Mexican forces at the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto. In 1837, Houston was incorporated in the Republic of Texas and served as its capital from 1837 to 1840.
- More than 46,000 hotel rooms in the city
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport
- William P. Hobby Airport
- Chase Tower, the tallest building west of the Mississippi River, and Williams Tower, the tallest building outside a central business district, are two examples of Houston's award-winning architecture
- Houston's job count is 206 million - more than all of Colorado. The city also is an affordable place to live with a cost of living 21 percent below the average for 17 metro areas with more than 2 million people.
- One of the few U.S. cities with permanent ballet, opera, symphony and theater companies.
- More than 30 museums.
- With 10,000 theater seats, Houston ranks second only to New York.
- Buses: The Metropolitan Transit Authority operates more than 1,400 buses on 128 routes throughout the city. In FY 98, METRO had more than 100 million bus boardings.
- Freeways / expressways: 570 miles
- High Occupancy vehicle expressways: 86 miles carrying 85,000 people each weekday.
- The third-largest taxi cab fleet in the country with 2,000 vehicles.
- A free downtown trolley system.
- 500-plus parks in Harris County
- 12,236 water-covered areas
- 32 miles of public beaches in area
- 100-plus golf courses in greater Houston
- Third largest concentration of pleasure boats in the United States
- More than 8,000 restaurants feature a wide variety of ethnic cuisines.
- The Galleria, Houston's largest and best-known retail mall, features 320 stores and is visited by more than 16 million people annually.
- The oldest shopping district is the River Oaks Shopping Center.
- Walk Rice Village's charming sidewalks and scour its hundreds of shops.
- There are six major outlet malls in the area, offering great discount shopping.
- Houston Rockets, basketball
- Houston Astros, baseball
- Houston Aeros, hockey
- Houston Comets, women's basketball
- Mild year-round climate
- 66° average high winter temperature
- 91° average high summer temperature
- 79° average high spring / autumn temperature
- Houston is located in the Central Time Zone
Op-ed:
If anybody has any information aboutCroatians in Texas especially in Houston are, please contact me at letters@croatianworld.netor directly Wanda Radetti at: TasteTours@aol.comor/and Victoria Hedrich at: VictoriaHedrich@aol.com
best,
Nenad Bach
Subj: International Sister Cities
Hello Nenad,
As mentioned to you, I am sending you the letter that my colleague and good friend Victoria has prepared regarding the International Sister Cities - and the need to find Croatian organizations in Houston to help follow up and support the project. I am grateful for any help and information that you may be able to provide. I am truly passionate about creating this type of exchange that I believe is absolutely necessary and can prove to be beneficial to Croatia as well as the sister cities in the United States.
I wish you well and hope to see you again and soon.
Wanda S. Radetti
TasteTours@aol.com
3095 Bellaire Ranch Drive
Fort Worth Texas 76109
817 989 1306
817 714 8303
May 30, 2002
Dear Nenad,
Wanda Radetti spoke very highlyof you and felt you could be of great assistance to our effort. I have the pleasure of working with Wanda and Vojko Obersnell, the Mayorof Rijeka, as well as other prominent citizens of Rijeka to initiate an officialInternational Sister City relationship between the cities of Houston and Rijeka. I am interested in identifying members of the Croatian community withinHouston that may help me to champion this initiative.
Sister Cities International (SCI)is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network creating and strengthening partnershipsbetween U.S. and international communities in an effort to increase globalcooperation at the municipal level, to promote cultural understanding and tostimulate economic development. SCI also invites associations, businesses, educationalinstitutions and individuals to participate in the SCI network.
An official SCI relationshipbetween Houston and Rijeka is agreat means to establish meaningful and lasting connections. The success of SCI has opened doors to the world, enhancing quality oflife through educational exchanges, business development opportunities andinformation sharing on issues such as technology, health care, and theenvironment. My many experiences inestablishing such relaionships has made me realize that the success of suchinitiatives is predicated upon a strong grass roots effort, usually by those most familiar with the culture of the foreign partner city.
During the first weeks of June Iplan to visit Houson in further pursuitof this mission and I would welcome the opportunity to personally introducemyself to those individuals withinthe community that have an interest in helping me to champion this intiative.
Appreciatively yours,
Victoria
Rijeka
Rijeka: Latitude 45.20 N Longitude14.25 E
The population of Rijeka is 250.000
Rijekais located in the Kvarner Bay deep in the Adriatic see. With the mountain Učkaon the west and Kvarner islands to the south-east, the view from above Rijekaoutward is magnificent. The city has many streets filled with buildings built inthe styles of past ages: baroque, secession, etc.
The town history begins in Neolit, but the name Rijeka isfirst mentioned in the 9th century. A small village on the mouth of riverRjeeina into the see eventually grew into a big city despite ever-changinggovernments and two disastrous fires. The city was declared a free port in 1719.marking a beginning of a new period in which Rijeka will economically prosper.
Houston
Location- State of Texas, southwest U.S.
- Upper Gulf Coast (50 miles from Gulf of Mexico)
- 1.9 million /city
- 4.5 million / county metropolitan statistical area
- 3.4 million people reside in Harris County. The third most populous county in the nation
- Houston is the seat of ethnically diverse Harris County
- Houston is 54 percent white, 23 percent Hispanic, 19 percent African American and 4 percent Asian.
- 617 square miles / city of Houston
- 8,778 square miles / CMSA
- Founded in August 1836 by brothers Augustus and John Allen. Houston is named after General Sam Houston, who led the Texas Army in its victory over General Santa Anna's Mexican forces at the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto. In 1837, Houston was incorporated in the Republic of Texas and served as its capital from 1837 to 1840.
- More than 46,000 hotel rooms in the city
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport
- William P. Hobby Airport
- Chase Tower, the tallest building west of the Mississippi River, and Williams Tower, the tallest building outside a central business district, are two examples of Houston's award-winning architecture
- Houston's job count is 206 million - more than all of Colorado. The city also is an affordable place to live with a cost of living 21 percent below the average for 17 metro areas with more than 2 million people.
- One of the few U.S. cities with permanent ballet, opera, symphony and theater companies.
- More than 30 museums.
- With 10,000 theater seats, Houston ranks second only to New York.
- Buses: The Metropolitan Transit Authority operates more than 1,400 buses on 128 routes throughout the city. In FY 98, METRO had more than 100 million bus boardings.
- Freeways / expressways: 570 miles
- High Occupancy vehicle expressways: 86 miles carrying 85,000 people each weekday.
- The third-largest taxi cab fleet in the country with 2,000 vehicles.
- A free downtown trolley system.
- 500-plus parks in Harris County
- 12,236 water-covered areas
- 32 miles of public beaches in area
- 100-plus golf courses in greater Houston
- Third largest concentration of pleasure boats in the United States
- More than 8,000 restaurants feature a wide variety of ethnic cuisines.
- The Galleria, Houston's largest and best-known retail mall, features 320 stores and is visited by more than 16 million people annually.
- The oldest shopping district is the River Oaks Shopping Center.
- Walk Rice Village's charming sidewalks and scour its hundreds of shops.
- There are six major outlet malls in the area, offering great discount shopping.
- Houston Rockets, basketball
- Houston Astros, baseball
- Houston Aeros, hockey
- Houston Comets, women's basketball
- Mild year-round climate
- 66° average high winter temperature
- 91° average high summer temperature
- 79° average high spring / autumn temperature
- Houston is located in the Central Time Zone