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 »  Home  »  Politics  »  Croatian village celebrates victory of US senator Mark Begich
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Croatian village celebrates victory of US senator Mark Begich
By Nenad N. Bach | Published  11/20/2008 | Politics , Community | Unrated
Small world. Krv nije voda. Blood is not water.

Mark Begich, U.S. Senator



 

Croatian village celebrates victory of US senator

ZAGREB, Croatia: Mark Begich's victory in the U.S. Senate race in Alaska is being celebrated in a Croatian village where his grandfather once lived.

Ted Stevens, a veteran Republican senator, conceded defeat on Wednesday in his close election with Begich, a Democrat.

Begich didn't emphasize his Croatian roots. But Croatian newspapers closely covered his election, calling him the first U.S. senator of Croatian origin.

Begich's grandfather left the small village of Podlapaca in central Croatia almost a century ago to seek a better life in America.

Croatian Nikola Begic, who says he's the new senator's cousin, was quoted by one paper as saying their extended family had endured poverty and wars in the past, so the senator's victory "may be God's reward now."

Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/20/europe/EU-Croatia-US-Begich.php



 
See Podlapaca in central Croatia on Google Map: http://www.maplandia.com/croatia/zadar-knin/podlapaca/

World reports fast: In a few minutes the news went all over the world:

  1. Croatian village celebrates victory of US senator - International ...

    Nov 20, 2008 ... ZAGREB, Croatia: Mark Begich's victory in the U.S. Senate race in Alaska is being celebrated in a Croatian village where his grandfather ...
    www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/20/europe/EU-Croatia-US-Begich.php - 8 hours ago - Similar pages - Note this
  2. AP Breaking News - Latest News - International Herald Tribune

    Croatian village celebrates victory of US senator 1:29PM. Mark Begich's victory in the U.S. Senate race in Alaska is being celebrated in a Croatian village ...
    www.iht.com/indexes/ap/apindex.php - 40k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this
    More results from www.iht.com ť
  3. Croatian village celebrates victory of US senator - News

    Mark Begich's victory in the US Senate race in Alaska is being celebrated in a Croatian village where his grandfather once lived.
    www.aol.co.nz/news/story/Croatian-village-celebrates-victory-of-US-senator/1325901/index.html - 7 hours ago - Similar pages - Note this
  4. Croatian village celebrates victory of US senator - Examiner.com

    Nov 22, 2008 ... Croatian village celebrates victory of US senator. KTUU 2 News - 45 mins ago. Associated Press - November 20, 2008 11:04 AM ET ZAGREB, ...
    www.examiner.com/r-3858665~Croatian_village_celebrates_victory_of_US_senator.html - 4 hours ago - Similar pages - Note this
  5. Croatian village celebrates victory of US senator - Taiwan News Online

    Nov 20, 2008 ... Mark Begich's victory in the US Senate race in Alaska is being celebrated in a Croatian village wh.
    www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=793430〈=eng_news - 5 hours ago - Similar pages - Note this
  6. ť Croatian village celebrates victory of US senator ...

    Nov 20, 2008 ... Croatian village celebrates victory of US senator International Herald Tribune, France - 1 hour ago But Croatian newspapers closely covered ...
    alaska-newspapers.orangechex.com/?p=370 - 3 hours ago - Similar pages - Note this
  7. Croatian cousin of Mark Begich proud at his election as U.S. ...

    Mark Begich's victory over Ted Stevens for US Senator is not only celebrated in Alaska, but also in a remote village in faraway Croatia _ a place Begich's ...
    news.uk.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=11123836 - 6 hours ago - Similar pages - Note this



Bratiću Marko, dođi u Podlapaču

PODLAPAČA - Znam da bratić Marko otkada je postao senator Aljaske ima puno posla, ali bih želio da jednom dođe na svoju djedovinu, da vidi odakle mu potječu korijeni - kaže Nikola Begić (52) iz zaseoka Breštani kod Podlapače koji je bratić Marka Begića, prvog Hrvata koji je postao američki senator. Kada smo posjetili Begića u ličkoj zabiti, iako gledaju televiziju, donijeli smo im prvi glas da je Marko postao senator.

- Markov djed Ivan mome je pokojnom ocu bio ujak. On se rodio gdje se moja mala unučica Nikolina sada igra. Znam da mi je pričao da je pred 2. svjetski rat otišao od kuće trbuhom za kruhom u bijeli svijet.

Siromaštvo ga je potjeralo. Umro je u Americi, a da se nikad nije vratio kući. Slao je pakete i koji dolar. Nije nas zaboravljao. Njegov sin Niki bio je senator 1971. godine. Znam da mi je otac pričao da je otišao avionom na neki službeni put i od tada mu se gubi svaki trag.

Ostao mu je Marko koji, evo, ide očevim stopama. Nas Begiće život nije mazio, valjda je ovo Božja nagrada. Za njega sam doznao preko televizije - ispričao je Nikola Begić koji je imao sliku Markova oca Nika. Čuvao sam je kao oči u glavi, kao da sam nešto predosjećao, ali 1993. kada smo izbjegli pred četnicima, iz rodne kuće nestala je slika - dodao je Nikola, koji se nada da će doživjeti da ih i senator Marko posjeti kako bi mu pokazali gdje su mu korijeni za koje kaže da su oduvijek bili hrvatski.

U zaseoku Breštani u zabiti Krbavskog polja od 10-ak obitelji Begić ostala je samo jedna. Do njih se stiže makadamskim putem. Četverogodišnja Nikolina Begić jedino je dijete u pustom selu koje je dalo prvog Hrvata koji je uspio ući u američki Senat.
  (Željko Popović/EPEHA)

http://www.jutarnji.hr/svijet/clanak/art-2008,11,19,,141692.jl


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