CROWN - Croatian World Network - http://www.croatia.org/crown
CROWN Croatian World Network Newsletter,December 25, 2008
http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9681/1/CROWN-Croatian-World-Network-NewsletterDecember-25-2008.html
By Nenad N. Bach
Published on 12/25/2008
 
It is the end of the year. I thank you all for making CROWN and CROWN Constellation the most visible Croatian websites outside Croatia. Great news about individual achievements from Mirna Jukic, Ivica Kostelic and Stjepan Hauser to Martin Kotarski. Do not miss "If streets could talk" by dr. Slaven Letica. Slavonski Poduzetnik is magazine to read. Mark Begich, first Croatian American senator...we have a lot to celebrate.

Editorial
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C R O A T I A . O R G


                                                                                                                                                                              photo by Risha


 
Dear All,
 
It is the end of the year. I thank you all for making CROWN and CROWN constellation the most visible Croatian websites outside Croatia. Great news about individual achievements from Mirna Jukic, Ivica Kostelic and Stjepan Hauser to Martin Kotarski. Do not miss "If streets could talk" by dr. Slaven Letica. Slavonski Poduzetnik is magazine to read. Mark Begich, first Croatian American senator...we have a lot to celebrate.
 
Dear friend Eck Spahic left us. Heroes of Vukovar successfully broadcast on HTV. Find a way how to own 10 episodes on DVD. Croatians have two young chess champions. Obama wins. Have you ever heard of Petar Zoranic? Vegeta? Miro Gavran continues his international success.
 
On a personal note, my concert with a new band at Fairleigh Dickinson went better than I could imagine. The whole year despite world being in turmoil went well for us at CROWN with new Forum being established and new and stronger CROWN team being productive
 
Svako dobro, keep it optimistic, keep it warm if in northern hemisphere.
 
Sretan Bozic i Nova 2009. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. Happy holidays.
 
Nenad N. Bach
New York, December 25, 2008
 
If you recommend someone that you know, to receive CROWN newsletter, send their name and email address to: data@croatia.org  and/or letters@croatia.org with CROWN DATA , their email and their name in the subject line.
 
On a personal musical level, I am preparing for a few major projects in music and for those who are interested you will be able to read more through my new Blog: http://nenadbach.blogspot.com/ or : http://www.myspace.com/nenadbach and www.nenadbach.com.
 
And the best is yet to come....

Letters@Croatia.org
 

Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead

Ovo su suradnici koji ce plasirati Vasu informaciju na CROWN www.croatia.org , CROWN Forum www.croatia.org/forum, Calendar www.croatianworldcalendar.com, History page www.croatianhistory.net i Studia Croatica www.studiacroatica.org . Joza Vrljicak ima stranicu i na Spanjolskom.
 
This is Croatian Constellation Team
 
Nenad Bach: letters@croatia.org , CROWN
Marko Puljic: marko@croatia.org - stecak@sbcglobal.net CROWN - Crown Forum
Darko Zubrinic: darko@croatia.org History
Joza Vrljicak: joza@croatia.org Studia Croatica
Violi Calvert CROWN Australia violi@croatia.org
Ratimir Mocnaj ratimir@croatia.org Calendar
Robert Malkovic robert@croatia.org
 
This page is sponsored by NFCA - National Federation of Croatian Americans


Go to the next page for the list of articles
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Merry Christmas Happy New Year 2009 Happy Holidays Blagoslovljen Bo¾ię

Merry Christmas Happy New Year 2009 Happy Holidays Blagoslovljen Bo¾ię Sretna Nova 2009 Happy Hanukkah Happy Kurban Bajram  Happy Kwanzaa. We wish to all of us THE WORLD PEACE more transparency in human behavior and a safe planet. NO MORE WARS. No Fear.

Croatian born Mirna Jukic wins Austrian "Athlete of the Year"

 
Thomas Morgenstern (ski jumping) and Mirna Jukic (swimming) are the Austrian Athletes of the Year for 2008. More than 300 members of Sports Media Austria voted this year for the nation's top athletes including the team of the year. Mirna Jukic is Austria's most successful swimmer ever. Born in Croatia, she came to Austria in 1999 and received Austrian citizenship a year later.

Ivica Kostelic Croatian skier wins his 9th World Cup at Alta Badia

Ivica Kostelię, Croatian skier, secured his ninth career win at the Alta Badia slalom in Italy, finishing ahead of France's Jean-Baptiste Grange and Austria's Benjamin Raich. This is a nice introduction to a world skiing event "Snow Queen Trophy" that will take place on January 4th and 6th 2009  in Zagreb, capital of Croatia.

Ivan Rabuzin 1921-2008 outstanding Croatian painter died

Ivan Rabuzin 1921-2008, Croatian painter, designed a curtain decorating the stage of one of the best Kyoto theaters in Japan, as well as the Takarazuka theater in Tokyo (10.5 x 24 m, 1980), and several other museums in Japan. Among numerous monographs devoted to his work we mention only Masayoshi Honme, Ivan Rabuzin / Taiji Harada, 1990, published by Kodanasha, Japan.

Martin Kotarski Croatian pupil winner of prestigious humanitarian award in Japan

We are proud to report in more detail about prestigious Japanese humanitarian award conferred by the Goi Peace Foundation to Martin Kotarski, a very young Croatian student. Martin is on the photo with Natalija Juri¹ię, his prof. The report has been prepared on the bases of material submitted upon our request by Martin himself, exclusively for the readers of the CROWN.

Chess Street in Croatia the only one in the world

Aleksandar Lysenko, Russian international chess master, is the author of an  article "In the Chess Street" published by the well known Russian chess journal "64 Chess Survey", Moscow 1996. The article deals with the Chess Club (on the photo) in the Chess Street in the town of Ravna Gora in Croatia. He wrote: "It is good that such a street exists, but it is a pity that the street is not in Russia." 

Petar Zoranic 1508-1569 important Croatian Renaissance writer

In 2008 we mark 500 years since the birth of Petar Zoranic, Croatian Renaissance writer, born in the city of Zadar in 1508. He is best known for his novel Planine (The Mountains), published in 1569, the first one in the history of Croatian literature. It is considered to be the oldest novel about mountains in the world. It is also one of the earliest patriotic books in the history of Croatian literature.

Zlata Bartl Croatian inventor of Vegeta died


Zlata Bartl (1920-2008) is known as inventor of Vegeta, an original, natural, and universal condiment of unique taste. Vegeta was created in 1958 in Podravka company in the town of Koprivnica, Croatia, and is used in over 40 countries. It is one of the most popular of European condiments.

Stjepan Hauser double winner at international music competition in Italy

On December 5th, 2008 Stjepan Hauser won two first prizes at the International Music Competition "Francesco Forgione" in Verbania, Italy near Milano. He won 100 points out of 100 and became absolute winner in two different categories (Solo and Solo with Orchestra). A part of the prize includes 70 concerts in Italy.

12th European Short Course Championships in Rijeka, Dec 11-14, 2008

  The city of Rijeka plays host to the 12th European Short Course Championships to be held at the Kantrida Swimming Complex from December 11-14, 2008. More than 600 top athletes, from some 50 European countries, accompanied with quite a number of distinguished persons related to this wonderful sport.

Marin Speranda's attractive photos of the City of Dubrovnik

Many people think that the City of Dubrovnik is one of the most beautiful in the world. Marin ©peranda, living in Dubrovnik, is amateur photographer, and his photos indicate in his very convincing poetic way the beauty of his native City. Dubrovnik is the unique city in the world lovingly called by its citizens simply as GRAD, i.e. the City.

Bishop Alejandro Goic Karmelic Chile in ad limina visit to pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI met with a group of 33 bishops from Chile, who were in Rome on their ad limina visit. Three of them are of Croatian origin. Moreover, Msgr. Alejandro Goic Karmelic (on the left with the Pope), whose both parents come from Croatian island of Brač, is the president of the Chilean Conference of Catholic bishops. He was a guest at Croatian program of the Radio Vatican where he spoke in Croatian.

Ignjat Djurdjevic: St Paul was on the island of Mljet in the Adriatic for three months

  An important book by Ignjat Šurševię published in 1730 in Venice was released in 2008, in The Year of St Paul, i.e. two thousand years after the birth of St Paul. It is the Croatian translation of Ignjat Šurševię's monograph written in elite Latin language, in which he proved that St Paul spent three months on the island of Mljet in Croatia, and not on the island of Malta.

SNAV MSC Cruises in Dubrovnik

In the last 7 years, MSC Cruises fleet brought over 700,000 guests to the Croatian city often nicknamed The Pearl of Adriatic - Dubrovnik, the only port in Croatia where passengers can embark MSC ships and start a vacation of their dreams. In 2008 alone MSC ships have called Dubrovnik 73 times carrying onboard over 200,000 passengers.

Vlaho Paljetak's Marijana sung by Seiji Tanaka in Japan in 1976

Vlaho Paljetak (1893-1944) is a famous Croatian pop singer born in Dubrovnik, known for several still very popular songs, among them Marijana. It is not widely known that this Croatian song had two Japanese recordings. It was sung by Seiji Tanaka in 1976.

Dr. Slaven Letica: If Streets Could Talk. Kad bi ulice imale dar govora.


If Croatian streets and squares could talk, what a thrilling story they could tell about the meaning of all the name changes, and the dramatic, bloody, and tragic history that lies beneath. In my book, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, I decided to "freeze history", at least for a brief moment. I gambled on posthumous recognition for my efforts, fully aware that any such appreciation in Croatia is always fleeting, and never long-lasting.

Miro Gavran 3 premieres in 3 countries in 2 weeks. Latvia, Slovakia and Czech R.

Miro Gavran, the most succesful contemporary Croatian playwright, will have three premieres of his plays in three European countries in only two weeks. His three playes "All About Men", "Greta Garbo's Secret" and "Othello from Susak Island" will be performed Latvia November 28,  2008. Slovakia December 11, 2008 and Czech Republic December 13, 2008 in respective languages.

Slavonski Poduzetnik a Croatian success story

Vladimir Mihajlovię, on the photo, is a newspaperman of Slavonski Poduzetnik - Slavonian Entrepreneur. He sent us a few very interesting stories published in this monthley issued in Osijek, a major town in Slavonija. Slavonia is a very fertile historical region on the north of Croatia. The editor in chief of this excellent bussiness journal is Tihomir Jelavię.

Croatian village celebrates victory of US senator Mark Begich

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

Hrvoje Gunjaca: Great story about operation of eagle owl on CNN

An injured eagle owl was brought to the Falconry centre near ©ibenik, Croatia, with its wings badly damaged. Under carefully measured anaesthetic,  30 damaged feathers have been changed with new feathers. The operation was done by Emilio Menšu¹ię, director of the centre (on the photo). The resulting film prepared by Hrvoje Gunjača was awarded by CNN.

Mark Begich the first Croatian-American US Senator. Begich wins in Alaska.

Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) increased his lead over convicted Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) to 3,724 votes on Tuesday with almost all of the remaining ballots counted, and the Associated Press has now called the race for the Democrat. Smile of relief, so well deserved. Croatians all over the world are celebrating tonight, a historic race. Mark is entering Senate at the right moment in history as a critical democratic Senator.

Lavoslav Ruzicka Croatian Nobel Prize winner from Vukovar

Lavoslav Leopold Ru¾ička (1887-1976) is one among three Croatian winners of the Nobel Prize. Born in the town of Vukovar, he obtained the Nobel Prize for chemistry while working et ETH, Zurich, Switzerland. In Vukovar the home of his birth has been renovated in 2007 from the 1991 destruction, now known as the Ru¾ička House.

Dr. Slaven Letica: Vukovar ili hrvatska knjiga postanka. Gdje zlo ne otima NADU.


Ovo je osvrt dr. Slavena Letice na pad Vukovara kroz dva članka, jedan iz 1991. i drugi iz 2008. Naslovi članaka su "Vukovar ili hrvatska knjiga postanka" i "Vukovarski poučak ili Odva¾nost hrvatske nade".

Dr. Drago Stambuk: Speech at the Holy Mass for Vukovar Victims, Tokyo 2008

Dr. Drago ©tambuk in his speech in Tokyo at the Holy Mass for Vukovar Victims, November 16th 2008, said that "... Vukovar's treatment by the Serbian forces onslaught from August to November 1991, when up to 15,000 missiles would fall daily on this beautiful baroque town, turned its citizens into martyrs and town into a waste land. The lives of the inhabitants were conducted inside cellars..."

Croatian pupil Martin Kotarski and Bill Gates awarded in Japan

 
Martin Kotarski, 14 years old Croatian pupil, and Bill Gates (both on the photo), are recipients of a recognition from the Goi Peace Foundation in Japan. Martin received Children's Category 1st Prize for his essay Joined by a Cookbook. He prepared a cookbook with traditional Croatian meals in order to get money for poor people of his school.

Ivan Mestrovic's The Descent from the Cross sold for 250 000 EU at Sotheby's

Ivan Me¹trovię (1883-1962), a famous Croatian sculptor, is probably best known for his Chicago Indians, prepared in Craatia in the course of two years. His another famous sculpture carved in wood is The Descent from the Cross,  exhibited with undprecedented success at Albert Museum in London in 1915. It has recently been sold for 250,000 EU at Sotheby's in London.

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Croatian Heroes: Kata ©oljię legendary Croatian mother died

Kata ©oljię, considered as a hero of Homeland War, lost her four sons who defended Croatia in 1990s during the Battle for Vukovar. She was seeking the remains of her children for twelve years, and the last one was found in 2003. During the Second World War she lost her four brothers. Kata ©oljię died in 2008 in Zagreb, at the age of  87.

Nenad Bach is Baack and Wanted - performance at Fairleigh Dickinson University

  Nenad began the set behind the piano and performed a new ballad: "Everything is Forever." The song was in the mood of most of Nenad's previous rich resume of recordings, but it managed to be both melancholy and optimistic. Perhaps that is possible when one has a long track record of engagement on and off the stage. We hope to see more of Nenad's vault full of talent and vision into the future, and the audience that night certainly was left looking for more.

St Paul visited Croatian island of Mljet on his journey to Rome

An important conference is organized in Dubrovnik where outstanding specialists will prove that St Paul went to Rome across the island of Mljet in Croatia, and not via Malta. This fact is contained in a book by Ignjat Šurševię, 18th century Croatian Baroque writer from the city of Dubrovnik. The prinicpal contributor on the conference is Dr. Miho Demovię, on the photo.

Eck Spahich distinguished Croatian-American died


Ekrem Eck Spahich (1945-2008) was distinguished Croatian American in Texas, born in the town of Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1972, Eck organized the Croatian Philatelitic Society and started the social journal, Trumpeter (Trubljac). He was an active member of  "Bluebonnet" CFU Lodge 1836 in Houston.

Croatian Heroes: Heroes of Vukovar TV serial by Eduard & Dominik Galic, part 10

Part 10 is the last one from the Vukovar Heroes series by Eduard and Dominik Galię, entitled Blago Zadro. It will be available on Friday 07.11.2008 20.10. This episode is about legendary Blago Zadro and his influence on Vukovar's defenders.

Stjepan Hauser obtained cello from legendary Bernard Greenhaus as a gift

Legendary Bernard Greenhaus played on a very special cello made especialy for him by Cornelissen.  And he suddenly decided to give this most beautiful example of Cornelissen to Stjepan Hauser, Croatian cellist, as a gift! The Greenwich Trio, in which Stjepan plays cello, won the 1st prize at the International Music Competition "Carlo Mosso" in Alessandria, Italy.

Hrvoje Saric 1922-2007 inventor of the first 360 degree camera

In 1972 Hrvoje Sarię invented and patented the first professional 360  degree synchro-rotational photo-camera in history. In 1988 he deviced the first electronical construction consisting of nine BETACAM videocameras, catching the range of the full circle. It was used at 1998 and 2000 EXPO exhibitions in Lisbon and Hannover in Portugal and Germany.

Valentina Golubenko and Ivan Saric young Croatian world chess champions

Valentina Golubenko and Ivan ©arię are world youth chess champions for 2008, at the competition organized in Vietnam. With two gold medals and one bronze, Croatia is ranked third at the World Competition, after India and Vietnam, and before China, Russia, USA, Germany etc. Congratulations from the CROWN!

Croatian Heroes: Heroes of Vukovar TV serial by Eduard & Dominik Galic, part 9

Part 9 of the Vukovar Heroes series by Eduard and Dominik Galię, entitled Peyton will be available on Friday 31.10.2008, at 20.10. You'll meet Vlatko Voloder, Miro and Tomislav Josię (on the left) and a few of their friends, who fought against more than 500 enemy soldiers. The result was incredible. They won.

Dalmatian dog is Croatian autochthonous breed

Dalmatian dog is a well known breed from Dalmatia - the coastal part of Croatia. We know about organized breeding of this dog in the Djakovo bishopric already in the 14th century! The name was given in the USA in the 19th century. Recognized as Croatian autochthonous breed in 1994 (FCI-153). Croatian Post has issued a nice series of stamps dedicated to Croatian dogs.

CROWN Croatian World Network Newsletter, October 26, 2008

  On a lighter note, there were never unchallenging times. This time around, information and misinformation is widely available, so it is more than ever up to all of us to make a difference. Read about stories of Croatian talented people, our true pride, true heroes and not just victims, people who contributed with more than their own life and suffering . CROWN Croatia.org  and CroatianHistory.net became the most visible Croatian sites in the world, outside of Croatia.