Black Cloud feature film starring Rick Schroder,

produced by Bosnian Croat Igor Kovacevich

Here is link to the website of the movie Black Cloud
Igor Kovacevich produced it and is currently playing theatrically in about 15 cities on the
East and West Coast.

The site is: http://www.blackcloudthemovie.com/

and Igor is listed under the Credits section.
Black Cloud is the directorial debut of Rick Schroder (NYPD Blue, Silver
Spoons, The Champ...). The film also features country superstar Tim McGraw,
Wayne Knight of Seinfeld and Third Rock From the Sun, Peter Green from Pulp
Fiction, newcomer Eddie Spears in the lead role of Black Cloud, as well as
Rick Schroder.

BLACK CLOUD THEATRES

Los Angeles
----------------
LOEW Beverly Center 13 Unit 408
8522 Beverly Blvd #835
Los Angeles, CA 90048


Hartford
------------
NAM Enfield Cinemas 12
90 Elm Street
Enfield, CT 6082


New Haven/Branford
---------------------------------
NAM Showcase 8 Theatres
100 Marsh Hill Road
Orange, CT 06477


North Stonington Area
----------------------------------
REGL Stonington 10
85 Voluntown Rd
Pawcatuk, CT 06379

Boston/Massachusetts
-----------------------------------
NAM Showcase Cinema 1-10
800 Fall River Ave
Seekonk, MA 2771

 

April 01 -- April 07,  2005

Croatian Wrestler Played Hated Russian

Josip Peruzovic

"It might be little known that Peruzovic, once a menacing giant, does fund-raisers for children's hospitals and volunteers for charities that help sick children."

Ex-wrestler finds code of conduct

03/30/05
Bryan P. Sears
 

Former professional wrestler and now Baltimore County employee Josip Peruzovic (aka Nikolai Volkoff) is flanked by his manager, Nikita Breznikov, right. Photo by Hans Ericsson. Don't let Josip Nikolai Peruzovic's bad guy past fool you.
 

This big bear of a man, once one of the most hated men in professional wrestling, is a softy at heart.

Peruzovic's alter ego, Nikolai Volkoff, was one of the most disliked professional wrestlers ever to step into the ring. He was so hated, in fact, that a main event bout at Madison Square Garden had to be moved from the end of the card to the fourth match because of safety concerns.

"We had such a hard time getting out of the Garden," said Peruzovic, 55, now a Baltimore County code enforcement officer. "People wanted to kill you."

Known for teaming up with the Iron Sheik, Volkoff angered fans by insulting America and singing a mock "Russian National Anthem" before each match.

But few things in wrestling resemble real life.

While Peruzovic's mother is Russian, he is Croatian by birth and grew up in the former Yugoslavia.

He was on the Yugoslavian weightlifting team until age 18, when he defected after a tournament in Austria.

Peruzovic moved to the United States from Canada a year later.

He knew he wanted to be a professional wrestler. His grandfather had been a champion in Europe before becoming a bodyguard for Austrian Emperor Franz Josef.

But Peruzovic wanted to be a "good guy." It was his manager, "Classy" Freddie Blassy - later known as "The Ayatollah Blassy" - who encouraged Peruzovic to cultivate his bad side.

"I didn't want to be a mean Russian; I wanted to be a clean guy," Peruzovic, who speaks fluent Russian, said. "But Freddie said, 'People will start to hate you, and you'll make money.'"

As the Cold War ended, Peruzovic's character softened his image and he began wrestling with fan favorites like Hacksaw Jim Dugan and Sgt. Slaughter.

"I told them, communism is over. I did my job. No more bad guy,'" he said.

Peruzovic, who retired from the World Wrestling Federation - now World Wrestling Entertainment - in 1995, will add one more line to his pro wrestling career Saturday, when he is inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in Hollywood.

He was also honored March 29 by County Executive James Smith and the County Council for his career achievements.

"Josip is an outstanding Baltimore County employee," Smith said in a news release. "It is a true honor to recognize him upon his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame."

But any similarity between professional wrestling and real life is purely coincidental.

Peruzovic, with his close-cropped hair and bifocals, looks more like a genial grandfather than a pro wrestling antagonist. He has been married for 35 years and is the father of two grown daughters - a teacher and a nurse.

He ended up in Baltimore County after meeting his wife in a Baltimore restaurant following a match in Washington.

"I was hungry and I was waiting for the food and I think she felt sorry for me," Peruzovic said.

When he stands and presents his 6-foot-5-inch barrel-chested frame for inspection, it becomes clear that being in a headlock or bear hold is the last place one would want to be.

To those who know him, Peruzovic in real life is the guy he wanted to be in wrestling.

Since retiring from wrestling, Peruzovic has been a county code enforcement officer, citing residents for not cutting their lawns or keeping their yards and homes up as required by county law.

Not exactly a job that wins friends.

But Councilman Joseph Bartenfelder, a longtime friend, said Peruzovic has made his mark by "treating people the right way."

Once, according to Bartenfelder, Peruzovic was sent to a home in Overlea to write a citation for a homeowner who was not cutting the grass.

The homeowner turned out to be an 87-year-old woman with no family and no way to care for her lawn. Rather than write her a citation, Peruzovic came back after work and cut the lawn himself.

Bartenfelder met Peruzovic nearly 30 years ago, when Bartenfelder was a boy and saw Peruzovic wrestle.

"When I first met him (on the Glen Arm farm of Peruzovic's wife's family), I only knew him as a villain, not as a nice guy," said Bartenfelder, mustering up his best pro wrestler bravado. "I didn't know whether to shake his hand or kick his ass."

Asked if he could have taken Peruzovic, Bartenfelder said, "I made the right choice."

Since their meeting, Peruzovic has volunteered to help on several charitable ventures organized by Bartenfelder - signing autographs and sometimes even more - to raise money from Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

"He'd take a chair across the head if we needed him to," Bartenfelder said.

Peruzovic said that people sometimes recognize him from his wrestling days. Judging form the smile on his face as he recounts stories or Bruno Sammartino and other wrestlers, he doesn't mind reminiscing.

Peruzovic isn't done yet. The Glen Arm resident said he plans on running for a seat in the House of Delegates as a Republican in 2006.

While he is inspired by other professional wrestlers and weightlifters who have made the jump to politics - Jesse "The Body" Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger in particular - the desire to be in politics has always been there, Peruzovic said.

"I want to help people," Peruzovic said. "I believe if you do something good it will make you feel good."


E-mail Bryan P. Sears at bsears@patuxent.com .

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=659&NewsID=621341&CategoryID=1840&show=localnews&om=1

Former Wrestler Honored in Baltimore County

Mar 29, 2005 10:00 am US/Eastern
Towson, MD (WJZ) A Baltimore County code enforcement officer is being honored this week for what he did in his former career.

Josip Peruzovic was known for years as professional wrestler Nikolai Volkoff, one of the "bad guys" hated by millions of World Wrestling Federation fans.

He's being inducted Saturday into the World Wrestling Hall of Fame in California.

And the county will present Peruzovic with a proclamation today designating Saturday as Nikolai Volkoff Day in Baltimore County.

Peruzovic defected from Yugoslavia in 1968 while at a weightlifting tournament in Vienna, Austria.

He wrestled until the mid-1990s, and began working for the county in 1996.

County Council Chairman Joseph Bartenfelder says Peruzovic is the opposite of his wrestling persona.

He does fund-raisers for children's hospitals and volunteers for charities that help sick children.



(Š 2005 CBS Worldwide Inc


Hero's welcome for a wrestling villain
Recognition: The man who played bad guy 'Nikolai Volkoff' will be honored this weekend by a hall of fame and Baltimore County.
By Anica Butler
Sun Staff
Originally published March 29, 2005
For nearly 20 years, he played a "bad guy" - a communist sympathizer who'd sing the Soviet national anthem before each of his televised wrestling matches.

As "Nikolai Volkoff," Josip Nikolai Peruzovic was the partner of the "Iron Sheik" in the former World Wrestling Federation, becoming possibly the most hated wrestling duo during TV wrestling's rise in the 1980s.











But this week, Peruzovic is being inducted into the World Wrestling Hall of Fame and also is being honored by Baltimore County.

"People used to hate me. Now they love me," he said yesterday.

These days, when the 6-foot-4 1/2 -inch immigrant is out on the job as a Baltimore County code enforcement officer and people recognize him, he said, they're always friendly.

Still, Peruzovic said he was surprised to learn that this weekend in California, he'll be inducted into World Wrestling Entertainment's Hall of Fame, along with his old partner, the Iron Sheik, and other '80s wrestling favorites such as Hulk Hogan and Rowdy Roddy Piper.

Even more surprising to Peruzovic, though, is the recognition he's receiving from the county. Today, in a ceremony at the county executive's office, Peruzovic will receive a proclamation and a council resolution, naming Saturday - the day of the Hall of Fame induction - as Nikolai Volkoff Day in Baltimore County, according to a county spokeswoman.

Local honors

"It's nice," Peruzovic said, to be recognized for "something that makes people happy."

County Council Chairman Joseph Bartenfelder, who will present the resolution, said Peruzovic deserves the recognition.

"He's a super human being," Bartenfelder said.

Peruzovic defected in 1968 while at a weightlifting tournament in Vienna, Austria. He came to the United States in 1970, wrestled with WWE until the mid-1990s, and began working for the county in 1996. He said he never wanted to be a "bad guy" in wrestling. Although he portrayed a Russian as a wrestler, he defected from the former Yugoslavia.

"In real life, I escaped from communism," he said. But he took the advice of promoters who told him he could make fun of communism by becoming a sort of evil caricature.

"You have to really believe what you're doing," he said.

Good deeds

But if others believe that image of Peruzovic as "Nikolai Volkoff," they'd be misled, said Bartenfelder, who has known Peruzovic for 30 years, since the wrestler moved to Glen Arm.

It might be little known that Peruzovic, once a menacing giant, does fund-raisers for children's hospitals and volunteers for charities that help sick children.

"He's always there to step in and do what he could," Bartenfelder said. "And that's the different persona that you don't see if you knew him when he was in the ring. He's a guy who believes in charity. ... He deserves a little pat on the back."


http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.wrestler29mar29,1,7311472.story?coll=bal-local-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true

TV chef Lidia's got a new show, also starring her mom & kids

All in the family
By SONO MOTOYAMA
sono@phillynews.com
Posted on Wed, Mar. 30, 2005

WITH A DEMEANOR suggesting both a warm, buxom Italian nonna and a stern drill sergeant ("Pay attention!" she admonishes her viewers, or, "Got that?"), Lidia Matticchio Bastianich has endeared herself to television audiences and diners alike.

With her public-TV series and restaurants - including three restaurants in New York and a Lidia's in Kansas City and in Pittsburgh - she has spread her gospel of homey Italian cooking, the importance of family meals and of eating fresh, seasonal food.

While middle-aged women may make up the core of her fan base, Bastianich points out that she also has young mothers who watch her shows with their children and men too. She says of her male fans, "They tell me, 'You make me look good.' "

With her new show, "Lidia's Family Table," which WHYY will begin airing Saturday, she took into account the desires of her followers. The show is based on her new cookbook, published last November, also titled "Lidia's Family Table."

"I get a lot of feedback from my viewers and they tell me what they'd like to see, what they want to know," she said from her home in Douglaston Manor, N.Y., where she tapes her shows. "The overwhelming message was, We want to know more about your family, how you cook for your family."

"I'm so excited about this 'Family Table,' " Bastianich said recently, cheerful despite a recent, painful knee surgery. "The new show, it has more of the family, it shows more of my house because that is what [viewers] wanted to see. I talk about techniques and how I behave at home so they can emulate that, so that they can take it and make it their own."

She includes useful tips on how to cook in quantity, make quick sauces you can prepare while the pasta cooks (see accompanying recipe) and use scraps one might normally throw away - such as a stale loaf of bread, or the rind of a cheese. Her techniques, described in detail in her book, involve using all of the senses - for example, to listen for the "clicking" of rice when making risotto so you'll know it's time to add wine.

Her house and garden take featured roles in the new series, along with members of her extended family. Her grandchildren are shown plucking tomatoes from the garden. Her mother, Erminia, demonstrates how she makes her special skillet chicken dish (see accompanying recipe). Her son, Joseph - a former bond trader turned wine merchant, winemaker and restaurateur in his own right (including a partnership with star chef Mario Batali) - and daughter, Tanya - an art historian by training, who is collaborating with her mother on a book and Web site - make appearances to assist, taste and joke with their mother.

SUBHED HERE: A turbulent history

With a restaurant and entertainment domain that also encompasses a line of specialty sauces, including ones developed for Williams-Sonoma, and a culinary travel company offering trips to Italy, Bastianich said she still has time to have her family over for dinner at least once a week. (Her mother lives with her; her daughter's family lives within walking distance and her son's family is in Connecticut.)

But things were not always so cozy and secure for Bastianich.

She was born in Pula, on the Istrian peninsula, which has a turbulent history. Istria, within the last century, has been a part of Austria, Italy, Yugoslavia and is now Croatia (op-ed precisely would be: occupied by Austria, Italy, Yugoslavia and now free Croatia) . But Bastianich has warm memories of her childhood there, of olive and grape harvests, and of her grandmother's farmyard animals.

"I would go forage to get the eggs," Bastianich said. "We had a pig, and the slaughter of the pig and making the sausage and prosciutto - I remember all that vividly." She remembers that the family pressed their own olive oil and distilled their own grappa.

"That was imbedded in my mind, those pristine flavors."

These memories became no doubt even more precious to her because this idyll was disrupted when the family fled their home during the communist Yugoslavian regime and were forced to live in a political refugee camp.

The family had the opportunity to emigrate to America, eventually settling in Queens, N.Y., but the adjustment was not easy. Bastianich, not yet 12, and her older brother, Franco, learned the language more easily than their parents, so took on responsible adult roles at an early age.

Her father found work as a mechanic and her mother was a piece worker in a New Jersey factory. "I remember many times my mother crying," Bastianich said. "My father never really did get adjusted. He had difficulties learning the language. He was always nostalgic."

One can imagine that these difficult times, coupled with memories of her homeland, cemented the importance of food and family in Bastianich's mind. Today she emphasizes implanting food sensory memories in children, by allowing all sorts of cooking smells and tastes to permeate the home.

SUBHED HERE: Spaghetti and meatball beginnings

Because Istria has had such a varied history, the cuisine of the region shows Austro-Hungarian, Italian and Slavic influences. These traces eventually found their way into the cuisine of Bastianich's signature Manhattan restaurant, Felidia, which she opened with her then-husband Felice Bastianich, with items like sauerkraut and bean soup.

Their early restaurants, however, had much more recognizable fare. They opened their first restaurant in Queens, in 1971.

"At that time the Italian restaurants that were in vogue were the Italian-American restaurants," Bastianich remembered. "Spaghetti and meatballs and manicotti and all of that, and that's the restaurant we opened."

Bastianich, only 24 at the time, was not yet a professional chef, so the family hired a chef to head up the restaurant, and Bastianich learned along the way as sous chef (this experience became the basis for her Italian-American cookbook and TV series). The success of the first restaurant prompted them to open a second Queens restaurant.

Somewhere along the way, Bastianich developed the confidence to cook the way she liked to cook at home. "So while the chef was doing his meatballs and parmigiana and all that, I would make polenta," she said. "This is how I began to build my reputation. People would begin to ask, Well, what did you cook today?"

Soon the food press began making pilgrimages to Queens. Bastianich and her husband decided to sell the Queens restaurants and put everything they had into Felidia.

With the opening of Felidia in 1981, she cooked full-time the regional Italian cuisine that she had grown up with, which was unusual at the time. "The press and Julia Child and everyone else began to come down," Bastianich said. "It was very exciting."

With press attention came offers to appear as a guest chef on cooking shows, including Julia Child's. Eventually she was offered her own show. "I'm a communicator, you know. I love teaching. I said I would love to do the show."

The rest, as they say, is history. The cookbooks, the TV appearances, the restaurants (if you can't afford the upscale Felidia, I heartily recommend New York's theater-district Becco - which she co-owns with her son - which has a terrific, pasta-centric $21.95 prix-fixe dinner and a wine list of all $20 bottles).

Though Bastianich may have a mini empire, she likes to bring the focus back to family and home. For example, for service in her restaurant, she said, laughing, "I have radishes pickling right now in my garage."

Her kids are currently in the business with her, and her parents, she points out, helped out when she was just starting.

"We were always a family support group," Bastianich said firmly. "Even the first restaurant, [my parents] loaned us some money and they watched the kids while I worked. And on Monday when we were closed we would all go with the kids and clean the place... . My success is really a family story."

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/11263765.htm

Zinfandel: A Croatian-American Wine Story

I have been able to get Dr. Jasenka Piljac's book available for purchase online, via my company's web site, www.xlsimports.com . Visitors can click on "Store" and they will find the book there. The direct link is http://www.xlsimports.com/purchase.htm . We can take ordersby phone at 516-869-4034 and we can accept check by mail (address on the web site).

Below is a synopsis of the book from Jasenka:

The aim of the book "Zinfandel: A Croatian-American Wine Story" is to provide a picturesque and detailed portrayal of the search for original Zinfandel from an insider perspective. This book is a detective tale and a travel log written for all Zinfandel lovers interested in reading about my first hand experience on the 'Zinfandel trail' and the final discovery of its Croatian match. It is also intended for all wine lovers and future visitors to Croatia who will, among the four chapters, surely find useful information about viticultural tradition, wine production and history of Croatia – a small country with more than a thousand islands and five million smiles. I hope you'll enjoy reading my story about a grape's journey through its Croatian-American past!

Of course, it's a terrific read, it's printed in English, and I hope a lot of Croatian Americans get a chance to read it!

Note that I have no financial interest in the sale of the book, I am doing it as a favor to Jasenka.

Hvala!!

All the best,
Dan Pedisich

dpedisich@tickertech.com

Three Titles For Croatian
 

Photo by: Raul Calin

Raul Calin, Ian Marshall
Croatia’s Sanja PAUKOVIC proved to be the most successful player on duty at the ITTF World Junior Circuit event in Morocco (24th-29th March 2005); she won the Junior Girls’ Team event and the Junior Girls’ Doubles with her compatriot Suncica VUGRINEC and completed the tournament unbeaten by overcoming the latter to capture the Junior Girls’ Singles title.

The Croatian was naturally delighted with her success and was clearly determined from the onset to book a place in the World Junior Circuit Finals in Santo Domingo later in the year.

Sanja PAUKOVIC, winner of three titles in Morocco
“The World Junior Circuit event in Örebro, Sweden was a stronger tournament, there were many European players there and the competition was really hardâ€?, said PAUKOVIC. “Here I had a good chance to gain points on the ITTF World Junior Circuit and this was important for me in order to try to qualify for the Grand Finals; also I intend to play in Spain and Poland and I hope to play well to be in Santo Domingoâ€?.

PAUKOVIC and VUGRINEC beat Brazil’s Mariany NONAKA and Jordan’s Zeina SHABAN in the Junior Girls’ Doubles final but having to face each other in the singles final must have been a difficult experience. “It was a mental contest, we know each other very well, we are very good friendsâ€?, said PAUKOVIC. “We have played doubles together for two years, we practise with each other and we are good friends.â€?

Meanwhile, Germany’s Patrick BAUM captured the Junior Boys’ Singles title beating colleague Alexander KRIEGER in the final whilst in the Junior Boys’ Doubles event, victory went to the Russians Stanislav GOLAVANOV and Kirill SKACHIKOV; the duo overcoming the Croatians Tomislav KOLAREK and Domagoj MAGLIC at the final hurdle.

It was for BAUM his second title of the tournament; earlier in the proceedings he had won the Junior Boys’ Team event with Dimitrij OVTCHAROV and was understandably pleased to have won a further title. “I felt very good here in Casablancaâ€?, he said. “I played well and I ‘m happy with my results.â€?

It was the first ITTF World Junior Circuit event to be held in Morocco and everyone left pleased with the organisation; the tournament finished in with traditional Moroccan dancing being the highlight of the closing ceremony.

http://www.ittf.com/Protour_new/Stories_detail.asp?ID=7021&PT_Title=&Year1=
 

PLIVA, d.d., headquartered in Zagreb, Croatia, is now a global generics and specialty company, with operations in more than 30 countries

March 29, 2005 09:09 AM US Eastern Timezone

Odyssey Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Announces FDA Approval for Custodiol HTK Solution for Perfusion and Flushing of Donor Pancreata, in Addition to Previously Approved Liver, Kidney and Heart Transplants

FLORHAM PARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 29, 2005--Odyssey Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the FDA has approved an additional indication for the use of Custodiol(R)* HTK Solution for the perfusion and flushing of donor pancreata. Custodiol HTK Solution has already been approved for use in the perfusion and flushing of other key donor organs -- livers, kidneys and hearts. Custodiol(R) now presents with indications for the vast majority of organ transplants in the United States - both abdominal and thoracic organs - an important consideration for transplant specialists.

"With this new indication, Custodiol makes an excellent single product choice for the large majority of transplant procedures involving pancreata, hearts, kidneys, and livers," said Wayne Yetter, President and CEO of Odyssey.

According to statistics compiled by The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, during 2004, of the 26,998 organs transplanted from all donors in the U.S., 22,141 (82%) were of kidneys and livers.(1) Another 2,013 were heart transplants, 602 were pancreas or islet cell transplants and 880 were kidney/pancreas transplants. This makes the pancreas the fourth most commonly transplanted solid organ.

"This new indication for Custodiol also demonstrates the commitment that Odyssey has made to the field of transplantation. For example, PLIVA, Inc., an affiliated company, offers Cyclosporine Soft-Gel Capsules and Oral Solution. In addition, a dedicated team of Odyssey/PLIVA Transplant Specialists presents these products to the medical community," added Allan Weber, senior director, sales and marketing at Odyssey.

Custodiol offers several important advantages over other available products. Custodiol requires no flushing of the organ prior to transplantation. Custodiol requires no additives, filtering, or premixing, and it can be stored over a wider range of temperatures (2 degrees C - 15 degrees C (35 degrees F - 59 degrees F)). The low viscosity of Custodiol -- similar to water -- and its clear appearance make for easier handling for both the perfusionist and the surgeon. Adding to its ease of handling, Custodiol is packaged in 4 sizes -- 500-mL bottles, 1000-mL bottles, 2000-mL bags, and 5000-mL bags -- for greater convenience. For additional information about Custodiol or any other Odyssey products, please visit our website at www.OdysseyPharm.com or call 1-877-427-9068.

About Odyssey

Odyssey Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a subsidiary of PLIVA, d.d., is a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to the research, development and commercialization of innovative products to improve quality of life. Since 2000, Odyssey has concentrated on key therapeutic categories such as urology, respiratory and central nervous system. The company recently launched SANCTURA(TM), a prescription medicine that is indicated for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB). An estimated 33 million Americans suffer from OAB, with symptoms of urge urinary incontinence, urgency and urinary frequency. For more information, visit www.sanctura.com.

About PLIVA, d.d.

With more than 80 years of experience in the pharmaceuticals area, PLIVA, d.d., headquartered in Zagreb, Croatia, is now a global generics and specialty company, with operations in more than 30 countries in the U.S., Central and Eastern Europe and Western Europe. Building upon a strong R&D history, the company specializes in the discovery, development, production and distribution of generic and branded pharmaceutical products. Since its listing on the London Stock Exchange in 1996, PLIVA has established a fully internationalized business, with the majority of its revenues now realized in Western markets.

(1)The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. National data. Donors recovered in the U.S. by donor type. Available at: http://www.optn.org/latestData/rptData.asp. Accessed March 31, 2003.

*CUSTODIOL is a registered trademark of Dr. Franz Kohler Chemie GmbH, Alsbach-Hahnlein, Germany.

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050329005534&newsLang=en
 

APRIL FOOL’S DAY!

By Katarina Tepesh

Award winning author, Josip Novakovich, recently wrote “APRIL FOOL’S DAYâ€? book, a political satire and a parody of war from the former-Yugoslavia.

Unlike most of the other nonfoolish holidays, the history of April Fool's Day, sometimes called All Fool's Day, is not totally clear. There really wasn't a "first April Fool's Day" that can be pinpointed on the calendar. Some believe it sort of evolved simultaneously in several cultures at the same time, from celebrations involving the first day of spring.

The closest point in time that can be identified as the beginning of this tradition was in 1582, in France. Prior to that year, the new year was celebrated for eight days, beginning on March 25. The celebration culminated on April 1. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX, the Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year's Day was moved to January 1.

However, communications being what they were in the days when news traveled by foot, many people did not receive the news for several years. Others, the more obstinate crowd and rebels, refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1. These backward folk were labeled as "fools" by the general populace. They were subject to some ridicule, and were often sent on "fool’s errands" or were made the butt of other practical jokes.

This harassment evolved, over time, into a tradition of prank-playing on the first day of April. The tradition eventually spread to England and Scotland in the eighteenth century. It was later introduced to the American colonies of both the English and French. April Fool's Day thus developed into an international fun fest, so to speak, with different nationalities specializing in their own brand of humor at the expense of their friends and families.

Pranks performed on April Fool's Day range from the simple, (such as saying, "Your shoe's untied!), to the elaborate. Whatever the prank, the trickster usually ends it by yelling to his victim, "April Fool!"

April Fool's Day is a "for-fun-only" observance. Sometimes, even the government and news media gets involved.

For example, a performance artist, Joe Skaggs is responsible for several “newâ€? businesses such as the Bad Guys Talent Management Agency, Brooklyn Bridge Lottery, the Hippie Bus Tour of Queens, etc. Skaggs finally received a subpoena from the Attorney General's office. At this time Skaggs had to reveal that the new business was a hoax.

Skaggs also masterminded the famous New York City 16th Annual April Fools' Day Parade along 59th Street and Fifth Avenue. The parade was supposed to be led by the Marching Los Alamos Forest Rangers, who will be back burning trash in an attempt to stave off accidental flash fires. CNN and Fox News showed up to cover the event, but of course, no one was there.

You Know What They Say About Fools...
Looking foolish does the spirit good. -- John Updike
A fool must now and then be right by chance. -- Cowper
It is better to be a fool than to be dead. -- Stevenson
The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year. -- Mark Twain
Helping the Humor-Impaired
When we are caught up in the vortex of life's challenges and hardships, it's not always easy to stop and lighten up once in a while.

Remind yourself to have fun. When the going gets tough, just repeat to yourself, "It's OK to be foolish on occasion."

The Benefits of Laughter
Everyone enjoys a good hearty laugh. It makes us feel good, and that good feeling can stay with us even after the laughter subsides. Laughter helps us see that small things are not the earth-shaking events they sometimes seem to be. It enables us to look at a problem from a different point of view, make it seem less serious, and realize opportunities for increased objectivity and insight.

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. It binds us together, lightens our burdens and helps us keep things in perspective. Our work, marriage and family all need humor, celebrations, play and ritual as much as record-keeping and problem-solving. We should ask the questions "Do we laugh together?" as well as "Can we get through this hardship together?" Laughter can help us see the silver lining instead of just storm clouds.

Humor unites us, especially when we laugh together. One of the things that divide humans is the energy we put into coping with life's problems or concentrating each other's limitations. Our friends and neighbors are not perfect, and neither is our marriage or family life. When we laugh together, it can bind us closer together instead of putting us in opposite camps.

Humor is an effective way to relieve stress. Laughter leads to a cathartic release of emotion, can help to release pent-up feelings of anger and frustration in a socially acceptable way, and is often followed by a state of relaxation and a feeling of reduced tension. Aside from the psychological benefits, laughter affects the body in a number of positive ways as well. Laughter releases natural chemicals in the body that create a feeling of pleasure and have a pain-relieving effect.

Laughter heals. Laughter activates the chemistry of the will to live and increases our capacity to fight disease. The chest expands when laughing, respiration increases and forces exhausted air from the lungs. Laughing relaxes the body and problems associated with high blood pressure, strokes, arthritis, ulcers and heart disease are sometimes, reduced.

To laugh or not to laugh is your choice.

****
 

HMO Recommends

Mr. Jones goes to the doctor's office to collect his wife's test results.

The insurance clerk says to him, "I'm sorry, sir,
but there has been a bit of a mix-up and we have a problem.
When we sent the samples from your wife to the lab, the samples from another Mrs. Jones were sent at the same time and we are now uncertain which one is your wife's. Frankly, the situation is either bad or terrible!"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, one Mrs. Jones tested positive for Alzheimer's and the other
Mrs. Jones has tested positive for AIDS. We can't tell which your wife is."
"That's terrible! Can we do the test over?"

"Normally, yes. But you have an HMO and they
won't pay for these expensive tests more than once in a year, so we can't repeat the test until next year."

"Well, what am I supposed to do now?"

"The HMO recommends that you drop your wife off
on the outskirts of town........ If she remembers the way home, don't sleep with her."

WHAT IS A "TAMBURAS"

Well, first of all...He is a lover...He loves his Croatian people and his Croatian land, and most of all...his Croatian music, the mistress of each

He is admired by women, respected by men, and followed by children

He has a memory that is unlimited...almost an eighth wonder of the world

He can remember hundreds of songs...but often forgets to come home at night

He has hands that are strong and fingers that are gentle...and a voice that is powerful

He will hold the "Tambura" like the child he loves...and yet in his fashion...can make it heard loudly and clearly

He is a vagabond...a restless soul...always chasing an endless dream

He is a ham...and he will break his heart to please anyone who will listen

A "Tamburas" is not made...He is born under a special spell...A fortunate child who can hear the echoes of the wind sing...The sad song...The happy song...The love song...of his Croatian people

"THAT IS A "TAMBURAS"

by: Zeljko Markovinovic

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