Mario Ancic and Jeffrey Lesser

INTERVIEW WITH JEFFREY LESSER

By Katarina Tepesh

JEFFREY LESSER lives in West Orange, New Jersey, where he is a 16-year-old high school junior. A "straight A" student, Jeffrey is the editorials editor of his school newspaper, the Pioneer, and frequently contributes editorials, mainly about politics. Jeff is the captain of the boys' tennis team at West Orange High School. He hopes to attend Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he wants to major in sports medicine and become a licensed physician. His mother said that Jeff is such a big fan of Croatian tennis, he might as well just move to Croatia altogether.

Katarina - Out of hundreds of tennis players from all over the world, we Croatians are delighted that you have an intense interest for Croatian players! How and when did it happen?
I first started following professional tennis when I was about 7 years old. At the time, my two favorite tennis players were Michael Chang and Croatian Goran Ivanisevic. I really admired and enjoyed the way Ivanisevic played, with his huge lefty serve and solid strokes from the baseline. I am not really sure how my love for Ivanisevic matriculated into an intense fandom of Croatian tennis, but I know that I began to follow Ivan Ljubicic, who was Ivanisevic's compatriot and occasional doubles partner. When Mario Ancic and Ivo Karlovic went pro, I began to root for them as well, because I already was a big fan of Croatian tennis from Ivanisevic and Ljubicic.

Who/What do you aspire to be?
When I grow up, I want to become an orthopaedic surgeon or a doctor for a sports team. Because I don't see any method by which I can become a professional tennis player or a professional athlete, I would really love to tie in medicine with my first love, sports.

What extracurricular activities do you do in school?
In school, I am on the mock trial team, for which I am a lawyer (there are only four lawyers in the whole school), and I am in Junior Statesmen of America, or JSA, which is a debate club. I am also the editorials editor of my high school paper, the Pioneer, for which I write articles, edit, and choose which articles are printed in the paper.

What sports do you play?
I love playing tennis, and I am the captain of my high school tennis team. As a Junior in high school, this will be my third year starting on the varsity team, making me the longest tenured player currently on the team.

What other hobbies to do you have?
I love watching sports and going to sporting events. I have been to several New York Knicks basketball games already this year, went to two San Francisco 49ers football games, one in New Orleans and one in New Jersey, and go to Yankee games often. I love professional sports, and my favorite team is the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL. I also love following professional tennis, and attended the US Open seven times last year, following several of my favorite players and going to most of their matches.

What type of music do you like?
I love classic rock, like Jethro Tull (my all-time favorite band), Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers Band and Paul Simon. I go to as many classic rock concerts as possible.

Do you do volunteer work or tutoring?
I volunteer three hours per week working at the Gift Shop at the Kessler Institute of Rehabilitation in West Orange, New Jersey. I have been working there since September of 2003. I am also part of the SALE program in my school, which involves going to a middle school and immersing kids in the French language and teaching them the basics of French so that they will be interested in studying French in the future.

What type of student are you? Have you won any academic awards?
I am a very diligent and hard-working student. I have received straight A's in every marking period of my first three years so far in high school, except for the fourth marking period of my Freshman year, when I received a B in Biology in one marking period (though I did obtain an A for the year, and in my school, that is all that matters). That means that I have been on the high honor roll 8 times so far in high school and regular honor roll once. I am in line to obtain a National Merits Scholarship for my score on the PSATs as well, but I do not find out about this until September 2005.

Do you like to travel?
I love to travel. I have been to Italy, Israel, France, England, Switzerland, Mexico, Canada, Hawaii, and out west to California for a summer playing tennis. I went on a teen tour out to the Pacific Northwest of America and Canada, as well.

What is your typical day like? What do you do when you are not in school?
My typical day involves going to school and doing school-related activities. Every Monday after school, I volunteer at the Kessler Institute, and on Tuesdays, I attend Hebrew High School for two hours. On Wednesdays and Thursdays I have mock trial after school and JSA, and on Fridays I like to hang out with my friends. Saturdays, I typically eat lunch with my family and do some homework. At night, I go out with my friends. Sundays in the winter are reserved for watching football with my father.

Do you really do your homework every day and clean your own room?
I actually think I do a pretty good job of completing my homework every day and preparing for the next day in school. Cleaning my room is a different story, however, as my mom can attest.

Do you have any brothers or sisters?
I have one brother, Eric, who is nineteen and in college, attending the University of Pennsylvania. We see each other a lot and are very close.
Besides your parents, who are your idols?
Besides my parents, my idol would be my brother. He has affected everything I have done in my life. I have learned from his mistakes and his successes in life. He turned me on to sports and everything I love in life. However, I try to be my own person, as well. I do not like to base my life off of somebody else's. I try to be a unique individual.

You seem to have a very mature view on politics. Is it influenced by your parents? What do your parents do for a living?
My view on politics is inevitably affected to a degree by the influence of my parents and my brother. However, most of my opinions are made independently of them and their influence. My mother works as a salesperson of software to major corporations in the United States and my father is an attorney.

Would you say you are a typical Democrat who wants to change and improve the world? Are you old enough to vote?
I most definitely would love to improve the world, because everyone knows (except Bush, maybe) that there is much room for improvement. I believe that we should put those in need first and not give tax cuts to the rich, but rather to the lower and middle class who truly need the money. I am not old enough to vote, but rest assured, when I am (next Presidential election), I will vote for the candidate who will positively affect America and the world.

What was it like meeting Ancic at US Open 2004?
I was walking around the grounds of the US Open, and I remembered that Sanja Ancic, Mario's sister, was playing in the juniors of the event. So, I went to watch her for a little while; there were about 20 people watching. I don't think any of them knew that she was Mario's sister, because sitting on a bench, with no one recognizing him or approaching him, was Mario Ancic himself! I went and sat right behind him, my mom next to me, and Mario's father I believe was sitting behind me in the bleachers. Mario was reading a Croatian newspaper. I waited until the end of the first set, which Sanja lost in a tiebreaker, to talk to Mario, so as to not rudely disturb him while he was watching his sister. At the end of the first set, I stood up and said, "Mario, I am a huge fan of yours." He said, "Thank you." I asked him if I could take a photograph with him, and he stood up and said, "Sure." He was kind of down because he had lost a few days prior (to Belge Olivier Rochus, I was there) and his sister had dropped the first set. My mom took two photos of the same shot, I said "Thank you," again, and I sat back down to watch a little more of the match before I left. It was amazing, I got to get a picture with one of my absolute favorite tennis players, Wimbledon semifinalist, and rising star, Mario Ancic!

IVAN LJUBICIC AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2005

BY JEFFREY LESSER

For the twentieth time in his career, Ivan Ljubicic was ousted before the third round of a Grand Slam. The 22nd ranked player in the world, Ljubicic has only made it past the second round of a Grand Slam twice in his whole career, and has never made it past the third round in these two instances. With his four-set, 6-7 4-6 7-6 2-6 loss to 19-year-old Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus in the second round of the Australian Open Wednesday, Ljubicic continued his frustrating pattern of Grand Slam disappointments.
Considering his great success in other tournaments, Ljubicic's lack of success in the Grand Slams is mind-boggling. This summer, in the tournament in Indianapolis, Indiana, Ljubicic made a great run, defeating the crafty Frenchman, Sebastian Grosjean, in the semifinals and just barely losing to Andy Roddick, the second ranked player in the world, in the final after obtaining several match points. Ivan was playing phenomenally. Then he went to the US Open in Flushing Meadows, New York, and immediately lost to 58th ranked Hyung-Taik Lee of Korea.
Three months ago, Ivan played great tennis in the Madrid Tennis Masters Series, defeating Rainer Schuettler, Tim Henman, and gutting out a victory over the hard-hitting Joachim Johansson before losing to the scrappy Argentine David Nalbandian in the semifinal. This was a tournament to which only the top players in the world are invited - much like a Grand Slam. Just a week ago in the tournament in Doha, Qatar, Ljubicic defeated the promising young Spaniard Rafael Nadal and his veteran compatriot Albert Costa, only bowing out to the number one player in the world, Roger Federer, in the final.
Coming into the 2005 Australian Open, Ivan Ljubicic was playing magnificent tennis. It showed in the first round of the tournament, in which he handily defeated the hard-working Peruvian, Luis Horna, by a lopsided score of 6-4 6-3 6-3. Ljubicic confidently stated after the game that he "destroyed" his opponent from the baseline and described his play as "excellent."
However, in the second round of the tournament, Ljubicic failed to come through. Playing against Baghdatis, the talented but unpolished Cypriot baseliner who is ranked just 155th in the world, Ljubicic was defeated in four sets. Ivan had only 42 winners compared to 46 unforced errors, while Baghdatis played brilliantly, striking 72 winners and only hitting 33 unforced errors. Ljubicic converted on only one of eight break points.
Did Ljubicic just have an off-day? Everybody should be entitled to play poorly once in a while. Baghdatis did play extremely well, and even if Ivan had played as well as he had been in the past few months, the match would have been a battle. However, Ljubicic has set an astounding and incomprehensible pattern of losing early in Grand Slams to players worse than he is. There is absolutely no reason that Ljubicic should lose time and time again before the third round of a Grand Slam, especially when he is playing some of the best tennis of his life in all of the other tournaments.
As a fan of Croatian tennis and of Ivan Ljubicic, I pray that it is just a coincidence that Ivan fails to succeed in the Grand Slams of tennis. I pray that one of these days, he will show the world on the grandest stage what a talented player he actually is. I pray that he reaches the third, or even the fourth round (gasp!) of a major this year. Every knowledgeable tennis fan knows he is more than capable of doing this and much more.
Until then, I, along with the rest of his fans, will wait for Croatia's best and highest-ranked player to come through and finally play well at a major. It makes no sense why he can defeat Rainer Schuettler, Rafael Nadal, Sebastian Grosjean, and Tim Henman in regular tournaments and then go lose to 19-year-old Marcos Baghdatis in the second round of the 2005 Australian Open.
Until then, I will watch and wait patiently and eagerly for Ivan Ljubicic to win when it counts the most. Hopefully, it will be sooner rather than later.

JEFFREY LESSER lives in West Orange, New Jersey, where he is a 16-year-old high school junior. A "straight A" student, Jeffrey is the editorials editor of his school newspaper, the Pioneer, and frequently contributes editorials, mainly about politics. Jeff is the captain of the boys' tennis team at West Orange High School. He hopes to attend Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he wants to major in sports medicine and become a licensed physician. His mother said that Jeff is such a big fan of Croatian tennis, he might as well just move to Croatia altogether.

Jeff can be reached atJffryLssr@aol.com
 

Muzej s njokima

Dragi clanovi i prijatelji AMACa,

Nadam se da ste se polako iskopali iz snijega koji je pao ovog vikenda.
Za iduci vikend, tocnije nedjelju 30. sijecnja, pozivam vas na nesto
bolje i manje naporno: zajednicki odlazak u jedan muzej i restoran u
Astoriji - trebalo bi biti dobro kako za duh tako i za tjelo. Predlazem
zainteresiranima da se nadjemo u 11:30 AM pred, ili u, American Museum
of the Moving Image. Ulaz mu je na krizanju 35th Avenue i 36th Street
(u Astoriji). Iako manje poznat, ovo je izuzetno zanimljiv i po mnogo
cemu jedinstven muzej, koji svjedoci o razvoju filma, televizije i
digitalnih medija; vrijedi ga posjetiti. Home web stranica muzeja je
http://www.movingimage.us/site/site.php  . Detaljne upute za doci do
muzeja mogu se naci na
http://www.movingimage.us/site/about/index.html  , link Travel
Directions.

Nakon muzeja, u 2:30 PM dosli bi na rucak u restoran Istria Sport
Cluba, 28-09 Astoria Blvd. Ovaj restoran na glasu je po domacim
specijalitetima iz Istre i drugih krajeva Hrvatske, hrvatskim vinima
(izmedju ostalih), i dobroj atmosferi. Jelovnik je na
http://istriasportclub.com/restaurant.htm  .

Vjerujem da cemo se ugodno provesti. Molim vas da mi se do petka javite
e-mailom ako namjeravate doci, kako bih u restoranu mogao rezervirati
odgovarajuci broj mjesta.

Srdacan pozdrav,

Zlatko Bacic, Predsjednik
AMAC Mid-Atlantic
bacicz@mindspring.com
 

CROATIAN TEXTILE DESIGNS
FEBRUARY 3rd - MARCH 30th, 2005

The Clara Fritzsche Library Presents:
Symbolic Beauty:
CROATIAN TEXTILE DESIGNS
FEBRUARY 3rd - MARCH 30th, 2005
Opening reception:
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3rd, 6-8 p.m.
Refreshments will be served.
The show may be viewed during library hours:
Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-10 p.m.
Friday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
For more information, contact Karen Zoller at (216) 373-5267 or email kzoller@ndc.edu.

Select this link for press release
with more information.

“This exhibit is sponsored by a grant from the
Ohio Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the
National Endowment for the Humanities.�

The Clara Fritzsche Library, 4545 College Road, South Euclid, Ohio 44121
(20 minutes from downtown Cleveland, off Green Road, north of Cedar Road)
 

Please help us publicize our upcoming exhibit, "Symbolic Beauty: Croatian Textile Designs." Funded by the Ohio Humanities Council it is hoped that this exhibit will promote increased awareness, understanding and appreciation of Croatian culture and history.http://www.notredamecollege.edu/about_ndc/exhibits.html

Thank you,
Karen Zoller
Clara Fritzsche Library
Notre Dame College
4545 College Road
South Euclid, OH 44121
216 373-5267

Bone Marrow Search for my father

Subject: FW: From Blaz Grizelj: Important Information Regarding My Father

For those of you who don't know, my father, Mladen "Zuka" Grizelj has been
diagnosed with a form of Leukemia. Right now he is going through
chemotherapy and will receive a bone marrow transplant in the near future.
We are asking all of our friends and family if they can help us out by
donating their bone marrow to the National Marrow Donor Program. It's an
anonymous donation, so you won't know exactly who you'll be helping out.
Hopefully, it will be my father. You can contact your local hospital to
find out where you can give the donation.

The donation is a simple withdrawal of blood that won't take up too much
of your time. It doesn't involve taking any of your bone marrow out.Even
if you are lucky enough to be a match, the transplant process only
requires you to withdraw blood again. So there is no surgery, or
painful procedure of any kind. There are a few criteria to becoming a
donor:

1. You can't have asthma, AIDS, or diabetes
2. You can't have serious hip, neck, or heart problems
3. You have to be between the ages of 18-60

If you fit this criteria, then PLEASE help by donating your blood. For
those of you who live in the Bay Area, you can contact Diane Hill of
Stanford Hospital at (650)723-5532. You can give your bone marrow
donation there, or she can direct you to a place that is closer to you.
You can also go to www.marrow.org  to locate any bone marrow donation
centers near you. There is no cost to you for the donation. Thank you
for your support and help, if you have any questions, please call.

Sincerely,

Blaz Grizelj
408.398.4112
michael@intersp.com

CroNetwork: The Croatian-American Organization for Young Professionals.
 

But we still can't stop the Croatian dudes
 

Joliet is set; what about Croatia?

Victorious Illini win one battle vs. Northwestern but lose another

Monday, January 17, 2005

By JOHN SUPINIE
of COPLEY NEWS SERVICE

The Joliet-area connection handled the paint, but Illinois had trouble covering the Croatian combination of Vedran Vukusic (20 points) and Davor Duvancic (13 points). The mobile big men scored primarily thanks to drives and long-range jumpers.

"I thought we did a good job on (Thompson),'' Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. "They never let him get in a rhythm. But we still can't stop the Croatian dudes.''

Although they both played high school basketball in New Lenox, Illinois' James Augustine and Northwestern's Mike Thompson never met in a varsity game. The college big men finally went face to face Saturday as No. 1 Illinois rolled to a 78-66 victory over the Wildcats at Evanston.
The match up inside was a key variable as Illinois set school records for consecutive victories in a single season and to start a season. After Illinois improved to 18-0 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten Conference, Augustine suggested it wasn't a grudge match between two guys from rival high schools.

"It wasn't like it was a big reunion,'' he said.

Thompson left Joliet to play at New Lenox Providence. Augustine prepped at New Lenox Lincoln Way Central.

"I was supposed to play him in high school, but I broke my foot the night before,'' Augustine said. "They were the Catholic school in our town. We never usually played them in anything except wrestling, and I didn't wrestle.''

Thompson, who averaged 14 points over the previous three games, was left ineffective as Augustine and senior Roger Powell, the former Joliet star, controlled the paint. Thompson, a McDonald's All-American who transferred to Northwestern from Duke last season, finished with seven points and three rebounds.

Powell had 15 points and seven rebounds. Augustine had nine points and seven rebounds.

"It was kind of cool playing against him,'' Powell said. "We used to be good friends.''

The Joliet-area connection handled the paint, but Illinois had trouble covering the Croatian combination of Vedran Vukusic (20 points) and Davor Duvancic (13 points). The mobile big men scored primarily thanks to drives and long-range jumpers.

"I thought we did a good job on (Thompson),'' Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. "They never let him get in a rhythm. But we still can't stop the Croatian dudes.''

The Illini, who took Sunday off, play host at 6 p.m. Thursday to No. 24 Iowa. The Illinois victory Saturday avenged a 10-point loss at Northwestern last season when the Illini blew a nine-point halftime lead. Illinois is 34-3 since then.

These days, the fans yell, "Bruuu-ce'' during pregame introductions. After the loss last season at Northwestern, they shouted something else.

"I think it was a boo, not a Bruce,'' Weber said.

If the short-term objective is a victory in Illinois' only game this week, the next key date comes Jan. 25 at Wisconsin. The Badgers rallied past No. 15 Michigan State 62-59 Sunday to improve their home winning streak to 38 games.

Illinois' school record for consecutive victories is 25, set in a span from 1914 to 1916. Reaching that milestone will take some work, because the Illini have upcoming road games against Wisconsin, Michigan State and Michigan.

The Illini are within reach of surpassing the school record of 31 victories set in 1988-89.

"We want to win a Big Ten championship and make a nice run in March and April,'' Weber said. "If you do that, you're going to get a lot of wins.''

Unlike last season, Illinois showed a killer instinct in the second half Saturday. Illinois built an 18-point lead after halftime.

"Before the game, the last thing I talked about was 40 minutes,'' Weber said. "We went into the locker room too comfortable (last season). This year was a little different story. We understand what it's about. We didn't want to lose here.''

http://www.pjstar.com/stories/011705/ILL_B5AP7PAU.W02.shtml

 

Welcome To Zagreb

Sinisa Bozic & Ian Marshall
Photo by: An Sung Ho

LIEBHERR Croatian Open, Zagreb
The capital city of the Republic of Croatia, Zagreb, once again hosts an ITTF Pro Tour tournament with the Liebherr Croatian Open being held in the Zagreb Sports Hall from Wednesday 19 to Saturday 23 January 2005.

Croatia gained independence in 1991 with Zagreb being established as the political and administrative centre for the Republic of Croatia.


Tamara BOROS seeking victory on home soil in Zagreb
An old Central European city, Zagreb lies on the intersection of important routes between the Adriatic coast and Central Europe, for centuries being a focal point of culture and science. Nowadays it is not only a centre of commerce and industry, it is also the hub of the business, academic, cultural, artistic and sporting worlds in Croatia (a university, ten theatres, twenty-one museums, fourteen galleries, twelve art collections).

Atmosphere
Many famed scientists, artists and athletes come from the city, or work in it and visitors can enjoy the Baroque atmosphere of the Upper Town, picturesque open-air markets, diverse shopping facilities, an abundant selection of crafts and a choice cuisine. Zagreb is a city of green parks and walks, with many places to visit in the beautiful surroundings. The city enters the third millennium with a population of one million and in spite of the rapid development of the economy and transportation, it has retained its charm and a relaxed feeling that makes it a genuinely human city. Zagreb has a continental climate, the average temperature in winter being one degree centigrade.

Why choose Zagreb as the host city of the Liebherr Croatian Open? It is a city steeped in the traditions of table tennis and as the host of a major international tournament it has two main advantages that no other city can offer. The venue, the Zagreb Sports Hall and the accommodation, the Hotel Panorama are extremely near to each other, in fact they are only one hundred and fifty metres distant.

Croatian Players
Home supporters will no doubt be hoping that their leading two players Zoran PRIMORAC and Tamara BOROS can rise to the occasion. However, PRIMORAC has never won an ITTF Pro Tour tournament in Croatia. He has come close but he has never scaled the top step of the medal podium on home soil. Currently ranked number twenty-seven in the World, he didn't play in Slovenia but has prepared in Belgium for the Liebherr Croatian Open.

“It’s true that the Croatian Open and myself have never been the best of friendsâ€?, said PRIMORAC. “I do not know the real reason but it's hard to play in front your crowd. I’ve made a good start in 2005; I’ve beaten the World champion Werner SCHLAGER and I was pleased with my performance against the Olympic winner RYU Seung Min. I think i can play a major role this year, I know I am not one of the favourites, but do not sign off me too early.â€?

Meanwhile, Tamara BOROS won the Women’s Singles at the Croatian Open in 1999;whilst at the most recent ITTF Pro Tour tournament, the Liebherr Slovenian Open she reached the semi-finals, losing to Hong Kong’s LIN Ling. She is the only European player who is in the top fifteen ranked female players in the World, currently the number four ranked woman.

PRIMORAC and BOROS have both shown over the years that they can compete at the highest levels, they are fine players and undoubtedly a good performance from the country’s two leading players this week would be welcomed by the organisers of the Liebherr Croatian Open; home success would certainly provide a major boost to the tournament and would certainly attract the media. Can they succeed? Watch this

http://www.ittf.com/stories/Stories_detail.asp?Year=2005&General_Catigory=General&ID=6861
 

Rabbis Thank Pope for Defense of Jews

Posted on Tue, Jan. 18, 2005
FRANCES D'EMILIO

"Most of the participants in the long-scheduled audience came from the United States, particularly from the New York metropolitan area, but there were also prominent Jews from Israel, France, India, Canada and Croatia."

Associated Press
VATICAN CITY - A delegation of prominent rabbis and Jewish leaders from around the world met with Pope John Paul II on Tuesday to thank him for what they called a lifelong commitment to the defense of Jews.

Recalling the pope's visit to Auschwitz during his first trip to his Polish homeland in 1979, Gary Krupp of the Pave the Way Foundation praised John Paul for setting a "tone of reconciliation" in his papacy.

"You have defended Jewish people at every opportunity, as a priest in Poland and during your 26-year-old pontificate. You have denounced anti-Semitism as sin against God and humanity," said Krupp, whose foundation works to better relations between religious groups, as he stood before the pontiff in a frescoed, marble-lined hall of the Apostolic Palace.

John Paul thanked Krupp, who is from Long Beach, N.Y., and then urged Catholics and Jews to further improve relations. Only decades ago the two groups were divided by Christian thinking that Jews were to blame for Jesus' death.

John Paul noted that this year marks the 40th anniversary of a Vatican declaration rescinding the accusation holding Jews collectively responsible for the crucifixion of Christ.

"May this be an occasion for renewed commitment to increased understanding and cooperation in the service of building a world ever more firmly based on respect for the divine image in every human being," the pope said.

Most of the participants in the long-scheduled audience came from the United States, particularly from the New York metropolitan area, but there were also prominent Jews from Israel, France, India, Canada and Croatia.

Rabbi Jack Bemporad recounted that John Paul, shortly after being ordained a priest in 1946, refused to baptize an orphaned Jew in Krakow, Poland, and ordered the Catholic couple who had cared for the boy during the Nazi occupation to see that he was returned to Jewish relatives.

Jews were a vibrant part of the community in southern Poland, where John Paul grew up in the 1920s and 1930s, before being persecuted under German occupiers.

"I felt genuine affection," said Bemporad, of his encounter Tuesday with the pontiff. "I really thought he was moved" by the meeting.

"We were there for no other reason than to say `thank you,'" said the rabbi from Alpine, N.J., who has served on Vatican-Jewish committees. "We were not demanding anything, we were not asking for anything."

The pontiff has made better relations with Jews a hallmark of his papacy and has met large gatherings of Jews on several occasions, including his groundbreaking 1986 visit to Rome's main synagogue and his 2000 trip to Israel.

"Upon all of you, I invoke the abundant blessings of the Almighty and, in particular, the gift of peace. Shalom aleichem," John Paul said, using the traditional greeting when two Jews meet.

Many Vatican audiences are almost somber affairs, with participants often stilted or hesitant when their turn comes to greet the pope. But Tuesday's gathering radiated with warmth as the rabbis, their spouses and even some of their children came up one by one to shake the pope's hand. Cantors broke out in brief song.

While the Vatican under John Paul has been hailed by Jews for such strides as opening diplomatic relations with Israel, Jewish-Vatican relations are not without controversy. Among the sore points for some Jewish leaders are Vatican's efforts to consider Pius XII for beatification. Some Jews contend that the wartime pontiff, who died in 1958, didn't do enough to oppose the Holocaust.

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/world/10675101.htm
 

Thousands celebrate Croatia's capital first World Cup event
01-19-2005, 19h48

Vincenzo Pinto - (AFP/File)
ZAGREB, Croatia (AFP) - Some ten thousand people gathered evening at the Croatian capital's main square to attend a public draw and celebrate the hosting of the country's first World Cup skiing event, the women's slalom, a first for a capital.

"Ever since I have started to ski this was my dream. I hope that everyone here is happy. I'll try to do my best tomorrow to win," triple Olympic champion Janica Kostelic, dubbed "the Snow Queen" here, told the crowd.

She spoke from an improvised stage at the Ban Josip Jelacic square after the draw for Thursday's race in which she will start from seventh position.

Organisers of Thursday's event at the mount Sljeme overlooking the capital repeatedly paid tribute to Janica Kostelic and her world men's slalom champion brother Ivica stressing that their great results enabled Zagreb to get the race.

The Kostelic siblings made their skiing debuts on the Sljeme slopes with their father Ante, who was coaching them.

Kostelic said earlier that if she wins on Thursday it would be her most memorable victory in the World Cup. "It think it would be great for Janica that she wins tomorrow. She deserves it as a crown of all her successes," Zeljko Matic, a 21-year-old architecture student, told AFP.

"Tomorrow's event means a lot for us. Zagreb can finally support Janica and repay her for all her successes which made us famous abroad," said Vanda-Sandra Domijan, a 32-year-old fashion designer.

After the draw an open air World Cup party was organised at the square with performances of several popular pop bands and singers.

This season Kostelic made a great comeback on the slopes after missing all of the last campaign with a recurring knee injury and thyroid gland surgery. She is currently second in the overall World Cup standings after 21 races.

The first run on Thursday is due at 3:00 pm (1400 GMT) and the second one three hours later.

http://www.turkishpress.com/sports/news.asp?id=050119194810.mbihombj.xml

Hrvatski svecenici najbolji nogometasi u Europi

Srijeda, 19. sijecnja 2005.

HRVATSKA svecenicka nogometna reprezentacija osvojila je prvo mjesto na Europskom prvenstvu, koje je odrzano u Austriji. Hrvatski svecenici su do naslova dosli ubiljezivsi sest pobjeda. Osim hrvatskih svecenika na prvenstvu su nastupile i svecenicke reprezentacije iz Austrije, Njemacke, Madjarske, Ceske, Slovenije i Bosne i Hercegovine.

Jedan od reprezentativaca fra Zarko Relota u izjavi za Hrvatski katolicki radio rekao je da su Hrvati superiorno osvojili prvo mjesto bez poraza. Fra Zarko je izrazio nadu da ce brojne reprezentacije sudjelovati i na sljedecem prvenstvu sto ce odrzati u Hrvatskoj. Pomocu u logistici tijekom priprema i samih nastupa hrvatskoj svecenickoj reprezentaciji osigurala je Hrvatska biskupska konferencija i Hrvatski nogometni savez. Hina

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President Stjepan Mesic celebrates his victory in 2005

Croatia's President Stjepan Mesic celebrates his victory in the presidential elections, after hearing some preliminary results, at his party headquarters in Zagreb January 16, 2005. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj