Better Humor Than Tumor - Dr. Zarko Dolinar

Burma: Cheney, Milosevic and Premier Oil Do Business with Junta

The Guardian (London)
July 28th, 2000

What do Dick Cheney, Slobodan Milosevic and the British company Premier Oil have in common? Answer: they all firmly believe in doing business with Burma, home to perhaps the world's most oppressive regime. For Mr Cheney, who was picked this week as George W Bush's Republican running-mate and is thus quite possibly the next US vice-president, the appalling human rights record of the Rangoon military junta presents no bar to trade. As chief executive of Dallas-based Halliburton Co, the world's largest oilfield services company, he backed a lobbying group, USA Engage, opposed to the current US investment sanctions on Burma. As a board member of another pressure group, the pro-business National Foreign Trade Council, Mr Cheney's company also recently helped persuade the supreme court to overturn a Massachusetts state law which imposed penalties on companies trading with Burma. Gulf war veteran Cheney fervently believes in making the world a safer place for America's oil industry.

Mr Milosevic's top priority is a safer world for Slobodan Milosevic. The solated Yugoslav president and indicted war criminal will talk to almost anybody these days; hence, in recent months, closer ties with Libya and Iraq, like Serbia the target of sanctions, and China. Earlier this month, he entertained Win Aung, Burma's foreign minister, in Belgrade. Mr Milosevic said they agreed that sanctions imposed on sovereign states were "a criminal form of behaviour (and) a massive violation of human rights". Unsurprisingly, Mr Milosevic is not troubled by the well-documented misery of child slave workers in Burma, nor by the International Labour Organisation's formal accusation that the junta has com mitted "an international crime", possibly amounting to "a crime against humanity" in exploiting forced labour.

Nor, apparently, are Burma's hundreds of political prisoners, its thousands of arbitrary arrests and torture cases, and the tens of thousands of ethnic Karen and other tribespeople abused, killed or driven from their land by the Burmese army over-troubling to Premier Oil. Despite pleas to quit from the government, concern from shareholders, and the withdrawal of its erstwhile partner, Texaco, Premier persists with its multi-million pound Yetagun gas pipeline. The company conceded at its AGM last May that human rights and environmental abuses had been linked to the project and that the junta's record was "inexcusable". But it steadfastly refuses to get out.

Never mind the Foreign Office view that such ventures underpin the systematic repression in Burma since 1962 and undermine international efforts to effect peaceful change. Never mind that the Nobel prizewinner Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy, and her supporters still face brutal, daily intimidation 10 years after elections in which they won 82% of the vote. Forget about the junta's looting of the country, its criminal involvement in heroin production and trafficking (second only to Afghanistan), and the dire humanitarian and refugee problems resulting from its tyranny. And ignore the fact that bigger, better companies than Premier, like Pepsi-Co, Eastman Kodak, and Best Western, have pulled out.

All that, Premier and other companies with big Burmese operations like Unocal and Total/Fina/Elf seem to say, is not our business. It may sound sick to you. But it makes Dick and Slobodan proud.

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=702

For the record:
Nielson ignored David Trezeguet’s handball incident before scoring France’s second goal against Croatia. It ended 2-2.

Op-ed:
All sports should use replay feature, so the outcome of the game could be more accurate and more honest. One mistake by one person changed the outcome of the whole tournament, for example, and this is not just one example.

Nenad Bach

The good, bad and ugly; all were there

A spate of surprises made this edition of the European Championship different from earlier editions. Greece! Whoever thought? A game of uncertainties, no less. The big question is, did the standard of refereeing match all such superlative action? Before the championship Volker Roth, chairman of the Uefa referees’ committee, sounded over-confident about the standard of European referees. He had proudly said Europe have 12 of the best in the world. On the field, though, especially in crucial ties, it appeared that all that talk by the Uefa referees’ supremo was a bit exaggerated.

In the inaugural Portugal-Greece match, the famous Pierluigi Collina — this tourney being his retiring assignment — exhibited his normal high standard of officiating and repeated the same in his concluding international match between Greece and the Czech Republic in semi-final. But other celebrated European referees, like Kim Milton Nielson (Denmark), Urs Meier (Switzerland), Terze Hauge (Norway), Markus Merk (Germany) and Enrique Mejuto (Spain) fell short of their reputation.

Nielson ignored David Trezeguet’s handball incident before scoring France’s second goal against Croatia. It ended 2-2. Nielson also allowed Dutch star Ruud van Nistelrooy to score his first goal from a palpable off-side position against Latvia.

And Urs Meier’s cancellation of English defender Sol Campbell’s perfect header into the Portugal net in the 89th minute of the quarter final tie will remain a matter of big question for a long time. It remains unclear who committed the foul. It certainly wasn’t Campbell. John Terry has been mentioned later, but that wasn’t very clear, though, from what we saw. This decision will be debated for long.

Meier’s decision to uphold Swedish striker Ibrahimovic’s late equaliser against Italy was also questionable. It appeared that the lanky striker had deliberately pushed Zambrotta before putting the ball into the goal.

And the expulsion of Russia’s number one goalkeeper Ovchinnikov by Norwegian Referee Terj Hauge in the dying minute of the first half was really a gross mistake, too harsh, because Ovchinnikov came out of his penalty area to save the ball from Portuguese striker Pauleta and stopped the ball with his stomach. In the follow through a hand came on the ball, accidentally. The referee said otherwise.

It reminds me of an incident from the 1994 World Cup where Italian custodian Pagliuca was hauled up by German Referee Helmut Krag for depriving Norway an obvious scoring opportunity. But in that case Pagliuca had deliberately stopped the ball with his hand outside the penalty box.

Merk, who ultimately handled the final without any controversy, should have shown the red card to English goalkeeper David James, who denied an obvious scoring opportunity by tripping France’s Thierry Henry. There was no other defender behind James.

The awarding of a penalty, from which Zidane scored the winner was not enough. In the Czech Republic-Holland match Nistelrooy a goal from off-side position. This time the official was Majuto of Spain. Off course, before the goal he had deprived a penalty to the Dutch team when Czech defender Tomas Ujfalusi was holding Nistelrooy in the penalty area and did not allow him to move.

But it is also to be admitted that apart from Collina, we have seen other high standard of refereeing and no big controversy hit the championship.

Sweden’s referee Anders Frisk should be mentioned first. The Uefa utilised him in most matches (four), which includes important group matches like Spain-Portugal, Germany-Holland, the quarter final between Greece and France and semi-final of Portugal and the Netherlands. When Nistelrooy called Frisk a “home blower” later, he was hauled up and penalised by the Uefa.

It is unfortunate that a Fifa referee gets such flak from a player despite such faultless refereeing.

In the 1974 World Cup final between West Germany and The Netherlands at Munich stadium, Johan Cruyff was booked by the then famous English referee Jack Taylor for misbehaving in the tunnel after first half. Totti’s spitting incident became a legend. Video help to determine faults (as also in the Swiss striker Alexander Frei case) resulted in banning of the player which made his team suffer immeasurably. Such TV help had been taken in the 1994 World Cup also, where Italian defender Mauro Tassotti was suspended for eight matches and fined for hitting Spain’s Luis Enrique.

Ronaldo got his booking for taking off his shirt, as per new rules. Referees, on the whole did their job well. Big questions marks, though, remain.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1040706/asp/sports/story_3459170.asp

To whom it may concern,

I was interested in taking Croatian basic language speaking courses. (101)
Could you advise me on where there are lessons available in the New York and/or New Jersey area?

Thank you for your help
Natalie Verbanac
Natalie.Verbanac@PoloRalphLauren.com
 

Dear Nenad and Crown Members:

I have just come back from a most productive and amazing trip and I hope you don't mind if I share it with the wonderful and amazing people here. My pigeon Croatian came in very, very handy the entire time, so I hope you will indulge me with a few "extra" countries and more length than usual.

For several years I have played with an all-flute orchestra which tours various places in the world. This year we toured Eastern Europe. We started in Prague (Praha), which was gorgeous. Having played Smetana’s orchestral work, The Moldau, many times it was a joy to actually see the river, and also to visit the graves of Dvorak, Smetana, and Janacek. Later a friend of mine wanted to look at a beautiful amber necklace, but the owners didn't speak English and we didn't know Czech. Then we learned they were Albanians, born in Croatia (near Opatija) – so I ended up using my tiny bit of Croatian, and my friend got a good buy.

As we traveled to our next destination, we stopped in Brno. Then we were in Bratislava, Slovakia. Our concert was a fundraiser for cancer research this time. I was playing piccolo and afterwards an older man came up to me and indicated that he, too, had been a piccolo player. Once again, he didn't have English and I didn't have Slovakian – but we both had a little Hrvatski. So we had a very nice conversation of mixed words and gestures. He kept telling people "she came from America, but she's really a Slovak" – and I was beaming.

It was very cold this year, and rainy. So on our lunch stop between destinations we were feeling a bit down. The stop was in Austria and none of us spoke German either. We glumly picked at the menus and tried to study the pictures, although we really just wanted some hot soup and cocoa. Slowly it dawned on me that I was reading the menu – but how? I looked at the cover and it said "Jelovnik" – the menu was in Croatian! One of the waiters spoke Croatian, we struck it up and I ended up ordering for our entire table!

Our next stop was Slovenia, where we played at their bi-annual Flute Festival. Who should I meet after our concert there, but Ana Domancic – a flutist and flute teacher from Split! Our last concert was in Budapest. It was a very long concert and the Hungarian flutists played so well that we thought they'd probably think very little of our group. We did our best, and they seemed to like it so much that we literally played every piece of music we had. It was very, very gratifying. On our free day I headed for the art museum and was transfixed by the medieval art there.

The tour was over, and most of the people went back to the US, but I headed for Croatia. This year a colleague was coming for a few days, and my sister and a friend of hers were coming for two weeks. We were in Dubrovnik. It was my sisters first trip to Europe and I told her that she should start with the best. I was staying for that two weeks, and then for two weeks afterwards. I had a plan….

The day after I arrived, I took a bank cheque to Zagrebacka Banka and opened an account. Then all four of us headed for the Second Annual Dubrovnik Film Festival. It was amazing – a wide variety of films at extremely reasonable prices, no trouble getting into anything, and we got to meet everybody. First we saw a Croatian film entitled "Witness" which was an event shown from many different angles. It was confusing at first, but as things unfolded from one person to the next, it became riveting and very engaging for the audience; a puzzle for us to piece together. Then I was extremely privileged to see Brenda Brkusic’s Freedom from Despair – music by Nenad Bach. Yes, I finally got to meet Nenad in person (hooray!) and also Brenda, and most of the actors portraying her family in the film. It was a very, very intense film. Really extraordinary and an eye-opener for this ignorant American. I don't know how it will be distributed in the US, but the day it shows – donut miss it. For the last film, I took a deep breath and went to see a film in Croatian – without English subtitles. It was "When the Dead Start Singing" – a very dark comedy that, despite the bittersweet ending – had me in stitches most of the time, laughing wickedly at the ironies and myriad plot twists. I certainly didn't get every word – but I got the gist, and was outrageously proud of "getting" my first untranslated Croatian film.

My colleague had to leave after only a few days. But my sister and her friend stayed two weeks, and we filled the time with art, music, history, and – well, Dubrovnik. We heard Fa Lindjo, the excellent female Klapa group, saw Madhouse Theater (a British Group) perform all of Shakespeare's plays in an hour and fifty minutes (it was hysterically funny and clever), and heard the Kwartet Egidius sing "Renaissance music for collectors, tradesmen, intellectuals and snobs." I also showed them to the Rector’s Palace Museum, the Franciscan pharmacy, the samostans of the Franciscans and the Dominicans, the Rupe, and of course the Folklorica. And they shopped. Boy, did they shop!!!

Our hosts, the Perovic family, piled themselves and all three of us into their car and we took off for the Sunday of our lives. We drove to Cilipi for the dancing (I can never see the Lindjo enough), and then went ALL through the mountains. My sister, who normally has a fear of heights, definitely conquered it! And we had a wonderful lunch at a country inn, where I discovered orahovac! Later, while my sister and her friend did independent errands, I met with my friend(s) and went to other concerts. I heard the students at the Luka Sorkocevic school play their final concert (Iva Vukic, a 12 year old violinist, blew me away), and also the senior flute recital of Ankica Dugandzic. My wonderful friend Dive Franetovic, and I, did something else too. We went apartment hunting.

Ever since I saw it, a piece of myself has been left in Dubrovnik. Over the last 2 years circumstances happened, and I realized that if I worked very fast, I might actually be able to pay for a mali stan where I could retire (in 2008). Dive, bless her and her entire family, had been looking up newspaper ads and agencies. And her father, as an architect, knew of some places being built. We looked at about six places over a week. I did a lot of math and a lot of thinking and ended up realizing that the first place we had looked at was the one.

Because the building was unfinished, Dive’s father could check out the building materials and structure, and ask pertinent questions in Croatian. I could only catch a little. When I made my decision, Dive and I went back to meet the contractor and the owner, and had a pre-contract within 2 days. Meanwhile my hosts, the Perovics, had a school friend who had become a very fine lawyer (and whose son is a violin prodigy!), introduced me, and we looked over the precontract. I had also spent an entire day in the Dubrovnik library with a newly purchased (very good) dictionary, translating the contract as well as I could, so I did understand most of the 11 articles in it. We also talked about the government papers for permission to buy.
The new and improved contract was finished over the next 3 days. Me, the lawyer, and the owner met at the notary's to legalize everything, and also to notarize the government permission papers.

Between times I was going to every concert I could manage. There was an ancient music festival going on – which is right up my particular alley. Only a music history teacher could grasp how I felt watching authentic dances accompanied by live music on period instruments, danced in the Sponza. Of course I heard the Sorkocevic Quartet, and the Classical Evergreens (playing in Salvation church by candlelight). And I was privileged to see the first ever concert of Dive Franetovic, flute, and Maroja Brcic, an extraordinary guitarist. These two will do very, very well. Another truly memorable evening was the Nederlands Chamber Chorus, where I not only heard two more excellent Croatian composers – Julije Skjavetic (Renaissance) and Igor Kuljeric (early 20th century), but was an emotional wreck from an Eric Whitacre work entitled "When David Heard."

I'm back in the US now, having what my sister calls DWS – Dubrovnik Withdrawal Symptoms. But I have sent in the down payment on that mali stan. And I will be going back in December/January to pick out tiles, floor patterns, paint, and styles of appliances for bathroom and kitchen. I have the next four years to work on the place, and to enjoy it (hopefully to have a sabbatical there!). I am very, very excited about the place and its location – between Lapad and Babin Kuk, with buses and old-lady walking distance to everything.

I also spent a lot of time in the Dubrovnik library doing preliminary research about composers from the Dubrovnik area – nothing is published in English that I know of – and have also been introduced to a newly retired Music History teacher. So this time I'm not depressed. I've REALLY got to get that Croatian grammar down! And I can't wait to research all the composers of the past and present – all of them new to me. And I feel so secure about retiring now -- looking forward to the day I’ll be the little old foreign lady down the street – in the city that has reached inside and grabbed my heart.

                                                Iskreno vasa, Suzanne Lord

Dragi Nenade,

It has taken me a couple of days to respond to your incredible email. I was very moved by it. It is an unbelievable honor to be considered an honorary Croatian, and one that I do not take lightly. I find myself without words to adequately thank you, all the people that I have met in the last few years, God, fate, and whatever put my hand on the door that has opened to a whole new life. Just when I thought things were ending, I find that they have only begun.
                                               

                                                Tvoja, Suzanne

"Unprecedented" at the Healing Earth Resources

"Rep. Danny Davis and six other Reps have called for UN election monitors
for the Nov 04 elections."
If you do laugh at this, please come to our event to see how it is so
serious:

What : "Unprecedented" screening (50 min)
The 2000 Presidential Election: the riveting story about the battle for the
Presidency in Florida and the Undermining of democracy in America. Produced
and directed by Robert Greenwald, who is also a producer of "Uncovered."

When: July 14 (Wed) 7:15 pm
Where: Healing Earth Resources
3111 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago
Room open: 7:00
There will be an opportunity for discussion following the video
presentations.

Suggested donation: $2.00
Contact Lora drlora@ameritech.net

(if you would like to have this movie shown in your center please contact
"Friends of the Green Planet" fotgp@worldnet.att.net  or
or contact Mirna at: mirna@adriaticsunshine.com )

John Petrakis, Special to Chicago Tribune: Nov 21, 2003. pg. 4:

"Unprecedented" (***), which screens Sunday night at the Gene Siskel Film
Center, is a direct, organized 50-minute video about the maneuvers behind
the 2000 presidential election--specifically in Florida, which proved to be
the decisive battleground.
Co-directors Richard Ray Perez and Joan Sekler focus on Florida's Republican
Party, led by Gov. Jeb Bush (George W.'s brother) and Secretary of State
Katherine Harris, who had worked on George W. Bush's campaign. Some of the
alleged revelations are new, while others have been addressed before. They
include the purging of select voters from the registration rolls
(African-Americans and convicted felons), the cancellation of votes from key
districts (senior citizens confused by the butterfly ballot), the inclusion of
late absentee ballots (overseas servicemen who went strong for Bush), and the
role of the three Supreme Court justices.
In an attempt to suggest even-handedness, the filmmakers also castigate the
Gore campaign for choosing select counties for the recount, instead of
allowing the whole state to be recanvassed. Ironically, the video suggests,
this attempt to up the odds of his election proved to be Gore's ultimate
undoing.
At a scant 50 minutes, "Unprecedented" is unable to elaborate on the more
complex arguments or provide extensive rebuttal, but it is plenty long
enough to skewer the electoral process.

IL4Kucinich home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IL4Kucinich
National Website: http://www.kucinich.us
Calendar: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IL4Kucinich/cal
Links: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IL4Kucinich/links
Files: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IL4Kucinich/files/
Archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IL4Kucinich/messages
Settings: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IL4Kucinich/join
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IL4Kucinich/
 

Cultural Roundup from South East Europe

The Olympic Flame, which began a 36-day global journey in early June, arrived Tuesday (6 July) in Istanbul, Turkey. It travels to Bulgaria and Cyprus before returning to Greece on Friday. In all, the torch will have travelled to 34 cities in 27 countries. [AFP]

(Various sources – 30/06/04 - 07/07/04)

A review of sports, entertainment and other cultural news from the Balkans since 30 June:

Croatian tennis star Mario Ancic recorded his best performance so far, defeating Britain's Tim Henman in the Wimbledon quarterfinals on 30 June. Ancic lost to US player Andy Roddick in the semifinals, but saw his world ranking climb from 31st to 12th.

***

Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti gave a concert in Zagreb (Pula op-ed) on 3 July to mark the opening of the 5th Histria Music and Theatre Festival, attended by 7,000 people. Pavarotti performed with soprano Carmela Remigio and the Croatian Radio and Television Orchestra.

***

Albania's Opera and Ballet Theatre is hosting a production of West Side Story, featuring an Albanian setting and traditional costumes. Several prominent local actors are taking part in the event, which was organised in collaboration with Albanian Public Television and Encompass New Opera Theatre of New York.

***

Guitarist Al Di Meola opened the 1st Athens Jazz Festival, held at the open-air Lycabettus Theatre near the centre of the Greek capital. The seven-day festival will also feature performances by Charles Lloyd and Richard Galliano.

***

Poet Petko Dabeski won this year's Miladinovci Brothers award at the Struga Poetry Evenings in Macedonia. It is the second time Dabeski has won the award. Thirty-two poets competed this year.

***

The city of Ohrid, Macedonia is hosting the 43rd Balkan Festival of Country Music and Dances. Musicians from Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia-Montenegro, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and Hungary are scheduled to perform.

***
Bulgaria's Academy of Science has appointed six academics, including three from the arts and humanities: writer and historian Vera Mutafchieva, Childrens' Radio Chorus conductor Christo Nedyalkov, and film producer Lydmil Staykov. The other appointees are professors in the natural sciences.

***

Albania's National History Museum is hosting a special exhibition, "From Antiquity to Independence". The exhibition, devoted to the history of the Albanian people, features objects, art works, furniture and other items.


http://www.setimes.com/html2/english/040707-WMI-000.htm

 In the latest issue of the Croatian Chronicle

In the latest issue of the Croatian Chronicle: news and events from Croatian communities across the United States, one Croatian soccer fan’s first hand account of the European Soccer Championship in Portugal and an interview with author and philosopher Noam Chomsky.
The next issue will be available in two weeks’ time and will feature extensive coverage of the Croatian Business Summit, the largest ever gathering of Croatian businessmen and women, held recently in Cleveland, Ohio. Find out who was there, what it means for Croatia and potential investors, and much more. Photos from the summit can be viewed at www.croatianchronicle.com

The paper can be bought at the following locations in NY:
- After the Sunday masses at the Croatian churches of Sts Cyril and Mathodious in Manhattan and The Most Precious Blood in Astoria
- The following locations in Astoria: Adriatic Meat, Iva Unisex Salon, Gaspar's Deli, and stands selling ethnic newspapers.
-Dubrovnik Deli in New Jersey

The paper can be bought at the following locations in LA and San Pedro area:
- After the Sunday masses at Mary Star of the Sea and St Anthony churches
- The following shops and businesses in San Pedro: Croatian Hall (Hrvatski dom), Libertas Travel, Mc Cowan’s Supermarket, South Shores Meat Market, Sunshine Market.

Subscribe to your paper,
Croatian Chronicle!
www.croatianchronicle.com

Please contact us at:

Ph: 718 278-5760
Fax: 718 228-4311
P.O. BOX 3531
Astoria, NY 11103
info@croatianchronicle.com 

IUP theater students to perform 'Grizula' in play's native Croatia

By ROB ROZYCKI
Penn Contributing Writer
July 07, 2004


SARAH BRAHA/PENN
Aron Honick (senior, theater) and Julie Settle (junior, theater) strike a pose during "Grizula." The cast of the centuries-old play by the "Croatian" Shakespeare", Marin Drzic, which was adapted from Croatian and produced in English at IUP this spring, is traveling to Croatia, where they will perform the show at the Dubrovnik Arts Festival.

When a group of students tried out for "Grizula," a play by Croatian author, Marin Drzic, they were told about the possibility of performing the show in the author's homeland. On July 15, the possibility will turn into a reality for the cast and crew of 18 students.

"It's an excellent opportunity," said Michael Hood, dean of Fine Arts, "not only to expose our students to the differences between the university and professional worlds, but also the American way of working in contrast to the European way." Hood will be joining the 16 students in Croatia with Barbara Blackledge, theater department chair.

The cast will perform Grizula at the Dubrovnik Arts Festival. For most of these young actors, it will be their first time traveling abroad.

"This is my first time out of the country. I've never even been to Canada," said Anne Canzano (senior, theater).

Although the company members are excited, they do know that challenges await them in the United States and in Croatia.

"The actors have to readjust to each other, the way we move, sing and speak," said Nate Miller (sophomore, theater). Miller added that he and other actors are working on their lines and the music for the show.

Canzano, who is the costume designer for the production, said the major challenge for the show will be to move the show to a theater an ocean away.

"It's a new space, new seating arrangement and a new society," Canzano said. "While all that happens, we have to make it work even better than it did here."

Source:http://www.thepenn.org/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/07/07/40ec19d3b7cb1

www.naklapskinacin.com

Postovani posjetitelji CROWNa i prijatelji,

Srdacno preporucujem stranice Na Klapski Nacin, koje je organizirala Iva Vianello. Stranice su informativne, jednostavne i s ljubavlju pripremljene. Podrzite ih na nacin na koji mozete.

Nenad Bach

Dear CROWN visitors and friends,

I wholeheartedly recommend WebPages Na Klapski Nacin which have been organized by Iva Vianello. Pages are informative, simple and created with love. It's about Klapa singing and our Croatian tradition. Support her in a way you can.

Nenad Bach

Postovanje,

Hvala Vam na e-mailu.
Drago mi je da ste se javili i da Vam se stranice svidaju.
Moje stranice i ja Vam stojimo na raspolaganju u svim vasim projektima
vezanim za ove nase drage klape.

Lijepi pozdrav,
Iva Vianello
naklapskinacin@net.hr
www.naklapskinacin.com