The following appeared in the Sunday edition of Newsday, in its Queens
Section. I've been here before and recommend it as well. They also
serve Croatian wine. John Kraljic

********************************

DINING OUT: Ponticello
By Peter M. Gianotti
STAFF WRITER

October 19, 2003

46-11 BROADWAY
ASTORIA
718-278-4514
www.ponticelloristorante.com

(2 Starts)

ASSESSMENT: Confident Italian.

OPEN: Dinner every day. Monday to Friday for lunch.

PRICE RANGE: Main courses, $16.50 to $28; pastas and risotto, $13.50 to
$16.50; appetizers, $7.95 to $11.95; soups and salads, $6 to $8.50.

CREDIT CARDS: All major cards.

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Main dining room at street level.

DIRECTIONS: Between 46th and 47th streets.

Four stars mean outstanding; three, excellent; two, very good; one,
good; none, fair or poor.

Ponticello, for decades one of Broadway's brighter lights, has upped its
wattage.

Renovated and expanded, the veteran restaurant definitely stands out. It
remains a sturdy marble bridge to traditional Italian fare along a route
dominated by cuisines Asian and Latin.

The player piano is devoted to Sinatra classics, show tunes and an
occasional polka. The staff moves to the slower numbers, sometimes
attentively, sometimes perfunctorily. But owners Josip "Pepi" Honovic
and Bogomir "Luigi" Kucica are an ever-watchful, friendly duo, giving
Ponticello neighborly warmth.

Their main room, a high-ceilinged space decorated with architectural
drawings of capitals and rimmed with cascading greenery, is comfortable
and very busy. More private rooms are on the side, and downstairs
opposite a well-stocked wine cellar.

Daily specials abound, but listen carefully because edited versions can
be heard at each table. The waiter quickly recites a few. So one group
may learn about half the seafood, and another receive a partial pasta
briefing. After three or four nearby tables get their messages, you
should know most of the evening's repertoire.

Bracing, generous minestrone is a satisfying starter. It's much better
than the pale, underseasoned onion soup and pastina in brodo. The hot
antipasto is an uneven affair, highlighted by fine eggplant rollatine,
marred by overcooked stuffed mushrooms and baked clams.

Spiedini alla Romana, the deep-fried cheese sandwich with a tangy,
caper-strewn sauce, is a solid, wintry opener. Countless mounds of
lightly gilded, fried calamari come from the kitchen. But the fried
zucchini is more dark brown than gold.

Pastas are worth sampling, either as appetizers or middle courses. They
include very good perciatelli in a spirited, slightly smoky-sweet tomato
sauce flecked with pork. Penne with broccoli, garlic and oil, is a
blunt, tasty dish. Pappardelle here are diamonds of pasta, tossed in a
modest veal sauce. But spaghetti carbonara is on the dull side, more
heavy than rich. Ponticello prepares hearty, homey manicotti.

The house version of steak alla pizzaiola is among the top main courses:
a fibrous, juicy cut, under a mantle of peppers and scarlet sauce. They
also make veal alla pizzaiola.

Osso buco, mild and mellow, could use a bit of gremolata in the juices,
with its trademark hint of lemon peel. Tender calf's liver alla
Veneziana, however, does have lively flavor, heightened by the onions
and a light, vinegary edge. Rustic pork chops with hot peppers and
vinegar also are flavorful and easily recommended.

Sauteed snapper, respectable and right, materialized instead of the
ordered branzino. Dover sole a la meuniere boasts excellent fish, but
the sauce is cloudy-floury more than buttery, and another shot of
parsley would help, too.

Ponticello's standard accompaniment is a savory combo of mashed potatoes
and cabbage, a country-style hint of the establishment's Istrian roots
that makes you want to sample more of the region's dishes. Sides of
sauteed broccoli rabe and spinach could turn the most ardent carnivore
toward greens.

The desserts you'll be told about are comparatively few. But try the
first-rate cannoli, lush tiramisu and a delectable two-tier rendition of
a napoleon. The ricotta cheesecake doesn't quite hold together; and the
apple strudel is anonymous.

You may linger over a strong espresso and perhaps partake of the sambuca
that alights shortly before. It adds to the glow of Ponticello.

www.lijepanasadomovinahrvatska.com/novosti.htm

Postovani,

Pogledajte www.lijepanasadomovinahrvatska.com/novosti.htm .

Srdacan pozdrav
Ivica Grgic

New Croatian Cardinal

SantaMariaTimes.com

Sunday, September 28, 2003

Ailing Pope Appoints 31 New Cardinals
By NICOLE WINFIELD

VATICAN CITY - Amid concerns about his frail health, Pope John
Paul II appointed 31 cardinals Sunday, acting months earlier
than expected and strengthening his influence on the group
that will chose his successor.
The new "princes" of the church include senior Vatican
officials and diocesan leaders from 20 countries. They will
receive their red hats at a ceremony known as a consistory on
Oct. 21 _ a date chosen to coincide with the weeklong
celebrations marking John Paul's 25th anniversary as pope.

Several names mentioned in the Italian media as possible new
cardinals weren't on the pope's list _ including Archbishop
Sean O'Malley, who took over the Boston archdiocese to clean
it up from the sex abuse scandal that rocked the American
church.
O'Malley didn't refer to the omission in a statement Sunday,
instead congratulating the only American on the list, Justin
Rigali, the archbishop-elect of Philadelphia.
The 68-year-old Rigali is a Los Angeles native who was
previously archbishop of St. Louis. He is a conservative and
has championed two of the pope's favorite causes _ publicly
condemning abortion and the death penalty.
"The rumors were out, but the news came very quickly. It's a
great honor to be part of the Pope's council," Rigali said as
he entered the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in
downtown Kansas City, Mo., where he was attending a Mass.
St. Louis Archdiocese Vicar General Monsignor Richard Stika
described Rigali's reaction as "humble excitement."
"It's kind of a bittersweet moment for us. He's been our
spiritual father for nine and a half years," Stika said Sunday
shortly after speaking with Rigali.
The College of Cardinals is already mainly made up of
like-minded conservatives and the new batch will further
cement the pope's influence on the choice of his successor.
Prior to Sunday's announcement, the College of Cardinals had
164 members _ 109 of them under age 80 and thus eligible to
vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Of the eligible
voters, all but five were named by John Paul.
Birthdays and overall old age mean the number of College of
Cardinal members is constantly in flux, but the traditional
maximum is 120 voters. John Paul has had no qualms about
surpassing that number _ doing so at the last two consistories
in 2001 and 1998.
The latest appointments bring to at least 135 the number of
cardinals under 80.
Vatican officials had said no consistory was expected before
the end of the year; February 2004 had been mentioned as a
possible date, because the previous two consistories were held
in that month.
No explanation was given for why the pope acted sooner. But
Vatican officials said privately that with the College of
Cardinals and heads of national bishops conferences already
coming to Rome for the anniversary celebrations _ as well as
the pope's declining health _ an October consistory seemed
opportune.
John Paul, who is 83 and suffers from Parkinson's disease,
announced the new cardinals from his studio window overlooking
St. Peter's Square. He read out the list with great
difficulty, stopping to catch his breath several times before
finishing each man's title.
One of the 31 on the list was unidentified, perhaps because he
works in a country where the church is oppressed.
The new cardinals include archbishops from Nigeria, France,
Sudan, Spain, Scotland, Brazil, Ghana, India, Australia,
Croatia, Vietnam, Guatemala, Hungary, Canada, Italy as well as
Rigali. Among the appointments was George Pell, the archbishop of
Sydney, Austraila, who has been the focus of controversy in
the past. He was cleared of sex abuse allegations last year,
but has drawn anger for saying abortion was worse than sex
abuse by priests _ a comment he said was taken out of context
_ and refusing to give communion to gays.
"I think it further shows the church to be representing many
elements that I think are not doing the church very much good
at the moment," Canberra Bishop Pat Power told Australian
Broadcasting Corp. radio.
John Paul also named some top Vatican officials, including the
French-born foreign minister Jean-Louis Tauran and prelates
from Spain, Mexico, Japan and Italy who run other Vatican
offices or commissions that traditionally come with a red hat.

By naming cardinals for Vietnam, Sudan and Nigeria, the pope
appeared to be trying to strengthen the position of his
leaders in countries where the Roman Catholic Church often has
difficulties with government officials or there are
Muslim-Christian conflicts.
Perhaps the greatest surprise was the absence on the list of
O'Malley, who replaced Cardinal Bernard Law as Boston
archbishop after Law resigned in December amid public outcry
over the sex scandal. O'Malley has been working quickly to
settle lawsuits brought by victims of clerical abuse and to
bring some normalcy back to the archdiocese.
While there was no explanation for O'Malley's absence, one
possible reason was that the pope was reluctant to name a
cardinal from Boston while Law is still of voting age and
serving on several Vatican commissions.
However, there is precedent: The pope gave Vienna Archbishop
Christoph Schoenborn his red hat in February 1998, while his
predecessor, Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer, was still of voting
age. Groer had been forced to relinquish his duties as Vienna
Archbishop in April 1998 because of a sex scandal.
Rigali has critics among advocates for victims of clerical sex
abuse. One leading activist, David Clohessy, national director
of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, has said
Rigali has been among the least compassionate American bishops
in dealing with the clerical sex abuse crisis.
The Oct. 21 consistory will cap a busy week for the pope, who
will preside over an evening Mass on Oct. 16 _ the anniversary
of his election _ as well as the beatification of Mother
Teresa three days later. In-between, he will have other public
appearances and speeches, and now will preside over the
lengthy consistory.
The pope suffers from hip and knee ailments, in addition to
Parkinson's, which makes it almost impossible for him to walk.
During his recent trip to Slovakia, he was unable to finish
his speeches, and just this week had to miss his weekly
Wednesday audience because of an intestinal problem.
He also has days when he appears stronger, including Saturday,
when he seemed alert and relatively strong during a 20-minute
meeting with the president of the Philippines and an evening
Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.
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Pulitzer Central Coast Newspapers
Santa Maria Times

Gospa od Andjela

Postovani!
Posjetite novootvorene stranice zupe Gospe od Andjela u Trogiru!
S postovanjem!
Don Stipan Bodrozic, zupnik

www.goa-trogir.hr

Hypocrites at The Hague

To: letters@nytimes.com
Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2003
Subject: UN Court/Croatia

Dear Editor:

Your article "UN Court, Croatia at Odds over Runaway General", 9/25 ,
quotes an incorrect indictment of
Croatia's General Gotovina by stating " indicted for killings and
widespread destruction during and after Zagreb's final offensive against
rebel Serbs in Aug. 1995". The General's indictment is for "command
responsibility" while he never ordered civilian killings that occurred
during some revenge-taking by Croats, who were not necessarily even part
of the army. "Widespread destruction" is also very questionable!

General Gotovina is an honorable and highly regarded officer, who is
being made a scapegoat by hypocrites at The Hague ICTY in pursuit of an
innocent person in order to "equalize" the guilt among Croats and Serbs,
which was all along the West's policy in that war. If such "command
responsibility" is made a factor in wars, then every American officer
must be indicted for the destruction of Iraqi property and the killing of
thousands of Iraqi civilians.

Sincerely,

Hilda M. Foley
National Federation of Croatian Americans
13272 Orange Knoll
Santa Ana, Ca, 92705

Bear orphans find home inCroatian mountain village

Eight month old bear cubs called Ljubo (R) and Zdravko (L) play after lunch at Kuterevo bear orphanage at the foot of the biggest Croatian mountain, Velebit on September 19, 2003. There are four bears altogether at Kuterevo, being taken care of by volunteers who independently organized the refuge for orphaned bears from the Croatian and Bosnian mountains. REUTERS/Nikola Solic TO MATCH FEATURE STORY CROATIA-BEARS

29 Sep 2003 01:07:17 GMT
Bear orphans find home in Croat mountain village

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By Manja Segrt

KUTEREVO, Croatia, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The high-voltage barbed-wire fence enclosing the pen is not meant to protect the mountain villagers from the brown bears inside, but the other way round.

The four cubs it shelters, in what carers say is the Balkans' only bear orphanage, are too young to cause harm and are already so used to humans they cannot go back to the wild.

Croatia still has wilds where brown bears (ursus arctos) roam, numbering between 400 and 800. They can also be found in neighbouring Balkan states but have died out in most of Europe. They are not endangered but hunting is limited.

The refuge, founded last year in Kuterevo in the rough central woodlands, cares for cubs who get separated from their mothers or lose them to illegal hunters or to vehicles.

Their only chance of survival is to be raised by humans.

The orphanage currently looks after Janja Zora, Mrnjo Brundo, Zdravi Gor and Ljubo Lik, who have become tourist attractions and earned their patrons some 50,000 kuna ($7,600) in tickets, postcards, posters and T-shirts this summer.

USED TO HUMANS

The people who saved them cannot teach them "the bare necessities" -- how to make a den, find food or orient themselves -- so they cannot return to the wild on reaching adulthood.

"The biggest problem is that they get used to people, their smell and voice. They connect humans with food, and this often leads to conflict situations and bears end up being killed," said Djuro Huber, the refuge's expert adviser and a leading Croatian biologist.

Local zoos have enough bears and exporting them is made difficult by international regulations, so the chances are that the cubs will remain in Kuterevo for good.

Ivan Crnkovic, head of the orphanage, said there were other refuges in Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Greece, but those are for adult bears "that were abused and mistreated, used for entertainment by street performers".

Some European countries where bears are extinct in the wild, like the Netherlands or Germany, have bear parks, but none with the sole purpose of taking in cubs.

The shelter was started in 2002 by sociologist Vladimir Lay. "I discussed it with experts and concluded there was a real need to help baby bears and this region's economy," he said.

PLAYFUL BUT GROWING

Mrnjo Brundo was the first to arrive. When he came, Crnkovic introduced him to the 700-strong local community of this remote mountain village and the people welcomed him warmly.

The 20-month-old is at ease with people and adores playing games with them, although he now weighs more than 300 kg (661 lb) and has grown to a size that inspires caution, if not outright fear, in visitors.

Janja Zora is the only female in the bunch and much less interested in humans, unless they bring food -- mostly fruit, bread and grass harvested from the Gacka river, a renowned fly-fishing spot. Only five percent of it is meat.

Ljubo Lik and Zdravi Gor, both eight months old, spend most of their time playing. Ljubo was starving and barely alive when locals found him. "He wouldn't have lasted another week alone," Crnkovic said.

Still, he bravely attacks his bigger and much calmer friend Zdravi, who, Crnkovic said admiringly, is "the kindest of the four. What a bear he will become!"

After running around, wrestling and eating all the grass and acorn the caretakers bring them, the two younger cubs often share a bath in a wooden trough.

BEAR CLASSES

For each generation of bears there will be a separate living area, trying to provide the best possible natural habitat, expanding in size as they grow and move from grades one to four, the age when they reach sexual maturity. They will then be placed in a bear park that is yet to be built.

The project's creators hope to turn the refuge into an ecotourism venue, but insist their primary concern will always be the bears' welfare and not profit.

Brown bears are the largest wild animals living in Croatia. They have no natural enemies, except man. Their life expectancy is 20-30 years in the wilderness, although they can live up to 45 years in captivity.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L25597529.htm

Susrete domovinske i iseljene Hrvatske 2004

Postovani gospodine Bach

Javljam Vam se nakon poduzeg vremena sa dobrim vijestima. Slijedece godine u ljeto od 12.08. 21.08.2004. nasa udruga ŤZa Domovinuť organizira prve Susrete domovinske i iseljene Hrvatske (SDIH) na Makarskoj rivijeri. Dakle ljetovanje sa cjelokupnim programom druzenje gradana, obitelji kako iz Hrvatske tako i iz dijaspore. Predvidamo oko 300 sudionika koji ce biti smjesteni u Drveniku na juznom dijelu Makarske rivijere sat vremena voznje do Medugorja, tako da ce sudionici ljetnih druzenje biti u mogucnosti 15.08. posjetiti Medugorje. U tijeku je izrada cjelokupnog programa za desetodnevno ljetovanje, osim odlaska u Međugorje sudionici ce obici otok Korculu te u vecernjim satima mjesto Zagvozd podno Biokova gdje se odrzavaju vec tradicionalni kazalisni susreti ŤGlumci u Zagvozduť koje predvodi glumac Vedran Mlikota, 16.08. u Drveniku je pucka festa povodom Sv. Roka a dan poslije 5 km dalje u mjestu Brist u kojem je roden Bartol Kasic odrzava se kulturna manifestacija ŤDani Dalmatinske pisme i riciť. Uz obilje kulturnih dogadanja u vecernjim satima biti ce izvedena monodrama (poznatog zagrebackog profesora sa akademije za glumu Joska Seve) Kako govoriti Hrvatski?! te nekoliko predavanja u vecernjim satima poznatih hrvatskih znanstvenika iz podrucja povijesti, politologije, ekonomije kao i nastup predsjednika Matice Hrvatske gosp. Igora Zidica. Djeca ce imati svoga voditelja kao i programe djecije igraonice i radionice. Posljednji dan navecer predvidamo odrzavanje koncerta Thompson Skoro. Cijena cijelokupnog aranzmana bit ce oko 400 $ po osobi za djecu manji iznos. Molimo Vas da nam se pridruzite ukoliko ste zainteresirani s ovim nadasve vrlo zanimljivim hrvatskim projektom druzenja. Ukoliko imate ideja u svezi toga spremni smo ih uvrstiti u program. Trazimo jednu turisticku agenciju iz Amerike da nam preporucite kako bi se dogovorili o mogucoj suradnji vezano uz dolazak Hrvata iz Amerike.

Toliko za sada
Puno pozdrava iz Hrvatske
Predsjednik udruge Za Domovinu

Prof. Damir Milic
e-mail: damir.milic@os.htnet.hr

Former Beatle Paul McCartney during a visit to Zagreb, Croatia, on Dec. 14, 2001.
On Sept 23, 2003 he held another benefit dinner and performance for Charity Adopt-A-Minefield in Los Angeles. Thank you, from all Croatians around the world. More to follow on Adopt-A-Minefield

September 30th 2003

In my opinion one of the quantum leap for Croatian community. Not just a charitable but important for our community to feel equal and good about themselves. Val Blaskovic, Vedran Nazor and many others brought this event together. We are becoming friends to ourselves. Few people that I spoke with have been overwhelmed by generosity and interest of our people and their friends. Charity for clearing landmines and cancer research was a subject of this event. Clearing the mines is one of the steps towards world peace. People talked about it in a serious and direct manner. A lot of optimism and pride and sincerity. Intelligent, warm, elegant and casual.

I am pleased and proud beyond words ! BRAVO !

Nenad Bach

Read more under title (E) $ 20K for Cancer Research and Adopt-A-Minefield.

Tuesday, September 30th over 136 golfers participated in an
inaugural Croatian American 2003 Golf Outing. Croatian
Americans and their friends raised over $ 20,000 at the
Long Islands Colonial Springs Golf Course to benefit two
charities:

- American Cancer Society Babe Zaharias Memorial
Tournaments of Long Island This fine organization funds
breast and prostate cancer research and is dedicated to
eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing
cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer
through research, education, advocacy and service.

- Adopt-A-Minefield - United Nations Association of the
USA. U.S. Department of State has taken a lead role by
providing matching funds for mine clearing projects in
Croatia. There are still more than a million landmines
unremoved in Croatia. During the last eight years more than
1034 people have been injured and 410 were killed.
Demining is a very long and expensive project and it has a
long way to go.

Ms. Beth Sachs of American Cancer Society/Director Babe
Zaharias Memorial Tournaments thanked Mr. Vladimir Val
Blaskovic, Chairman of the Golf Outing on a $ 10,000
donation.
Ms. Nahela Hadi, Adopt-A-Minefield Executive Director was
grateful for the $ 10,000 donation Adopt-A-Minefield
received.

Over 200 in attendance saw a beautiful example of Croatian
Americans of greater New York together with their American
friends raise funds for 2 noble causes. They promised to
come back next year.

2003 Golf Outing Committee

Executive Committee

Vladimir Val Blaskovic - Chairman

Joseph Grgas - Treasurer

Vedran Joseph Nazor - Secretary

Nick Penava, Tom Nogalo, Frank Perkovic,Ivan Starcic

Committee Members

John Belanich, George Druzic, Ilana Gavin, Ivica Kajic, John Kalinic, Gerald Maric, Mladen Marinic, Michael Matura, Mike Perkovic, Romeo Pericic MD, Mario Peruc, Luke Raguz MD, Luigi Romic, Darko Smilovic, Zivko Strika MD, Branko Zivkovic.

Sanja Bogovic, Val Blaskovic, Beth Sachs, Vedran Nazor, Nahela Hadi, Nenad Bach