Croatian Picnic at the Retreat in Siera Madre!

C.A.M.E.O. MEMBERS!

For those of you that are in town for the Labor Day Holiday
Come for a fabulous Croatian Picnic that will be taking
place on SUNDAY, AUGUST 31st at the Retreat in Siera Madre!

Location:
Sierra Madre Retreat
700 North Sunny Side Ave
Siera Madre, CA 91204
626.355.7188

Directions:
134 to 210 fwy
Exit Michillinda
Turn Left
Turn Right on Siera Madre Blvd
Left on Sunny Side

See you there!
CAMEO

"Moj put u Hrvatsku" by Diane Mahoney

Hello Nenad!

Thought I would write you about my recent trip to Croatia. I just got back
from Zagreb and Vukovar on Tuesday. I want to thank you again for the
recommendation of Adriatic Tours as a travel agent. They were great--arranged air
transportation and hotels for me.

The trip was wonderful. We went to Croatia to attend a close friend's
wedding, spending a couple of days in Zagreb before going on to the wedding in
Vukovar. My father, daughter and I enjoyed everything. My daughter and I had been
to Zagreb before with my husband, so it wasn't hard to navigate around. We
had some city maps and an idea in our heads of what we wanted to show my dad of
the city. We saw all the historic sights in Gornji Grad, shopped at the
Dolac Market, and went to two museums. We found our way around to do some
souvenir shopping (walked directly to two gift shops that looked interesting from the
guidebooks) and a place to eat dinner ("The Writer's Club," on Ban Jelacic
Trg, a nice restaurant that had been in business for 50 years). We even found
an internet cafe in an old house (off a side street and a courtyard, with the
first floor rooms converted to be used for sending and receiving e-mails) so we
could contact my husband more cheaply than by phone!

I drove through Eastern Slavonija to Vukovar and it wasn't hard at all! The
roads were smooth and straight and the signage out there was very clear to
lead us to our destinations. We found Vukovar with no problems, and took a day
trip to Osijek on the day of the wedding without getting lost at all. Our only
difficulty was in coming back to get to the airport. We did get lost in the
outskirts of Zagreb, because there were no signs to guide us there! Very
strange! We eventually saw 2 or 3 signs, very near to the airport itself, but
that was after stopping to ask directions twice.

Our friend's wedding was just wonderful. His new bride seems to be perfect
for him. They certainly seemed very happy together at the wedding. The
wedding was very elaborate. I am told the reception went on until nearly 6:00 a.m.,
though we gave up and went to bed (upstairs in the Dunav hotel) at about 1:00
a.m.! The wedding had some of the same elements as American weddings do, and
some that were different.

The beginning was very different. All of the groom's friends and family
gathered at his house about 2 hours before the ceremony, to socialize for a little
while. After an hour, we all piled into cars, led by one waving a large
Croatian flag out the window, and drove by caravan to the bride's house nearby,
with horns blaring. We left the cars on her street and all went into her
backyard, greeted by her parents and brother. Our friend had a bouquet for her and
went up to the porch, where she came out to meet him. Then they both greeted
all the guests for about another hour.

There was a lot of food and drink spread on a couple of big tables in the
back. Many of the men were drinking wine and slivovica freely before the wedding
ceremony got started. I wondered what the reception would be like if they
were drinking before the wedding started, but actually, there was less alcohol
served at the reception itself--just table wine left in bottles on the tables,
along with bottles of water and soft drinks. There was no champagne as we
have at American weddings. I liked that, actually. People ate and danced and
sang more than they drank.

About 20 minutes before the ceremony, we all piled back into the cars, in a
caravan that was twice as long because it included the bride's family and
friends, and went off to the church. Horns were blaring again and the flag was
waving from the first car. People came out of their houses to see what was going
on, and it was good to see smiles in this town that had seen so much
devastation 10 years ago.

At the church, we had to wait for another wedding to finish, but then were
allowed inside. The church looks good from the outside, but was devastated in
the fighting and still shows major damage inside. It appears structurally
safe, but has no paint or decorations on the walls--just exposed brick. The
windows are all plain, no stained glass at all. The pews are rows of chairs. They
have decorated the church with flowers, though, and some religious statues,
and the altar looked nice at the front. It is a very long and narrow church,
so the procession came inside in two parts. The groom and his best man waited
with the priest half-way into the church for the bride to walk in with her
father. When she met him, they walked together up to the altar.

We were able to follow the exchange of vows (no Mass) even though it was in
Croatian, because all wedding ceremonies are similar in that regard! At the
end, there was a receiving line right at the front of the church. Our friend
looked so happy, and I felt really happy for him. He had waited a long time for
that day. He and his bride posed for some pictures in front of a side altar
in the church while all the guests headed to the reception in the hotel where
we were staying. The caravan got going again and drove through town,
celebrating with the horns and the flag.

At the reception at the Dunav Hotel, we sat at long tables and were served
the food "family style." We sat with some of our friend's colleagues from the
local high school where he and his bride work, which was great because they
spoke some English. We had roasted lamb, chicken, and pork with potatoes to eat,
plus cabbage and tomato salad. It was very much "Hungarian" and "Slavonian"
food. There was dancing, but it was nice in that it was folk dance with
large groups in a circle. We joined in at one point and it was really fun. The
band our friend had hired came to his house at the beginning and was playing
all night long, including at the wedding ceremony. They stayed with the group
through all the moves from house to house to church to hotel hall and didn't
pack up their instruments until about 5:00 a.m. They had stringed instruments
and played traditional Slavonian and Dalmatian songs. Everyone seemed to know
all the songs and sang along to many of them.

They cut the wedding cake (3-tiered, chocolate) at midnight and then had a
money dance where anyone could put some money in a basket and dance with the
bride. Both men and women danced with her. I put some money in the basket, but
didn't dance with her because I couldn't really talk to her. The last one to
dance with her was the groom. They looked really happy to be together, which
was nice to see.

The plane rides to get there and back were long, but the trip was worth it.
I was glad we went, and it was quite a cultural experience for my daughter, as
I'd hoped. It was an honor to share in a special occasion like this with our
friend and his community. Everyone made us feel welcome, and people were
very impressed with my limited abilities to speak with them in a little Hrvatski.

Vukovar looked somewhat better than it did two years ago when I visited with
my daughter and husband for the first time. The downtown has some new
construction going on, and my friend's residential street is nearly totally re-built.
There is still obviously massive work to be done to bring the town back to
the way it looked before it was razed by the Serbs, but I was struck by the
number of young families and people with babies that we saw on the streets.
That's a good sign for the future that people are coming back and that they want
to re-build the town. There's a Velepromet market open downtown now, and
several restaurants, including an outdoor fish place that faces on the Danube and a
pizza place near the Dunav hotel.

Anyway, that's "what I did on my summer vacation." Croatia is an amazing
place, and every time I go there I am most impressed with the friendliness and
welcoming nature of the people. Sorry this is so long, but I am excited about
the trip and all that we saw and did.

Thank you for all your good work with CROWN. I read every new posting and
always find something of interest.

Take care,

Diane Mahoney
Dianemmahoney@aol.com

Silver for Croatia

Athens Regatta 2003
19 - 28 August 2003 Athens, GREECE

Full Racing Day Completed in Final Stages

The seventh day of the event, held in the Agios Kosmas Olympic Sailing Centre, was a day of full competition activity in all Olympic classes, with the exception of competitors in the Star class, who had the day off.
Around one o’clock in the afternoon, wind conditions were relatively calm and there were fears of cancellations, but the experienced organisers managed to complete the races in all classes, even though there were some delays in the scheduled start times.

Windsurfer Men

Nikos KAKLAMANAKIS confirmed one more time his top class, adding two more first places on the way to winning the Gold medal in the men’s Mistral class. After a bad start in the Athens 2003 Regatta, as he had finished eighth and fifth in the first two races, and had been penalised with a ‘disqualification’ for his now famous collision with Swiss sailor Anja KAESER, the Greek Olympic Gold medallist in Atlanta improved his performance dramatically, and from then on has won all the races run so far.

Second in both races held was Israel’s Gal FRIDMAN, who is hot on the heels of the Greek champion, with only three points between them. Third to finish in the first race yesterday was China’s Yuanguo ZHOU, with Portugal’s Joao RODRIGUES finishing third in the eighth race.

Double-handed Dinghy Women – 470

In the women’s 470 class, Greek champions Sofia BEKATOROU and Emilia TSOULFA finished fifth and sixth in yesterday’s races, and are within reach of the Gold medal, as they increased the difference from their closest opponents to 20 points. First place in the first race went to Katherine MCDOWELL and Isabelle KINSOLVING (USA), who took the lead from the start and maintained it until the finish, with the Argentinean sailors Maria Fernando SESTA and Paula REINOSO and Christina BASSADONE and Katherine HOPSON (GBR) finishing second and third respectively.

Keelboat Women – Yngling

Competition is close for the Gold Medal, in the two races held yesterday, which were the eighth and ninth in the series, American skipper Hannah SWETT and her battling crew finished ninth and first, climbing to the head of the leaderboard, with a small, six point lead over Shirley ROBERTSON (GBR) in second position.

Single-handed Dinghy Men – Finn

British Laser Olympic Gold medallist in Sydney Ben AINSLIE, who now competes in the Finn class, continues to hold the lead in the general ranking, showing remarkable steadfastness.

The winner in the first race yesterday was the Dutch sailor Jaap ZIEHUIS, withCroatia’s Karlo KURET finishing second and Ainslie finishing third. In the second race, Rafael TRUJILLO (ESP) finished first, followed by Mateusz KUSZNIEREWICZ (POL) and the French sailor Guillaume FLORENT, with Ainslie finishing fifth.

As for Greek champion Emilios PAPATHANASSIOU, he did not do well at all, as in the first race he was penalised for a false start and in the second one he was penalised with his third Rule 42 penalty and as such, was eliminated from further competition with 93 points and placed in 13 place overall in the general ranking.

Double-handed Dinghy Men – 470

In the men’s 470 class, Johan MOLUND and Martin ANDERSSEN (SWE) took the lead in the battle for the Gold medal, as they widened the gap between them and second placed Nick ROGERS and Joe GLANDFIELD (GBR) to ten points. The Swedes yesterday finished sixth in the first race and second in the second one, and so they now feel more secure in first place.

Italians Gabrio ZANDONA and Andrea TRANI won the first race of the day, followed by Gideon KLIGER and Ehud GAL (ISA). In the tenth race the Swedish sailors won, followed by Simon COOKE and Peter NICHOLAS (NZL).

Single-handed Dinghy Open – Laser

In the Laser class, the situation ay the top of the ranking has been complicated, as Brazilian Sydney Olympic Silver medallist, Robert SCHEIDT, No 2 in the ISAF World Sailing Rankings, acquired a ‘room-mate’ in first place after the results of the three races run yesterday.

In the first race, Portuguese sailor Gustavo LIMA held the lead, followed by the Vasilij ZBOGAR and the Croatian Mate ARAPOV. In the second race, Australian Michael BLACKBURN took the lead, with Daniel BIRGMARK and Rory FITZPATRICK coming second and third respectively. The third race of the day was won by Roope SUOMALAINEN, followed by Blackburn and Arapov.

Blackburn is now in equal first with Robert SCHEIDT going into the final stages of the regatta.

High Performance Dinghy Open – 49er

Thanassis PACHOUMAS and Vassilis PORTOSALTE (GRE) put up a star performance yesterday, finishing second in the first two races and first in the third. In the first race, Australians Chris NICHOLSON and Gary BOYD finished first, followed by the Greeks and the British pair of Paul BROTHERTON and Mark ASQUITH.

The second race of the day was won by the Sibelo brothers from Italy, followed by the Greeks and the British, while in the third race of the day, race 12 in the series, first place went to the Greek crew.

Single Handed Dinghy Women – Europe

In the Europe class, Lenka SMIDOVA (CZE) is maintaining a slight advantage and is a strong candidate for the Gold medal, as she leads the ranking with 36 points. In the first race of the day, Norway’s Siren SUNDBY finished first, followed by Australia’s Sarah BLANCK and Belgium’s Min DEZILLIE, the latter finishing first in the second race followed by the American Meg GAILLARD and Serena AMATO. In the ninth race Sundby finished first, followed by China’s Xiaoying SHEN and Argentina’s Amato.

Multihull Men – Tornado

In the Tornado class, after the two races run yesterday the Australians Darren BUNDOCK and John FORBES continue to hold the lead, finishing first and third respectively, and are strong contenders for the Gold medal with a difference of only 9 points separating them and the second placed Argentinean team.

In the first race Austrians Roman HAGARA and Hans-Peter STEINACHER finished second, with the Argentineans finishing third. In the second race, race nine of the series Santiago LANGE and Carlos ESPINOLA (ARG) finished first, followed by the Austrian and Australian crews.

Windsurfer Women – Mistral

In the Women’s Mistral class, the Italian gold medallist at the Sydney Olympics, Alessandra SENSINI, continues to hold the lead in the general ranking. Yesterday she finished fourth and second respectively, and with only 9 points is first in the general ranking.

German sailor Amelie LUX finished first in yesterday’s first race, followed by Lai Shan LEE (HKG) and Lee KORSIZ (Israel). In the second race Faustine MERRET finished first, followed by Sensini and Lee.

The Athens 2003 Regatta continues today, and with racing in all classes, is the penultimate day of the final test event before the Olympic Regatta next year in Athens. Full results can be found on the event website at the address below.


Windsurfer Men - Mistral

Pos Name NOC R7 R8 Points
1 KAKLAMANAKIS GRE 1 1 18
2 FRIDMAN ISR 2 2 21
3 ZHOU CHN 3 5 33
4 BONTEMPS FRA 7 10 50
5 TOBIN NZL 8 11 52
6 MYSZKA POL 6 6 53
7 SANTOS BRA 17 4 54
8 van DIJK NED 23 17 57

Double-handed Dinghy Women - 470

Pos Name NOC R9 R10 Points
1 BEKATOROU-TSOULFA GRE 5 6 43
2 WARD S.-WARD M. DEN 4 20 63
3 SESTO-REINOSO ARG 2 4 66
4 PETITJEAN-DOUROUX FRA 10 16 66
5 BASSADONE-HOPSON GBR 3 7 78
6 McDOWELL-KINSOLVING USA 1 17 83
7 VIA DUFRESNE-AZON ESP 6 2 87
8 ILIENKO-GAPONOVICH RUS 24 9 92

Keelboat Women - Yngling

Pos Name NOC R8 R9 Points
1 SWETT-TOUCHETTE-PURDY USA 9 1 29
2 ROBERTSON-AYTON-WEBB GBR 3 6 35
3 WAGNER-HOELL-LOCHBRUNNER GER 2 8 36
4 THIES-BES-de JONG NED 5 2 41
5 BETHWAITE-KOSMALA-McHUGH AUS 1 3 46
6 AZON-PISONERO-SANCHEZ ESP 12 4 50
7 THORPE-VINSEN-LAMPERT NZL 4 10 54
8 TARAN-MATEVUSHEVA-KALININA UKR 10 13 55

Single-handed Dinghy Men - Finn

Pos Name NOC R8 R9 Points
1 AINSLIE GBR 3 5 26
2 KUSZNIEREWICZ POL 4 2 40
3 TRUJILLO ESP 9 1 46
4 KURET CRO 2 6 48
5 GODEFROID BEL 11 7 50
6 FLORENT FRA 13 3 60
7 NOSSITER AUS 6 10 65
8 SIGNORINI BRA 8 12 69

Double-handed Dinghy Men - 470

Pos Name NOC R9 R10 Points
1 MOLUND-ANDERSSON SWE 6 1 56
2 ROGERS-GLANFIELD GBR 5 7 66
3 ZANDONA-TRANI ITA 1 6 71
4 KLIGER-GAL ISR 2 17 83
5 FOERSTER-BURNHAM USA 11 22 85
6 ZELLMER-KRABBE GER 20 19 96
7 BRASLAVETS-MATVIENKO UKR 8 5 99
8 CONTE-de la FUENTE ARG 3 4 103

Single-handed Dinghy Open - Laser

Name NOC R7 R8 R9 Points
1 SCHEIDT BRA 11 5 24 42
2 BIRGMARK SWE 5 2 4 42
3 ARAPOV CRO 3 15 3 46
4 BLACKBURN AUS 10 1 2 54
5 ZBOGAR SLO 2 10 28 59
6 LIMA POR 1 12 9 70
7 GERITZER AUT 4 35 26 78
8 MOBERG NOR 35 16 19 78

High Performance Dinghy Open - 49er

Pos Name NOC R10 R11 R12 Points
1 NICHOLSON-BOYD AUS 1 12 4 47
2 SIBELO P.-SIBELO G. ITA 6 1 10 48
3 BROTHERTON-ASQUITH GBR 3 3 8 56
4 MARTINEZ-FERNANDEZ ESP 16 9 7 61
5 SUNDBY-BOVIM NOR 7 6 6 61
6 WADLOW-SPAULDING USA 13 11 3 70
7 LUKA-LEONCHUK UKR 20 18 2 78
8 FONSECA-DUARTE BRA 8 15 12 82

Single-handed Dinghy Women - Europe

Pos Name NOC R7 R8 R9 Points
1 SMIDOVA CZE 28 4 5 36
2 DEZILLIE BEL 3 1 4 43
3 SUNDBY NOR 1 28 1 47
4 MACKY NZL 13 11 22 51
5 GAILLARD USA 19 2 10 59
6 CHEN CHN 5 6 2 64
7 BROUWER NED 15 7 8 69
8 MULTALA FIN 14 10 13 72

Multihull Open - Tornado

Pos Name NOC R8 R9 Points
1 BUNDOCK-FORBES AUS 1 3 16
2 LANGE-ESPINOLA ARG 3 1 27
3 HAGARA-STEINACHER AUT 2 2 35
4 ECHAVARRI-PAZ ESP 4 4 44
5 LANDENBERGER-POLGAR GER 8 11 60
6 McMILLAN-BULKELEY GBR 17 16 62
7 KIRILYUK-USHKOV RUS 15 5 67
8 BOOTH-DERCKSEN NED 13 15 68


Pos ` NOC R7 R8 Points
1 SENSINI ITA 4 2 9
2 LEE HKG 2 3 22
3 MERRET FRA 5 1 28
4 KORSIZ ISR 3 5 36
5 LUX GER 1 4 42
6 SHREEVE AUS 19 13 49
7 STURGES GBR 11 8 56
8 YIN CHN 6 22 56

Event Website
www.athens2004.com
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Ivo Karlovic @  the 2003 US Open

At the 2003 US Open tennis tournament, a large Croatian crowd kept running between two tennis courts, because two superstars were playing at the same time. On one court, IVAN LJUBICIC was winning 3 sets and diagonally opposed tennis court, IVO KARLOVIC beat Felix Mantilla, also in three sets. This was an overwhelming victory for Karlovic, considering he entered US Open ranked 103rd versus Mantilla ranked 21st best in the world.

To become a tennis champion, one needs to posses the technical skills as well as an abundance of confidence. The 6-foot-10 movie star handsome Ivo Karlovic, at age of 24, says, "I had a great year and I feel confident."

This summer at Wimbledon, Ivo was ranked 203-rd player in the world. As a qualifier he entered the Grand Slam for the first time in his life and achieved an ultimate upset by beating #1 seed Lleyton Hewitt.

Since then, Karlovic won two smaller tennis events. He entered the second Grand Slam event as a qualifier at the US Open. Now he is ranked 103rd in the world and #3 in Croatia.

In talking to Ivo, who suffers from speech impediment stuttering, one wonders how he will deal with media attention. At US Open 1,500 media credentials was issued. When a tennis player enters the media room, after a tennis match, the reporters are there to analyze and break down every point of the tennis game. They want to know everything and anything about his personal life. Of course, only high-ranking tennis players are invited into the media room. Again, Karlovic embraces the nerve wrecking situation "I'm looking forward to bigger crowds at my matches. I'm just concentrating and focusing to win and with that comes media attention."

His serve is his weapon. At 133-mph aces.

Grand Slam events with thousands of people in the attendance are huge business events for tennis sponsors. Besides tennis, entertaining is the name of the game. While the rock quartet was performing "Good" from the band's newest release "Perfect Change", Ivo Karlovic was doing just that. Playing good and making a perfect change in his tennis career.

Ex-Yugoslav Army Officer Admits Dubrovnik Shelling
 

Wed August 27, 2003 09:38 AM ET
THE HAGUE (Reuters) - An ex-Yugoslav naval officer pleaded guilty at The Hague war crimes tribunal Wednesday to killing civilians by shelling the Croatian city of Dubrovnik in 1991 during Croatia's war of independence against Serbia.

Miodrag Jokic, who had pleaded not guilty to nine counts of violations of the laws and customs of war in 2001, changed his plea to guilty on six counts after the indictment against him was amended by prosecutors at the U.N. court.

http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=3344246Net 

Jokic pleads guilty to bombing Dubrovnik
 

Reuters
THE HAGUE -- Wednesday -- A retired Yugoslav vice admiral pleaded guilty at The Hague tribunal on Wednesday to killing civilians by shelling the Croatian city of Dubrovnik in 1991 during Croatia's war of independence against Serbia.
Miodrag Jokic, who in 2001 pleaded not guilty to nine counts of violating the laws and customs of war, changed his plea to guilty on six counts after the indictment against him was amended by prosecutors at the United Nations court.
Jokic admitted murder, cruel treatment and attacks on civilians and destruction of civilian and historic buildings during shelling of the historic heart of Dubrovnik on December 6, 1991. Two civilians died and three were wounded.
"Your honours, I am guilty," Jokic told judges.
The original indictment included charges related to several other shelling incidents.
Jokic was one of three former members of the Yugoslav military charged with responsibility for civilian deaths during the shelling of Dubrovnik, a UNESCO World Heritage site considered one of the world's most beautiful cities.
The three senior Yugoslav Peoples' Army (JNA) commanders were charged with killing and wounding civilians in Dubrovnik when its land and naval units pounded the city with shells in 1991.

           INTERNET RADIO

gen. Zivko Budimir,
Julia Busic, pisac,
Nenad Bach -glazbenik,umjetnik, urednik CROWNa, Croatia.org
Miro Karacic-pisac,mislilac,politicar
dr.Mate Granic-predsjednik Demokratskog centra i saborski zastupnik
Luka Podrug-predsjednik Hrvatske ciste stranke prava
dr.Anto Kovacevic-Predsjednik Hrvatske krscanske demokratske unije
Vesna Skare-Ozbolt-Dopredsjednica Demokratskog centra i saborska zastupnica
Josko Kontic-dopredsjednik Hrvatske socialno liberalne stranke i saborski zastupnik
George Rudman-Predsjednik Hrvatsko-Americke udruge ili Croatian American Association

Croatia's INA plans to go to court over Beopetrol sale

27.08.2003 09:48:00 GMT
MOL: Croatia's INA plans to go to court over Beopetrol sale

Budapest. (Interfax-Europe) -Croatian oil company INA will turn to an international arbitration court if the Serbian government approves the sale of Serbian oil firm Beopetrol, INA executive Tomislav Dragicevic said in an interview on the Serbian channel B92, MTI's Belgrade correspondent reported.

Serbia's privatization agency announced on Monday that it would sell a 79.53% stake in Beopetrol to Russia's Lukoil. In the privatization tender Lukoil offered EUR 207 million for Beopetrol while the other bidder, MOL Hungarian Oil and Gas Company, offered EUR 187 million. MOL has recently won a bidding to buy a 25% stake in INA.

Serbian privatization minister Aleksandar Vlahovic said the talks with Lukoil will start in three days, but if they fail, the government will sign the contract with MOL.

Formed after the collapse of Yugoslavia, Beopetrol took over INA's petrol retail business in Serbia. INA is suing for the lost property in a Belgrade court. Vlahovic said Beopetrol lawfully acquired the petrol station network, and the lawsuit had no delaying impact on the privatization tender.

Kovacevic said that while MOL would probably sell oil processed in Hungarian refineries, Lukoil, located farther from Serbia, will likely refine crude in Serbian refineries when the oil trade restrictions are lifted.

http://www.interfax.com/com?item=Hung&pg=0&id=5655574&req=

If he likes the country, he may buy a house there (Croatia)

Money? It's just part of the process...

Paul Godfrey, the lyricist in pop group Morcheeba, takes a surprisingly laid-back approach to his finances - except tax

Daisy O'Clee
Saturday August 16, 2003
The Guardian

Morcheeba's back catalogue is worth several million pounds - but in 1995, the band's lyricist, Paul Godfrey, was so hard up that he almost signed away his song rights for Ł2,000.

He was on the dole at the time, living in a bedsit with his brother Ross, the group's guitarist and melody maker. "I remember begging my music publisher to sign up all my songwriting so we could buy some equipment," says Paul, 31. "I probably could have renegotiated later but, basically, I would have been tied in."

Fortunately, the offer was turned down. Within six months, the brothers and singer Skye Edwards had secured a record deal, bought a recording studio in Clapham and released their first album, Who Can You Trust. It cost just Ł10,000 to make, yet sold nearly 1m copies. The follow-up, Big Calm, was made for Ł20,000 and has gone on to sell almost 2m.

This DIY approach to making music paid off and, after years of scraping by, Paul had cash in his pocket. "I went through a very flash phase when the first cheques came in. I bought a hot tub and a brand new BMW.

"I guess worrying about money for a long time affected me to the point that, when we did make money, I didn't know what to do with it. I was just blowing it on drugs and booze for everybody, eating out all the time and ordering the most expensive champagne. Stupid behaviour," he now admits.

Despite impressive record sales and a lavish lifestyle, Morcheeba weren't out of the woods financially. In fact, because of touring expenses, it took them five years to break even. "In America it would cost us $100,000 a week, so any money we were making on records was immediately wiped out."

It was on tour that Paul met his wife, Jen, who was nanny to Skye's children. "I was in a bit of a state and she ended up nannying me as well!" he says.

They fell in love, got married, bought a flat in south London for Ł100,000, then had a baby, Oscar, now three. "It all happened pretty quick," says Paul. "I had to go from being this carefree drunken loon to being a sensible family man."

When their daughter, Eve, was born last year, the couple paid Ł425,000 for a home overlooking the sea in the Kent village of Saltwood, where Paul grew up. He owns another house in the area, has held on to his London flat and recently "chucked a load of money into a pension" on the recommendation of his financial adviser.

He knows how much money the band makes on every CD - about Ł1.50 - but ask him about the stock market or whether he has an Isa, and he looks stultified. "That kind of thing just bores the hell out of me. I can't believe people actually talk about it. I mean, there's always going to be money so I should just enjoy it," he says. "I don't know exactly what my incomings or outgoings are. Really, all I know is that at any one time I'm OK, which tends to be enough."

He would, however, like to be more savvy when it comes to tax. "I want to learn how to be a bit clever with that because we pay 40%. Last year, if we'd stayed out of the country for another week, we probably could have got out of paying tax in Britain altogether."

This year Paul, who also produces and DJs, decided to take some time out. Instead of touring he is spending the summer with his family, travelling aroundCroatia in a new Ł35,000 VW camper van. If he likes the country, he may buy a house there.

Meanwhile, Morcheeba's greatest hits compilation, Parts Of The Process, has been released. Paul denies that this spells the end for the band, although he does tell me that Skye is working on solo material and he is planning to launch a production and writing project with Ross.

Whatever happens, he isn't going to lose sleep over how best to manage the money he has amassed so far. "I came from nothing and I'm sure I could get through again."

How he spends it

Lottery: If he won Ł10m, he'd buy a desert island.

Best buy: A sampler for Ł600. He borrowed the money but it was worthwhile as it helped him break into the music business.

Tipping: If the service and food is poor he doesn't tip, points out why and never eats there again. If it's good he gives 20%-25%.

Prefers to pay: In cash or by debit card. He doesn't have a credit card. "I've got so much money in the bank that I don't need one!"

Collects: Records and watches. He buys and sells records through friends, storing thousands in his house and thousands more at the studio. His watch collection, which includes two Rolex Daytonas, is insured for up to Ł30,000. "I bought the one I'm wearing for Ł11,000 - it's worth about Ł15,000 now," he says. "If I fell on really hard times I could sell them. I'm not precious, I have them and I enjoy them but if they disappeared, I wouldn't mourn them."

Outlook: Paul was influenced by his parents, who split up when he was 10. "My mum's from a very working class family and lived in a kind of bombed-out squat after the war. She's very thrifty. My dad was from a wealthy background and was a wine merchant. He liked material things. I have a lot of that from him and I guess, when I do worry about money, that comes from my mum."

ˇ Morcheeba are playing at the V Festival next weekend at Weston Park, Staffordshire, today and Hylands Park in Chelmsford on Sunday.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian_jobs_and_money/story/0,3605,1019453,00.html

BBC Profile Ratko Mladic

IMPORTANT FACT:

Mr Mladic was appointed commander of the 9th Corps of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) in Knin in the Republic of Croatia in 1991.

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Profile: Ratko Mladic

Mladic fled Belgrade after the arrest of Slobodan Milosevic

Ratko Mladic was Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic's army chief throughout the Bosnian war.
Along with Mr Karadzic he has come to symbolise the Serb campaign of ethnic cleansing of Croats and Muslims and is one of the most wanted suspects from the Bosnia conflict.

Srebrenica was Europe's worst atrocity since World War II

He has been indicted by the UN war crimes tribunal on charges of genocide and other crimes against humanity - including the massacre of thousands of Muslim men from the town of Srebrenica in 1995.

Having lived freely in Belgrade for some time, Mr Mladic left when former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic was arrested.

Overall commander

Mr Mladic was appointed commander of the 9th Corps of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) in Knin in the Republic of Croatia in 1991.

He was promoted in May 1992 and assumed overall command of the Bosnian Serb army.

Mr Mladic is considered to have been one of the prime movers in the siege of Sarajevo and led the Serb onslaught against the UN-protected enclave of Srebrenica, the worst atrocity in Europe since World War II.

Bosnian Serb forces had laid siege to the Srebrenica enclave, where tens of thousands of civilians had taken refuge from earlier Serb offensives in north-eastern Bosnia.

Men and boys separated

The Serb forces bombarded Srebrenica with heavy shelling and rocket fire for five days before Mr Mladic entered the town accompanied by Serb camera crews.

The next day, buses arrived to take the women and children sheltering in Srebrenica to Muslim territory, while the Serbs separated out all men from age 12 to 77 for "interrogation for suspected war crimes".

The unarmed men were then murdered - in the five days after Bosnian Serb forces overran Srebrenica, at least 7,500 Muslim men and boys are thought to have been killed.

After the end of the Bosnian war, Mr Mladic returned to Belgrade, enjoying the open support and protection of Mr Milosevic.

In hiding

He lived openly in the city - visiting public places, eating in expensive restaurants and even attending football matches but left following Mr Milosevic's arrest.

He is believed to be in Republika Srpska - the autonomous Serb area of Bosnia - or to have taken refuge in the mountains of Montenegro.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1423551.stm


NATO troops fail in bid to arrest Bosnia's top war crimes suspect Mladic
Wed Aug 13, 2:46 PM ET Add World - AFP to My Yahoo!


SARAJEVO (AFP) - NATO (news - web sites) troops launched an operation to arrest Ratko Mladic, one of the most wanted war crimes suspects in Bosnia, but failed to find him during a raid on his mother's house, carried out just a few hours after she died. The operation, the first known attempt to arrest the wartime Bosnian Serb army commander, took place in Kasindol, near Sarajevo at the home of Mladic's mother who passed away Tuesday, a statement by the NATO-led Stabilisation Force (SFOR) in Bosnia said.

"This afternoon SFOR conducted an operation intended to detain Ratko Mladic who is under indictment by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for war crimes," said the statement.

"This operation did not result in the detention of Ratko Mladic," SFOR said offering condolences to the family members who "cooperated fully" during the search.

The troops searched the home of the late Stana Mladic after receiving a tip-off, said SFOR spokesman Dale MacEachern.

"While SFOR regrets the timing of the operation, it is in the best interest of all citizens of Bosnia-Hercegovina that SFOR fulfils its mandate," said the SFOR statement, stressing that war crimes suspects at large present "a major threat to sustained peace...and the country's development."

Mladic, 60, and Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic -- who also remains at large -- have been sought by the UN war crimes tribunal since 1995 to stand trial on charges of genocide and war crimes committed by his troops during the Bosnian war.

According to the witnesses Italian SFOR troops backed by four helicopters entered Mladic's house at 1:00 pm (1100 GMT). Some 30 mourners, as well as the body of 84-year-old Stana Mladic, were in the house during the search.

SFOR helicopters started monitoring the house during the night, shortly after she died, the witnesses said.

"This is a shame! The enemy is not letting us bury her in peace," Mladic's brother-in-law, Radivoje Avram, said in front of the house as SFOR was conducting an hour-long search, according to witnesses.

"Do they really think that such a man would be hiding in a refrigerator, or under the manhole cover where SFOR soldiers have been looking for him?" said Avram, visibly upset like the rest of the mourners.

The Bosnian Serb general is considered the mastermind of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, Europe's worst atrocity since World War II, and for the three-and-a-half year siege of Sarajevo which claimed another 10,000 lives.

More than 7,000 Muslim men and boys are believed to have been summarily executed in July 1995 when Serb rebel forces overran the eastern enclave of Srebrenica even though it was under the protection of Dutch UN soldiers.

For the past several years, Mladic is believed to be living in neighbouring Serbia where war crimes prosecutors claim he is under the protection of the army.

But officials in Serbia have recently said that he left the republic a year ago after losing support from his protectors in the former Yugoslav army.

SFOR troops, deployed here since the end of the 1992-1995 war, are policing a ceasefire between Bosnian Serbs, Muslims and Croats but are also tasked with the arrest of war crimes suspects.

The force has so far arrested more than 20 Bosnian war crimes suspects although it has twice failed to arrest Karadzic in large-scale operations in February and March 2002.

Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic (news - web sites) is on trial at The Hague (news - web sites) on more than 60 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the 1990s wars in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo.

Meanwhile, Stana Mladic was laid to rest in Miljevici near Sarajevo in the presence of some 700 people. A wreath of flowers was laid on her grave with a message "From Ratko and family."

"Stana had a hard life, but she had something to be proud of," a family member said in a speach at the funeral.

"She was a great patriot and she had proved that by raising her son properly," he added.