Rick Mihalevich drives his Croation visitors, Ervin Grubisic, front seat, his wife Jasna, left, and daughter Hana, as they leave for a tour of the Missouri Capitol.

By CHRISTINA STUEVE
News Tribune

A Croatian man fascinated with Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery is calling his own tour of the United States a Croatian Corps of Discovery.

By the time they are done, Ervin Grubisic and his wife, Jasna, daughter, Hana, and mother, Bosiljka, will have seen Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville, Tenn.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; and Kitty Hawk and Wilmington, N.C.

Their visit in Missouri took them to Jefferson City, Kirksville, Lake of the Ozarks, St. Louis, Branson and Springfield.

Their Croatian Corps of Discovery began July 10 and ends Aug. 9.

The Thomas Hart Benton mural was their main interest at the Capitol.

They saw the House of Representatives floor and a few pristine marble hallways. Jasna videotaped the Capitol, including the office of state Rep. Merrill Townley, R-Chamois.

"We are delighted we visited so many museums and presentations in museums. The presentation animates the visitor," Jasna said.

In Jefferson City, they had a progressive dinner, with appetizers at Rick and Connie Mihalavech's home and Alaskan Salmon at Alan Doerhoff's home.

At their family reunion in Kirksville, they made Klobasa, a Croatian sausage recipe of tongues, hearts and liver.

Hana Grubisic, 15, likes American food. "We didn't expect such a rich menu, so many recipes. You can see so many influences and such phenomenal dressings," Hana said.

The Grubisics live in a high-rise building in Rijeka, Croatia, a seaport city of 150,000 on the Adriatic Sea.

Bolsiljka described America as "great and powerful."

With Hana's translation, she added: "It is different for us from such a small country, comparing ourselves to America."

Croatia's political situation is stable, with a growing democracy.

The war of independence from Yugoslavia, in 1991-1995, left Croatians with a new identity, Ervin said.

They say American peace-keepers are not there.

"We (Croatians) finally found out who we are," Ervin said. "We are proud to be Croatian, and we are very tolerant of Serbs and Bosnians," he added. "What we see now is a mixture of cultures and a tolerance of cultures."

Ervin is a merchant marine instructor at a navigation school.

The Grubisics noted two differences between America and their home.

They miss strong Croatian coffee. "American coffee is a little soft," Jasna Grubisic said.

She also noticed many overweight people on her visit to America. "Croatians are skinny," Alan Doerhoff explained.

Only 15, Hana speaks very good English. Ervin, 44, speaks English with an accent, but is understandable. Jasna, 39, understands but doesn't speak English, and Bosiljka, 77, speaks no English.

Hana, who wants to be a lawyer, is in her third year studying Italian and in her second year studying Latin. Next year, she will study German.

Her friends have prejudices about America, and she doesn't expect them to believe that she had a pleasant visit.

"They think America is violent, because of action movies and the media," she said.

Croatian teens don't watch (more accurate) documentaries, she said.

She described Croatia as a a classical Mediterranean country, based on history and culture.

Source: http://newstribune.com/stories/073103/loc_0731030058.asp

UIP strikes Croatian licence deal

Tim Dams in London 28 July 2003

United International Pictures is to distribute its films in Croatia through a new licence arrangement with Blitz Film and Video effective from August 1.

UIP used to distribute in Croatia through Zagreb-based Kinematografi.

Amongst the line-up of Universal, Paramount and DreamWorks films that UIP will bring to Croatian audiences through the new deal are Tomb Raider 2, The Hulk, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, The Italian Job and American Pie The Wedding.

Roger Pollock, senior vice-president European sales for UIP, commented "We were impressed by the energy and creativity that Hrvoje Krstulovic and his team have demonstrated and when this is applied to our terrific line-up it will be a winning combination."

Source: http://www.screendaily.com/story.asp?storyid=13345

StarCite Reports Record Q2 Growth As Use, Customers, Revenues Surge

Business Editors/Travel Writers

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 31, 2003--StarCite, Inc., a provider of innovative Web-based technologies and services for the $300 billion global meetings and events industry, today announced another quarter of record company, customer and revenue growth for the April-June period, as it provided hotels with nearly $175 million in RFP opportunities, 62 percent more than in the first quarter, and 374 percent more than the same period a year earlier.

    From April-June, 2003, StarCite users sent 4,003 unique requests for proposals through the StarCite Online Marketplace. The RFPs providing nearly 643,000 group room night leads to databased properties, up 62 percent from the first quarter results. With these leads, the StarCite Online Marketplace provided hotels with more than $106 million in room night revenue potential and an estimated $68.9 million from food and beverage and ancillary revenues. At the current pace, StarCite projects its growing user base to deliver over $700 million in revenue opportunities and 2.6 million room nights to hotels in 2003.

Excluding its private-label sites for suppliers (StarCite powers the group RFP functionality of the Web sites of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and a number of individual hotels), the StarCite Online Marketplace on a monthly basis is delivering in excess of $58 million worth of group and meeting opportunities to suppliers. The number of gross RFPs sent through the StarCite Online Marketplace rose by 33 percent in the quarter, to 32,312.

During the second quarter, StarCite grew its buyer and supplier customer bases, adding Cephalon Inc., Vanguard Travel Unlimited, and Northwestern Incentive Services and its sister-company, Northwestern Travel Management. In addition, Northwestern Incentive Services signed on to distribute and service StarCite's Corporate Technology Products to its own customers. Through partner and its own deployments, StarCite expanded its presence in the pharmaceutical, healthcare and financial services industries. It also added several more enterprise customers that have mandated use of StarCite to source meetings as a best practice. Among StarCite's key enterprise deployments are Amgen, Cisco Systems, KPMG, Lehman Brothers, Motorola and Quaker Oats.

Recognizing the value that the StarCite channel provides, several key suppliers strengthened or forged new relationships with StarCite, including Sol Melia and Accor hotels.

Registrations using StarCite's RegWeb online applications continue to grow at almost 45 percent over the same periods last year. In the first six months, more than 250,000 meeting delegates registered for one of more than 3,000 meetings or events in RegWeb. In the quarter, the company reported 129,540 registration transactions. StarCite also recorded growth in the use of and interest in integrating RegWebPro with Group Air Booking capabilities and continues to expand its offerings in that space.

On the international front, Networld International signed representation contracts with five domestic destination management companies, and renewed agreements with several key suppliers, including Croatia Airlines. Networld is marketing the new clients - Wedgewood - Boston, Wedgewood - NY, Convention Planning Services, Deco Productions and The Meeting Manager - under a U.S. DMC Group campaign. Networld also is experiencing building interest for incentives in Europe and South America. While the resurgence hasn't extended to the Far East yet, the marketing arm booked a 350-person incentive movement to Thailand for 2005. In June, the company held its annual Travel Mart road shows to introduce international members to key corporate and incentive-house decision-makers in eight cities.

"We're excited about the level of support we are receiving in all of our product lines, and particularly with the increased activity from existing customers and the signing of new Fortune 1000 customers who have selected our technology and support to deliver results," said John Pino, StarCite's Founder and CEO. "Tough times are a catalyst for improvement. StarCite's meeting consolidation technology and services address initiatives that save money, improve processes and build better relationships with suppliers. We're delighted to see more large corporations recognize this and benefit."

About StarCite, Inc.

StarCite, Inc. delivers technology and service solutions that drive best practices, cost savings and more efficient management processes to both buyers and suppliers in the meetings and events industry. The StarCite Online Marketplace delivers RFP workflow, preferred vendor management, bid analysis and reporting; RegWeb helps corporations efficiently and cost-effectively register meeting and training delegates online; together, as part of the StarCite Integrated Meetings Platform, the company delivers a comprehensive solution to manage meetings, registration and group air. StarCite also offers suppliers innovative marketing opportunities, the ability to electronically respond to and manage leads, as well as advanced technology solutions to improve their existing business processes. Its Networld International unit offers innovative marketing and technology solutions to international suppliers and unique services to leading planners of international incentives, meetings and events. StarCite is based in Philadelphia, PA. Investors in StarCite include American Express; Internet Capital Group; Maritz Travel Company; McGettigan Partners; Mellon Ventures; Networld, Inc.; Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.; Strattech Partners; and Verticalnet. For more information about StarCite, or its technologies and services, please visit www.StarCite.com.

CONTACT: StarCite, Inc., Philadelphia
Mary Ann McNulty, 630-519-4510
mmcnulty@starcite.com

Source: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/cb_headline.cgi?&story_file=bw.073103/2321

To: newsonline@bbc.co.uk
Cc: talkingpoint@bbc.co.uk
Date: Mon, 28 Jul 2003

Subject: Glenny article "Croatia's dance with the EU

Dear Editor:

Misha Glenny has written another of his unflattering articles aboutCroatia "Croatia's dance with the EU". It should not come as a surprise,since Serbophile Mr. Glenny already exhibited his anti-Croatian bias inthe past. Unfortunately, he and his ilk of journalists always seem tofind a very receptive media - indoctrinated, no doubt, by decades ofSerb propaganda.

In this article he is parroting the Serb propaganda lie about theCroatians' "violent nationalism that was visited upon its minoritySerbs....". Wonder why Glenny did not precede his statement by writingabout these same minority Serbs expelling several hundred thousand Croatsfrom their homes with only the clothes on their backs, while looting andburning their properties? Why he did not mention the thousands of Croatsthese Serbs killed with the help of their paramilitary and the Yugoslavarmy? Or the many mass graves of the hundreds of massacred Croatians,from the very young to the very old. Even after the truth about the war and Serb aggression is coming out at The Hague's ICTY trials of Milosevicand his henchmen, Misha Glenny still parrots the Serb lies andexaggerations.

Glenny made statements that have no foundation in reality, such as theabsurdity that Croatia's late president Tudjman was, in Glenny's opinion,a friend of Milosevic! Tudjman had his faults, but that was not one ofthem! Glenny also made the false statement that Croatia's generalGotovina is indicted by the ICTY for "murder and disappearance of hundreds of Serb civilians". GeneralGotovina is being accused of "command responsibility" - while he neithercommanded nor approved the isolated instances of revenge-killings byCroatians, who were not even necessarily soldiers. Neither was it thepolicy of the Croatian Government. A number of people were tried in Croatia for these war crimes.

Yes, general Gotovina is a hero in Croatians' eyes because he led thearmy that finally liberated Croatia's rebel-held territories. It shouldbe noted that the war with Serbia/Yugoslavia ended by Jan.1992, yet allpeaceful means of reintegration of Serb-held Croatian territories werefruitless and the military action in Aug. 1995 was the only alternative.

Sincerely,
Hilda M. Foley
National Federation of Croatian Americans
13272 Orange Knoll

Sprinkled holy water on company documents and desks

Electronic prescription service sold

Buyout nets owners $1.5M

By James McNair
The Cincinnati Enquirer

PocketScript, the Mason company that launched a wireless drug prescription service for doctors - and sprinkled holy water on its financial documents when it ran low on capital - has sold its assets to a Texas company whose investors include Microsoft chairman Bill Gates and former General Electric CEO Jack Welch.

The transaction was announced last week by Zix Corp. of Dallas. Zix makes computer programs that protect users from electronic viruses, spam and online invasion. It was founded in 1999 as ZixIt by entrepreneur David P. Cook, who persuaded Gates, Welch and billionaire industrialists Michael Dell and H. Wayne Huizenga into buying ownership stakes.

For PocketScript, also born in 1999, ZixCorp was at least its fifth suitor in two years.

Owned by co-founders Steve Burns and Dr. Ted Bort and several venture capitalists, PocketScript began entertaining offers after the market for venture capital and initial public stock offerings dried up. It turned down a $13.5 million buyout offer from Cincinnatian Rob Reinders in January 2001. A proposed sale to Medix Resources of New York fizzled in March.

ZixCorp said it paid $1.5 million, including 362,903 ZixCorp shares valued at $1.35 million, for PocketScript's assets. ZixCorp CEO John Ryan noted that PocketScript is one of the more established players in the e-prescription industry.

"The demand for e-prescribing is being driven by the healthcare industry's need to increase patient safety, reduce costs and save time for both pharmacists and prescribers," Ryan said. "When you consider the increasing volumes of prescriptions written in this country and multiply that by a transaction and subscription fee, the potential for the e-prescribing market is huge."

PocketScript's Point-of-Care system operates on both Blackberry and PC platforms and allows doctors to write drug prescriptions remotely while checking drug-to-drug interactions and patient drug-use histories. As of March, Point-of-Care was used by about 600 doctors. Last week, ZixCorp said it the service will be offered to the 18,000-plus doctors affiliated with the Tufts Health Plan in Boston.

Burns joined ZixCorp as a vice president and general manager of its PocketScript Division.

"We saw this marriage as a perfect fit," Burns said of the merger. "PocketScript's assets will enable ZixCorp to extend its leadership position in the health-care sector."

PocketScript filed for and emerged from bankruptcy in 2002. Among the debts discharged were back salaries and bonuses owed to former employees and vendors.

Having been laid off after working months without a paycheck in early 2001, employees questioned the company's infusion of prayer and religious icons in the workplace. In December 2000, after visiting the Virgin Mary apparition in Medjugorje, Croatia, Burns handed out rosaries to employees and Bort sprinkled holy water on company documents and desks.

E-mail jmcnair@enquirer.com.

Source: http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/07/29/biz_wwwbiz1bscript29.html

By JAMES JOHNSON
STAFF WRITER

(July 25, 2003) - AMHERST - Canandaigua’s Jen Albrecht and Victor’s Hannah Sharp play volleyball for rival high schools.

They play different positions. And they don’t play the game the same way.

One thing that Sharp and Albrecht do have in common is a promising future on the court. At least the Division I college programs that offered them full athletic scholarships think so.

"They both were heavily recruited (by colleges)," VolleyFX club team coach Rob Werkmeister said. "Jen is very athletic. She was recruited to play different positions. She jumps high and reaches high, about 10 feet, and the net is about 7-6."

"Hannah is very technically correct. The Louisville head coach (Leonid Yelin) said he could use her to teach players how to pass. She also has an innate ability to follow the ball, stay in the flow of the game."

With Albrecht and Sharp on opposite sides of the net, you have an interesting match.

Put the two Finger Lakes League All-Stars on the same side and you have a solid nucleus for an Empire State Games team.

The Louisville-bound Sharp, a libero or defensive specialist, and Albrecht, a middle hitter headed to Virginia Tech, lead the Western Region’s scholastic women into this year’s competition at the State University at Buffalo.

"We’ve been practicing for the gold," Sharp said. "I’ve experienced winning silver and it’s nothing like winning the gold."

"When I look at the two medals, there’s no comparison."

Western has won 16 of the 25 ESG gold medals awarded in the scholastic women’s division and is favored to take another. Albrecht and Sharp refused to pass up the chance, even though they no longer need to impress college scouts.

"I love volleyball," Albrecht said. "I live for the sport. In the summer, that’s all I do, it’s my job."

"We’re trying to be the best in the state, and that’s awesome. Western swept all (four) golds last year. We definitely want to do it again."

Albrecht and Sharp say their minds are made up when it comes to college.

They say their plan is to honor the non-binding, verbal commitments given to Virginia Tech and Louisville. Sharp will join arguably one of the top 10 programs in the nation once she heads off to Louisville, Ky.

Louisville setter Sarah Drury trained with the United States National Team for the Pan-American Games and 6-2 outside hitter Sonja Percan joined Croatia’s squad for a tournament this year.

How many college volleyball players and coaches are recognized at airports? That happens in Kentucky.

"The community really backs them, you can see it," Sharp said. "This year’s season tickets are sold out and there is a waiting list for next year."

"I’m still shocked they picked me out of so many girls. It’s so amazing."

Albrecht hopes she can help continue Virginia Tech’s improvement. The Hokies finished behind only national power Notre Dame in the Big East Conference last season.

Virginia Tech takes a step up in competition in 2004 when it joins the Atlantic Coast Conference.

"I come in right when they are changing," said Albrecht, who will move from middle to outside hitter in college. "In the Big East, I would’ve been able to play in front of my parents but the ACC is a better challenge."

"It’s OK, my parents don’t mind traveling. My coach (Greg Smith) says he’s going to have a live webcam for all of the games, so they can watch on-line too."

There was a chance that Albrecht and Sharp were going to be college, as well as club and Empire State Games teammates.

"They wanted me to be a setter," the 6-foot Albrecht said. "They said they saw me in warm-ups and that I was a natural, but I can’t set."

"I’d rather hit."

Albrecht would also like to get the best of Sharp when Victor and Canandaigua meet this fall.

Victor has a string of Finger Lakes East titles, in part, because the Blue Devils are able to beat Canandaigua. The Blue Devils were unbeaten in league matches last season and finished third in the state.

"I’m always pushing myself," Albrecht said. "(Sharp) is a smart player. She doesn’t always try to hit the ball as hard as she can, she’ll roll it to the corner and use tips to get it to a better spot. She’s consistent and gives great passes to hit, too, but I don’t like playing against her though."

jjohnson@DemocratandChronicle.com

Source: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/sports/general/0725VU1AHLO_volley25_general.shtml