Croatia - Israel , new page

Moshe Katsav, president of Israel, left and Croatian president Stjepan Mesic listens the national enthems during their meeting in capital Zagreb on Friday July 11, 2003. During the 3-day visit to Croatia , Moshe Katsav will go to Dubrovnik and a WW II concentration camp of Jasenovac.(AP Photo/Hrvoje Knez)

July 11, 2003.
MESIC, KATSAV ATTEND CROATIAN-ISRAELI BUSINESS FORUM
Presidents Stjepan Mesic and Moshe Katsav on Friday held speeches
at the opening of a forum of Croatian and Israeli business people
at the Croatian Chamber of Economy, saying that there were great
possibilities of enhancing bilateral economic cooperation.
President Mesic said that there were no open issues between
Croatia and Israel and that the legacy of the past no longer
burdened bilateral ties, adding that the two countries had already
signed numerous bilateral agreements. President Katsav described
relations between the two countries as friendly and expressed
hope that Israel could be a very good partner of Croatia. He
also met with representatives of the Croatian Jewish community
on Friday and expressed satisfaction with the position of Jews in Croatia.

Jazzcubes Poetry

Sunrise325. LakeShore Jazz.

"Chasing."

Barb wire keeping house in Chet Baker's horn, emotional heroin renting the rim in Bird's sax, Monk's dimes sweating beads on the stage ivory, an ashtray chasing Sonny Rollin's Blue Note, Miles was always some kind of blue in his Billie Holiday New York city.

--Steve Renko

Courtney Angela Brkic on WNYC

Courtney Angela Brkic mentioned on Croatian World Net that she would be
a guest on the Leonard Lopate Show from 1:40 to 2:00 pm on Wednesday
July 16, 2003. The Leonrad Lopate Show is heard on the local National
Public Radio affiliate, WNYC, at 820 on the AM dial.

Those who cannot listen to the show can tune in via the internet - go to
www.wnyc.org. You can also listen to the show on the archives of the
Leonard Lopate Show (obviously after the show is broadcast at
http://www.wnyc.org/shows/lopate/archive.html. I beleive shows can be
listened to for up to 1 week after the broadcast date.

John Kraljic

Zenska Klapa Lindjo Najugodnije Iznenadjenje

Ako je suditi prema snazi reakcija publike, ali i stručnog povjerenstva, najugodnije iznenađenje, kako vizualno tako i auditivno, priredila je simpatična dubrovačka klapa Fa Linđo (Kroz planine, barda i gore) u čijem su sastavu najmlađe sudionice festivala. Intonativnom stabilnoaću, glasovnom snagom i svje~inom, uigranoaću i rafiniranoaću interpretacije, te izborom repertoara kojim su pokazale senzibilitet za izričajne nijanse i tipične jezične finese dubrovačkog glazbeno-leksičkog idioma, zaista zavrijeđuju svaku pohvalu. Nastupajući u sedam glasova, u svojoj su doista cjelovitoj pjevačko-scenskoj kreaciji apostrofirale činjenicu da kvantitet nije garancija uspjeha, već isključivo tehnička spremnost, autentičnost i muzikalnost čina izvedbe.

Dragi Nenad i CROWN,

Evo, imamo novosti, pa vam se javljamo...

Bile smo u Omisu. Prosle fenomenalno.. Sa najvecim brojem bodova u izlucnim vecerima+gala veceri od svih zenskih klapa - 45.2. (U finalnoj veceri nastupit cemo posljednje). Dat cemo sve od sebe,pa sto Bog da. Saljem vam sliku iz Omisa, a na netu mozete procitat kritike, na web stranici Slobodne Dalmacije koja je izisla danas, 14.7.2003.

Cujemo se!

Pozdrav od svih nas!

Paula Kusalic

lindjovke@yahoo.com

Op-ed

Ja sam osobno cuo zensku Klapu Lindjo kad sam bio u Dubrovniku i odusevio se. Kako pjevanjem, tako i izgledom i ponasanjem. Na sceni i izvan nje. Drago mi je cuti i citati o njihovom ZASLUZENOM uspjehu.

I heard Klapa Lindjo personally, when I was in Dubrovnik, month ago. I was impressed with their singing, image and behavior on the stage and of the stage. I am thrilled to see and hear about their DESERVED success.

Nenad Bach

p.s. Vedran Ivankovic voditelj Klape

DRUGA IZBORNA VEČER }ENSKIH KLAPA - OMI` 2003.

Vedrina i mladenački polet

}eljeli bismo da kreativni naboj i toplina atmosfere prate festivalska događanja do same zavranice u kojoj nas zasigurno očekuje glazbeno-estetski u~itak i zanimljiv rasplet , barem ato se tiče natjecanja u ~enskoj konkurenciji

Svi oni koji pomnije prate festivalska događanja sjetit će se Sinjana koji su iste godine zaslu~ili debitantsku i treću nagradu, ili pak proalogodianjeg nastupa debitantske klape Crikvenica, koja je stigavai do muakog finala, zavrijedila broncu. Čini se kako je, premda ne ~elim proricati zavranicu, ~enska klapa Korjandul-Zagreb (Sinoć san se mlada) upravo na tom tragu. Nastupom na Bolu osvojile su prvu nagradu publike i stručnog povjerenstva, a jučeraanjim kvalitetnim i dotjeranim muziciranjem kojim su pokazale sposobnost izra~avanja raspolo~enja u airokom interpretativno-tehničkom spektru, izborile su četvrto mjesto u ukupnom skoru. Nesporan je mladenački aarm i srčanost klape Diapet-Zagreb koja je, predstavivai se s dvije karakterno različite pjesme (Gorice zelena i Kukuvi~a), sugestivnom i temperamentnom interpretacijom zavrijedila mjesto u festivalskom finalu. Posljednje, dvanaestoplasirane finalistice, Gričanke iz Zagreba (O prokleta Mikulina luka) raspola~u uistinu velikim rasponom visina, dubina i sonornoaću glasovnih boja, no ponegdje tako airok sklop i nije kvaliteta u recepcijsko-estetskom smislu. U natjecateljskoj tenziji koja je postupno rasla prema kraju, u pravom klapskom atihu s tonom koji ne "tuli" u visinama, nego ima zrelu zaobljenost i ekspresivnost (vjerojatno tomu pridonosi i pjevanje iz ni~ih intonacija), zazvučale su Skradinke-Skradin (Deveta ura), poznatije kao dalmatinske ladarice, izborivai svojim timbarskim skladom drugo mjesto na konačnoj listi ~enskih finalistica. Ako je suditi prema snazi reakcija publike, ali i stručnog povjerenstva, najugodnije iznenađenje, kako vizualno tako i auditivno, priredila je simpatična dubrovačka klapa Fa Linđo (Kroz planine, barda i gore) u čijem su sastavu najmlađe sudionice festivala. Intonativnom stabilnoaću, glasovnom snagom i svje~inom, uigranoaću i rafiniranoaću interpretacije, te izborom repertoara kojim su pokazale senzibilitet za izričajne nijanse i tipične jezične finese dubrovačkog glazbeno-leksičkog idioma, zaista zavrijeđuju svaku pohvalu. Nastupajući u sedam glasova, u svojoj su doista cjelovitoj pjevačko-scenskoj kreaciji apostrofirale činjenicu da kvantitet nije garancija uspjeha, već isključivo tehnička spremnost, autentičnost i muzikalnost čina izvedbe.
Bez povoda za izdvajanje bile su klape Garofuli-Bibinje, Fortica-Klis, Viola-Zadar, Stonke-Ston, i, poglavito Oraulice iz Vodica koje su nakon peha na početku bile vidlivo dekoncentrirane pjevajući repertoar s preteakim aran~manima koji su nerijetko svrha sebi samima, na uatrb jednostavnosti i prozračnosti fakture imanentne dalmatinskoj pučkoj pjesmi.
}eljeli bismo da kreativni naboj i toplina atmosfere prate festivalska događanja do same zavranice u kojoj nas zasigurno očekuje glazbeno-estetski u~itak i zanimljiv rasplet s obiljem vedrine i mladenačkog poleta u utrci za odličja, barem ato se tiče natjecanja u ~enskoj konkurenciji.
Nakon druge izborne večeri ~enskih klapa, poznato je dvanaest finalista: Fa Linđo (Dubrovnik), Skradinke (Skradin), Diapet (Zagreb), Korjandul(Zagreb), Kastav (Kastav), Baklje (Rijeka),Dalmatinke (Split), Ćakulone (Zagreb), Hreljin (Hreljin), Filip Dević (Split), Anima Maris (Zadar)i Gričanke (Zagreb).

Ivana TOMIĆ-FERIĆ

Source: http://www.slobodnadalmacija.hr/20030714/kultura01.asp

Courtney Angela Brkic in New York

I will be reading from my short story collection (Stillness and Other Stories) next Wednesday, July 16, 2003 at the Astor Place Barnes and Noble located at 4 Astor Place, New York, NY, near New York University The event is being co-sponsored by Amnesty International and will begin at 7:30. Everyone is welcome!

Also, for those unable to make the reading, but still interested in hearing me discuss the book, I'm going to be a guest on the Lenny Lopate radio show earlier that day, from 1:40 to 2:00, so please tune in.

Op-ed

Please support our Angela Brkic and come to the reading, plus... support for any artist is when you BUY their product, in this case her book. For yourself or/and for your friends as a gift. She deserves it.

best,

Nenad Bach
Editor in Chief

Croatian Invented Valium

The following Associated Press article concerns Leo Sternbach, a
Croatian Jew who discovered Valium.

John Kraljic

At 95, inventor of Valium, other drugs finally slowing down

By LINDA A. JOHNSON
AP Business Writer

July 1, 2003, 2:25 PM EDT

NUTLEY, N.J. -- But for his stubborn streak, chemist Leo Sternbach might
not have discovered Valium, the drug that 40 years ago revolutionized
treatment of anxiety and became a household name.

A top researcher at drug maker Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., Sternbach had
spent much of the 1950s trying to make a tranquilizer to compete with a
rival's popular new drug, Miltown. He was tinkering with chemical
compounds, attaching various atom groups and testing the new compounds
on animals, when his boss ended the project.

But Sternbach tested one last version anyway. In just a day, he got the
results: The compound made animals relaxed and limp.

Sternbach, now 95, had created a better drug, Librium _ and an entire
new class of tranquilizers named benzodiazepines. They were safer and
more effective than previous treatments: barbiturates, opiates, alcohol
and herbs.

He soon simplified Librium's structure into one three times more potent,
Valium. Approved in May 1963, it became a cultural icon _ the country's
most prescribed drug from 1969 to 1982.

"It had no unpleasant side effects. It gave you a feeling of
well-being," Sternbach said recently at Hoffmann-LaRoche's Nutley
headquarters. "Only when the sales figures came in, then I realized how
important it was."

The company sold nearly 2.3 billion pills stamped with the trademark "V"
at its 1978 peak.

"Sternbach profoundly changed the nature of pharmacology because then
the standard became that you have to be at least as safe as these
drugs," said Dr. Norman Sussman, professor of psychiatry at New York
University School of Medicine.

Unlike earlier drugs, Valium did not slow breathing, so patients
couldn't use it to commit suicide. But it was overused, Sternbach said;
some patients became addicted, so a doctor's visit was required for
refills.

Still, benzodiazepines remain the most prescribed anxiety drugs, partly
because they start working as fast as one hour, slowing brain activity.
They also are used for treating panic and phobia disorders and insomnia,
calming patients before surgery and relaxing muscles.

"They were the first weapons in our arsenal for fighting anxiety
disorders," helping people to function, said Jerilyn Ross, president of
the Anxiety Disorders Association of America. "It was a huge leap."

HLR still researches other uses for them, said Louis Renzetti, who heads
its efforts to speed up discovery of new compounds.

Valium was the first blockbuster for corporate parent Roche, the Swiss
drug maker, said George Abercrombie, president and chief executive
officer of Hoffmann-La Roche.

"It put us on the map," he said, and funded development of other key
drugs.

Sternbach, who says he "loved chemistry" from an early age, was born in
what's now Croatia. He began working at Roche's Basel headquarters in
1940 after earning a Ph.D. in organic chemistry at University of Krakow
in Poland and working as a research assistant.

Fearing Nazis would occupy Switzerland, the company sent its Jewish
scientists to the United States. Sternbach fled on June 22, 1941, with
his new bride Herta, his landlady's daughter.

"We came with only our clothes," she recalled.

When they reached Nutley, Roche's U.S. headquarters had just one
building. Sternbach helped organize its new chemical laboratory.

The couple soon bought a modest home in Upper Montclair, where they
raised two sons and still live.

Sternbach's first big success was synthesizing biotin, a B vitamin that
breaks down fatty acids and carbohydrates. Vitamins previously were made
from plant extracts, but Sternbach found an efficient way to synthesize
the complex molecule, said Jeff Tilley, who joined Sternbach's research
group in 1972.

Sternbach officially retired in 1973, but worked most days until
recently. He mentored young scientists, corresponded and consulted with
others, and worked on his biography, due out this fall under the title,
"Good Chemistry: The Life and Times of Valium Inventor Leo Sternbach."

His other breakthroughs include the sleeping pills Dalmane and Mogadon,
Klonopin for epileptic seizures and Arfonad, for limiting bleeding
during brain surgery.

Named one of the 25 most influential Americans of the 20th century by
U.S. News & World Report, his credits include 241 patents, 122
publications, honorary degrees and other awards.

"Leo was a game changer, really. It's quite inspiring to be on a campus
with someone with that impact," Renzetti said.

Until a decade ago, one-fourth of Roche's sales came from Sternbach discoveries.

"He's an inventor's inventor," said CEO Abercrombie. "Within every
company, there is a person or two whose legacy becomes the hallmark of
what the company is about, and for Roche, it is Dr. Sternbach."

Mario Preskar Wins in 1min 59 sec

JUST ARRIVED !!!

Live via telephone from Las Vegas by Vedran Nazor: 10:07 PM (local) 1:07 AM (New York)

Hello Nenad, Mario wins in the first round of his first professional match. After the first minute, few body shots and KO in 1 minute 59 seconds. Opponent Roman Armstrong 221 Lb, Mario Preskar 209 Lb. (Change of an opponent was made at the day of the match).

Mario Preskar a new talent in the Don King's Productions.

Congratulations Mario on a first win.

Rounding out the world championship tripleheader, presented by Don King Productions, in association with Main Events, will be WBA Super Welterweight Champion Vivian Harris (22-1-1, 16 KOs), of Brooklyn, N.Y. making his initial title defense against unbeaten mandatory challenger, Souleymane "The Sensation" M'Baye (27-0, 18 KOs), of Levallois-Perret, France.

The Mayorga-Forrest and Corley-Judah bouts will be televised by HBO.

Highlighting an outstanding undercard will be three exciting elimination bouts.

Mario Preskar, 19 year old Croatian Super Heavyweight turns professional and will fight Sean McClure of Cincinnati in his professional debut. Preskar is 6' 1" and weighs 220 lbs. He's trained by his longtime coach Leonard Pijetraj. In a rematch of their July 27, 2002, contest, IBF No. 3 contender Pete Frissina (26-3-1, 15 KOs), of Tarpon Springs, Fla., will take on No. 5 Jesus Perez (23-2-2, 13 KOs), of Cordoba, Colombia, in an IBF bantamweight eliminator. Frissina captured the first meeting in a hard-fought 12 round decision to retain his North American Boxing Organization (NABO) 118-pound title. In, addition, former WBA light heavyweight champion and current WBA No. 2 contender, Lou Del Valle (31-3-1, 21 KOs), of Long Island, NY will battle No. 5 contender Manuel Siaca (16-4, 15 KOs), of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, in a WBA light heavyweight eliminator.

Adventures with Jason: Croatia, Part Two

Here I am at the Minceta Tower, the highest point on Dubrovnik's 1,000-year-old walls. Behind me, you can see the jarring mix of brown old tiles and new reddish tiles laid after the shelling 12 years ago. But Dubrovnik survives, lavish as ever.

More surprises, including the legendary cities of Split and Dubrovnik, await in this Adriatic jewel

By Jason Cochran
ARTHUR FROMMER'S BUDGET TRAVEL

May 29 I have just discovered one of the worlds great drives. Id love to give you directions, but its not some three-hour Sunday excursion. Its Croatia. The whole coast. As the crow flies, thats about 440 miles of seashore on roads that wind around dramatic cliffs through sleepy villages, flying over crystal Mediterranean waters, surveying magnificent mountains floating in the distant sea.

ITS EASY to forget that before the violence of the early 90s, Croatia attracted a stunning 10 million tourists a year. Numbers are up again, but they still havent recovered. Which means these fabulous roads are still relatively uncluttered and 2003 is an ideal time to visit Croatia. Right now, its in that slim window of time in which tourist amenities are back on line but tourists themselves are straggling. (And if my dispatches from Croatia youll find the first one by clicking HERE have made you curious about going, at the bottom of this story, youll find a partial list of information contacts and companies that sell travel there.)
On the map, Croatia looks something like a boomerang; one prong points into Central European farmland and rings with Austro-Hungarian influences, and the other whips down the coast of the Adriatic, where Italian flavor dominates.
My plan is to drive most of the coast, from the port of Rijeka in the north to Dubrovnik at the southern end. On the map, it doesnt look like muchessentially half the length of Italy, its neighbor about 100 miles across the Adriatic-but the twists and turns of these vertiginous coastal roads retard progress considerably. Americans are unused to such thinly guardrailed highways, or to drops of such precipitous proportions (as well as to the bumper-hugging impatience of your average Mediterranean driver), so if you want to enjoy the view, you have to take your time. There are 1,185 offshore islands in Croatia, mostly uninhabited, and on a drive along the coast they scroll through your car window with almost magisterial grace. Under normal circumstances, I get rattled when a slowpoke truck appears at my front bumper on a long road trip, but in Croatia (where I sometimes spot rusting car wrecks clinging to the cliffs below), Im grateful for slow traffic. Besides, it affords me chances to steal more gazes at the Adriatic.

In Istria, in Croatias northwest, the weather, like the sea, is murky at this time of year. But once I pass Rijeka, the islands of Krk and Rab slide into place and Mediterranean magic takes hold. Haze and vegetation clear, leaving only ancient rock, crisp sunshine, and a sea like a basin of solid glass, with the odd sailboat skimming an imperceptible surface.

Although the Dalmatian dog may or may not have originated here, you will see a few of them trotting about, and they match nicely with the spotted white stone streets.

For seven hours, thats my view, as I advance into the legendary coastal region known as Dalmatia. This is the homeland of Marco Polo. Dalmatias island of Brac is where the white stone facing of our White House originated (yes, America; the white part of the white house spent more time in Croatia than in Washington). And although the Dalmatian dog may or may not have originated here, you will see a few of them trotting about, and they match nicely with the spotted white stone streets.
The next UNESCO World Heritage Site on my tour (they come fast and furious in these parts) is in the coastal town of Sibenik, about midway down the coast. The site: the Cathedral of St. James. My work takes me to many old churches. Too many, each one claiming to be a cant-miss attraction. I know tourists who get cathedraled-out after just a day or two in Europe; can you imagine having a job where you had to visit them daily? Well, this is one of the few in the world that I can say is definitely worth the detour. Im not saying that God plays favorites, but not all churches are created to be equal. This church has wicked charm. Its worth your time, as are the steep stone streets that climb the hill behind it.

A few of the 72 faces decorating the Cathedral of St. James ("St. Jacob" in some guide books), completed in 1555. Visiting the interior is free, but be warned that you must wear long pants and enclosed shoes. Despite boasting St. James, Sibenik, a hillside town overlooking a particularly serene section of the Mediterranean, is not a touristy city.

St. James was begun in 1431 (its roof was smashed by shelling a decade ago, but it has been so elegantly restored that you wouldnt know if I hadnt told youand thats the case for most of Croatias sights). From afar, one might declare it the ideal Mediterranean church. Its cladding is nicely sunbleached and its dome (incredibly, built without mortar) is pleasingly bulbous. But up close, St. James true appeal reveals itself. A total of 71 faces, representative of 71 average Joes from the 15th century, stud the exterior in rows. Some are grinning, some frowning, some gloating, some laughing, but all are rich with a wry humor rarely seen in art of that age. Its as if the whole building was carved as a medieval version of the opening of The Muppet Show. (Thats probably not what the UNESCO people had in mind when they named it to their World Heritage List, but Im a child of the 70s, so my reaction is either terribly sad or terribly modern. It reminds me of the time in Botswana when, after our tiny motorboat was attacked by a hippo, a fellow tourist, oblivious to how close he just came to expiring in the messiest conceivable manner, exclaimed, That was just like the Jungle Cruise at Disney World! But thats another topic, and one probably left alone. Onward.)
      Its a shame that my frenized travel-writers schedule wont permit me more time in Sibenik, or time in the university town of Zadar, or a hike in the limestone gorges of Paklenica National Park. Periodically, I pass a young woman or child standing at the roadside extending a fat bunch of asparagus toward my car. I wish I could buy some, but my plans are set. Finally, and regrettably after such a dazzling drive, I crest a mountain and, like something with wings, descend into the ancient city of Split.

SPLIT AND TROGIR
      Split, which is about two-thirds down the coast of Croatia (roughly across the Adriatic from Ancona, Italy), is another big surprise. Get this: Much of the old city is in fact a Roman palace, built around the year 300. It is the Temple of Diocletian, my next UNESCO site, and its still used for homes and businesses today. While our kids pass Ross Dress For Less and Wendys on the way to school, Splits kids walk past Roman temples to Jupiter and sphinx statues from ancient Egypt.
      I find Splits age impossible to grasp, even as I find myself walking through the Silver Gate into the Peristyle, surrounded by Roman columns and an ancient mausoleum, with polished ancient stone underfoot. In many parts of the world, they would put a velvet rope around the whole place. Here, there are café tables spread about, and some bored-looking teenagers abjectly exhale cigarette smoke in the vague direction of priceless antiquities.

Splits port bustles even today with ferries heading all over the Adriatic, including Italy. There were even some American ships just in; a Coast Guard ship and a minesweeper, fresh from the Suez Canal after five months of duty. A 15-minute walk from the Temple is Bacvice, where the young and pretty people dine and dance each night, and the Hotel Park (my place), where the American ambassador sleeps during visits to Split. On my first night there, a wedding is taking place on the grounds. A male choral quintet serenades with pleading, leaning harmonies, like Bulgarian folk music; within hours, everyone is cheerfully drunk.
West of Split, very close to town, youll find hillside villas overlooking the sea. Even in the suburbs, people have their own vineyards, and almost everyone keeps a private garden. One of the villas was designed and built by the great sculptor Ivan Mestrovic, and today its a conservatory of his extraordinary work. His audacious depiction of Job is particularly moving. That costs about $2.50, but if youre extra cheap, you can see his 1926 opus Gregorius of Nin, for free. Its a tribute to a 10th-century Croatian nationalist bishop, and it stands at the northern, or Golden, gate of the Temple of Diocletian. Its left big toe has been burnished by generations of luck-seekers.

In Split, at the steps of the Roman emperor Diocletian's former mausoleum and the Protiron, once the entry to his palace, modern-day Croatians lounge al fresco with 90-cent espressos and $1.50 beers

As I drink a leisurely al fresco beer in the theatrically lit Temple of Diocletian, I again have that now-familiar reaction: Why arent there any American tourists here? The lack of Americans isnt explained by the current mania (a deliberate word choice) for staying home. Americans have never been much for Croatia, which fell off our travel radar even before the war there.
Now, things are slowly changing. The coast is being bought up by foreigners seeking cheap summer houses, and many of the investors are American. To the consternation of locals, strong foreign currencies are sweeping in and turning once-vital communities into comatose holiday towns that stand empty for most of the year.

In Trogir, it seems like nothing has changed in 500 years. No modern buildings, no Golden Arches (what are those?), not even a phone booth or Coke machine in sight.

A half hour north from Split by local bus ($1.50), theres yet another UNESCO site: the island town of Trogir. It was inhabited in turn by Greeks, Romans, and Venetians, and now it survives (linked to the mainland by a blip of a bridge) as a jewel of Renaissance architecture. It really is charming. During its peak, it was an economic and artistic powerhouse, and everything retains those old cultured flourishes. Romanesque churches crowd with a tangle of medieval walls and gates, shoe-polished alleys twist beneath the watchful eyes of ancient carved angels. In Trogir, it seems like nothing has changed in 500 years. No modern buildings, no Golden Arches (what are those?), not even a phone booth or Coke machine in sight. The sensation is heightened, a local tells me, by the fact the German coach tourists have not yet arrived for the high season of July and August. My timing makes Trogir is a place of beauty and peace.

For just $2.50, buses from Split visit splendid Trogir, a richly decorated island town left largely untouched since its prosperous peak during the 15th and 16th centuries. Most sights are free, including the indulgent Cathedral of St. Lawrence, which features this fantastic Romanesque door, carved in 1240.

Ringed by water and sun-soaked cafes, Trogir (like much of the coast) is a place where its easy to spend a few hours dining outside, beneath the steeples of ancient cathedrals. Me, I have black risotto, the local specialty of Pag cheese (dry like block parmesan, but sharp), and a succession of ice cream cones loaded with gelato. Total cost: less than $10. This Mediterranean lifestyle is contagious.
But theres no time to dally, because my itinerary takes me next to one of Croatias many islands. Hvar is 90 minutes by modern ferry from Splits central port. The Temple of Diocletian recedes behind the stern and the turquoise sea carries us evenly, as the Adriatic is impossibly flat; even in open waters, the sea is placid and it irons our wake as soon as we make it. Soon, Im making the scenic half-hour drive from Hvars port of Stari Grad to Hvar Town itself, on the islands southwest coast. My car windows are rolled all the way down and the warm breezes lift off the sea to carry the constant scent of lavender, which grows on the cliffs.

Hvar Town is yet another Mediterranean dream. Within its walls are some of the finest relics on the Dalmatian coast. In this small, hillside old town, wrapped around bay so clear it induces gasps, youll find one of the most handsome squares on the whole coast, full of kids playing soccer around a well built in 1520. Youll find a lovely former monastery on the sea, with a collection of Greek and Roman coins (they look freshly minted) and a heavenly garden sheltered by the same gnarled cyprus tree since the 1800s. Above the sweeping arches of the Arsenal (built late 1500s), youll find a 16th-century theatre ($1.50 entry) thats said to have been the first in Europe to open itself to commoners. The entire seafront is a broad stone promenade, most of it lined with cafes and restaurants, where small boats from throughout Europe tie for the evening. Above is a well-preserved castle (try the dungeon), and the promenade leads into countless isolated coves and bays perfect for private sun worship; it rarely rains here. Tucked into otherwise anonymous lanes, youll find gourmet home-cooked meals, the most expensive of which will set you back only $20 a sitting. (At the Slow Food Restaurant, I have beefsteak stuffed with goats cheese and fresh capersoh my good heavens, can you imagine?)
By now, this parade of cafes, sun, indulgent cuisine, and antiquities might be grating on you a little more than its grating on me. (After all, Im the one getting the tan.) So before we reach Dubrovnik, the grand finale and one of the worlds great destinations, Ill interject a few quibbles. One concerns hotels. Although the situation is changing as tourism increases, most have echoes of unexciting Communist-run facilities; rooms are not big, and in most of them, you can still find the switch intended to summon the chambermaids who once found employment walking each floor of the hotels. Another quibble: Although Croatia is in many ways a Western European country, it requires visitors to register with the police. Luckily, this is always done for you by the hotels front desk, but it does require tourists to surrender their passports upon check-in, something rarely done these days in civilized Europe. Since all the best areas of Croatia are pedestrian-only (a big plus over Italy), parking is scarce (a minus); if you rent a car, make sure its small, nimble, and be ready to hoof it to your hotel.

Most bewildering is Croatias tendency to shut down to tourists during the winter. Its not that it gets too cold; the Mediterranean is never frigid. Its that the Germans and the Italians dry up. July and August are their peak holiday periods, so thats when Croatia takes its hotels out of mothballs. But between mid-October and mid-April, hotel options dwindle to a slender few (although, happily, prices also drop). It doesnt seem right. Id gladly visit Croatia in the winter. So would most Americans I know. Then again, if more of us do, perhaps more hotels will become available then.
      Croatias economy is tepid, however, and many older people (such as women who have lost their husbands) cruise the ferry ports and bus stations in search of tourists willing to rent accommodation in their spare spaces. If hotels are full or closed, just listen for anyone saying Soba, soba to you-theyre not offering noodles but sobe, or a room. Expect to pay about US$20 a night if you use this entirely appropriate, common, and safe method, but make sure you know how far from town youll be staying before you seal the deal.

DAZZLING DUBROVNIK
      And finally, the climax of my trip. After more than two weeks of never lingering longer than one or to nights, Im relieved to come to a place where I will stay for three. My hotel in Dubrovnik is the Argentina, a plush palace that reopened only two weeks ago after over a decade of decay. You see, it was the place where journalists stayed as they covered the shelling of Dubrovnik in the winter of 1991-1992; the view of a smoldering city that you saw on your TV screens is the same view you now behold from the swimming pool, way below the hotel at the Mediterraneans edge, over the icy surface of your hand-delivered cocktails. Only now, the smell is not of smoke but of suntan oil as Western European tourists check into one of the only fully modern super-luxury hotels in the country-paying a bit over $100 a night for what would easily cost them $500 back home.

Seeing Dubrovniks fortifications shoot straight out of the azure Mediterranean is one of the most transporting experiences in world tourism.

I can count on one hand the number of world cities that cut such as striking profile. Dubrovnik was for many centuries a fabulously wealthy city-state (like Venice, like Singapore) whose riches enabled and required it to construct massive and towering fortifications around itself. Thanks to generations of shrewd political maneuvering, it was never sacked, although a few earthquakes nearly ended the place. Today, those fantastic walls-a mile of them-still encircle the sumptuous red-roof jumble of the old city. Seeing Dubrovniks fortifications shoot straight out of the azure Mediterranean is one of the most transporting experiences in world tourism.

Sunbathers hit the beach beside one the Mediterranean's most sublime sights: Dubrovnik's eye-popping walls, begun a millennium ago, which rise majestically from the freakishly smooth Adriatic Sea. It was this perspective from which, in 1991 and 1992, the world watched the treasured old city get hammered by shells launched from above.

In case you werent aware (since Croatia is empty of Americans, I must assume our ignorance is more widespread than Id feared), 12 years ago, Serb extremists seized a fort atop a hill above the city and lobbed some 2,000 shells into this fantastic city. Residents huddled inside the medieval forts which, incredibly, protected them from modern rockets.
      Even now, historians argue whether the Serbs meant only to terrify the Croats, not destroy the city (and theres much agreement that some on the Croatian side inflicted their own incalculable damage elsewhere), but one thing is obvious: Dubrovnik, though rebuilt, is different now. Its a gem, of course-just with many a new roof and the whiff of fresh paint. Its weathered, lichen-covered tiles, so famous, are now upstaged by many more luminous red tiles, glaringly fresh. Ah, well. Dubrovnik has survived cataclysms worse than this. I just wish I could have seen it before.
      One of my tour guides lived through the siege. Inside the Dominican Monastery, she points to a Renaissance-era well and explains thats where, at the time, she sent her kids to collect more water than the rations allowed. Then she points to the old man taking tickets at the monasterys museum of priceless objects. That man is still angry with me for it. He waves from across the room at her.
      When I tell her I live in New York City, I get her full attention. Most of the time, when I tell foreigners that I was in Manhattan on September 11, they instantly tell me where they were when they saw events unfold on television. But my guide, as a survivor of the Dubrovnik shelling, asks the single most sympathetic question that a stranger has ever asked me about it. Did it make a terrible sound? she asks, and thats all she asks. (It did.)
      I have walked atop the walls of Dubrovnik twice now, once clockwise and once counter-clockwise, to catch the way the sunlight plays at both angles. The entire old city is an UNESCO site, the fifth and last of my trip. I have explored every street inside the walls, plumbed both the monasteries, the old granary with its centuries-old silos, the hidden alleys full of kids playing soccer on ancient stone paths. I cant tell you how many times I have strolled the shiny avenue of Placa. I have allowed myself to be intoxicated not just by the city itself but also by a fairly immoderate round of beers in a thatched-roof outdoor pub I found through a hidden door at the base of the fortifications. There, a few feet above the glittering Adriatic and a hundred feet below the sheer drop of the medieval walls, the pub owner (a lanky kid with a wry grin) and I sat listening to Dean Martin classics and watching the Mediterranean rub fondly against the citys stony feet. Standing on the Corner, indeed!

Enjoying a leisurely evening korzo, or stroll, along the gleaming stone of Placa (a.k.a. Stradun), the main avenue in Dubrovnik's old town. Anchored by two squares, Placa is lined with outdoor cafes, bookstores, and priceless antiquities such as the Church of St. Saviour (1528), Onofrio Fountain (1438) and the Orlando column (1417).

On my last day here, a Costa Cruises ship pulls into the waters in front of the Argentina. Its as massive as the old city itself, and it disgorges fleets of tenders loaded with European tourists, who obediently shuffle behind sign-toting tour guides. The day seems ruined for us independent travelers, but incredibly, the crowds suddenly dissolve after lunchtime and the ship quickly pulls anchor and departs just six hours after the day began. Those poor people, I think, as the ship glides northward. How could you see Dubrovnik, the city tour of a lifetime, in just six stumbling hours? Why would you want to?
We have already received a few e-mail letters from readers who point out, quite rightly, that theres more to see in Croatia than the places I have just visited. But I must say that my itinerary (Zagreb, Plitvice, Opatija, Rovinj, Pula, Sibenik, Split, Trogir, Hvar Town, and Dubrobnik), crowded as it is, makes an excellent introduction to Croatia. Between those highlights, its easy to find your own discoveries in Hrvatska.

Dont let the vagaries of modern political boundaries reshuffle Croatia into the fold of Eastern European countries. It was largely built by Western Europe, and it depends on it today. It might as well be part of it. Croatia is as Italian as Venice, as Austrian as Vienna, and as much Caesars as Rome.

Nije li ovo sin tesarev i Marijin...?

14. NEDJELJA KROZ GODINU - B

Nekako, kao da se covjek nikako ne mijenja. I danas je potpuno istinito ovo evandelje. Ne prepoznaje se blinjega svojega, ne prepoznaje se Isusa i Isuse. I to se dogada svima nama. Cini mi se osobito nama Hrvatima. Mi nikako ne uspijevamo prepoznati sami sebe i svoje vrijednosti. Trajno lutamo. Trajno traimo Mesiju i Mesije, a on je tu medu nama. Kad ce vec doci cas da cemo se vratiti samima sebi i poceti sebe vrednovati? Ne treba se ni napuhivati, ali ni zabacivati. Barem pocnimo shvacati da smo kao i drugi, u dobru i u zlu, u mudrosti i ludosti. Vrlo cesto kod nas vidimo samo mane i nedostatke, a kod drugih samo vrline. Ova ista shema je prisutna kad je u pitanju naa kuca prema drugima, pa naa drava... Drugi su uvijek vrijedni, nai nevrijedni. Narodna poslovica je to izrekla: ŤU tude krave uvijek vece vimeť.

Pa i kad uocavamo vrijednosti, cini nam se kao da su tude, da nisu mogle izrasti kod nas, niti od nas. Ovome se ne treba cuditi jer vidimo da se to dogodilo samom Isusu i njegovim suvremenicima. To se Isusu trajno dogada. Ali radi toga on nije pobjegao od svojih niti ih je prokleo. Dapace, za njih se predao, njih je ljubio, njih je pozivao i poucavao. On ih trajno trai. On nas trajno trai. Njegovi, to smo svi mi.

Vrlo cesto imamo tekocu povjerovati da Bog govori preko jednostavnih ljudi. Tako smo slijepi pred jednostavnocu bilo svojih blinjih bilo daljnjih. Ipak, izgleda da se Bog objavljuje i cini boanska djela ba preko jednostavnih ljudi. to je to u jednostavnosti to se Bogu 'svida' i to je smetnja kod onih koji su 'uzvieni' da preko jednih Bog progovara, a preko drugih njegovo lice biva skriveno. Da, mi smo lice Boje. Neki ga svojom jednostavnocu ocituju, drugi ga svojom bahatocu (velicinom) skrivaju.

Boja velicina i moc razlikuju se od naeg pojma moci i velicine. Boja moc je jednostavnost, ljubav i dobrota. Njegova je moc u predavanju za druge, u ljubavi drugih. Bog jest Ljubav. Bog je jak u pobjedi zla i u stvaranju ljubavi i dobra. To je njegova jakost i moc. Bog je moc u nemoci, kako bi rekao sv. Pavao.

Tko prepoznaje Isusa kao Krista, kao Mesiji? Samo onaj koji gleda dublje od privida i koji vidi moc u ljubavi i jednostavnosti. Takvi su ga odmah prepoznali, takvi su ga odmah slijedili.

Isto tako bi mogli reci da se ne dogadaju 'cudesa' tamo gdje se ne vidi dalje od osjetilnog svijeta. Cudesa su neto boansko, neto to proizlazi iz ljubavi i prihvacanja ljubavi. Tko ne prihvaca ljubav njemu se ne moe dogoditi cudo. Cudo je uvijek potvrda prepoznate ljubavi. Zar je moguce zamisliti u cudu Isusa Krista ako se ne prihvaca ljubav? Tko ne primjecuje ljubav nece primijetiti ni cudo. Njemu se nece dogoditi cudo.

Kako je teko prihvatiti i vrednovati vrijednosti svojega blinjega? To i jest misterij. Trebamo blinjega i suprotstavljamo se njemu. Kain treba Abela i ubija ga, Adam treba Evu i s njom se sukobljava... I tako do dana dananjega.

"Nema proroka u svojem zavicaju" zato? A ipak je tako. Ovoga trebamo postati svjesni. Hocu reci treba ovu recenicu shvatiti u svoj njezinoj irini i konkretnosti. Prvenstveno ju treba shvatiti kao Isusovu recenicu. A to znaci da se u ime vjere u Isusa i njegov put treba osloboditi tog stava.

Takoder vrijedi istaknuti jo jednu pouku iz dananjeg, skoro Isusovog historijskog dogadaja. Ne treba neciju velicinu, pa i malenkost, vezati uz genetsku vezu. Od mnogih 'tesara' i 'obicnih ena' rodeni su mnogi proroci i velikani covjecanstva. Opasnost da sve veemo uz rodoslovlje vrlo je opasno na religioznom i drutvenom planu. Veliki duhovi, velikani, oni su 'dar neba', Boji dar, bez obzira na rodoslovlje (genetiku).

Takoder, postanimo svjesni da ne bi bilo dobro da nam 'proroci i ucitelji' odu u okolni svijet uciti i obogacivati drugi svijet jer im mi nismo vjerovali niti ih podrali. Na nekim poljima vec se tako dogada.

Povijest naeg povijesnog iskustva potvrduje nam takvu nezgodnu sljepocu. Mnogi nai ljudi postali su veliki tek kad su otili iz Domovine.

Svi smo mi vrlo sumnjicavi u svojoj vjeri i povjerenju u Dobro i Ljubav. S nama su mnogi 'Isusi' i 'Marije' prepoznajmo ih, bit cemo sretni i bit ce nam osvijetljen put u buducnost.

Fr. Marijan Jurcevic, o.p.

http://www.dominikanci.hr

SVETI PETAR I PAVAO

Petar i Pavao, koliko god imaju povijesno znacenje, toliko su njihove osobe postale i simboli krcanstva i navjetaja Nove vijesti. Petar i Pavao su instrumenti boanske vijesti covjecanstvu. Povijesno receno, preko njih je Isus doao na Zapad, u Rim i Europu, do nas.

Dva su to razlicita covjeka koji se dopunjavaju i koji vode prema punini Isusa Krista. To nam takoder govori da su svi ljudi, bez obzira kojeg su karaktera, sposobni navijetati i svjedociti Isusa i njegovo evandelje. Petar je Isusovu poruku 'adaptirao' idovima, a Pavao poganima. Tako je Isusova rijec progovorila idovski, grcko-rimski, pa i slavenski. Svi kasniji propovjednici i evangelizatori samo su produetak Petra i Pavla.

Nema dvojbe da je Pavao bio vrlo uvjerljiv i bistar propovjednik, a Petar uvjerljiv svjedok. Zato se njih slavi zajedno. Na njima pociva Evandelje i Crkva.

Pavao je u svojem propovijedanju stjecao prijatelje (Barnaba i Luka...), a neki su ga i napustili (Dema). On sam tvrdi da se vie ne razlikuje od Krista. Pavao je imao jako puno svojih ucenika, iako je naglaavao da su svi u Kristovom poslanju. "Nema Pavlovog ni Apolonovog... svi smo Kristovi."

Petar je velicina svjedocenja ivljenjem i odvanocu. On je promjenjiv i stabilan. Kroz njega progovara vie karaktera i vie reakcija. I sve nalaze mjesto u Isusovoj osobi i ljubavi. U Petru i Pavlu vidimo simbolicno sve apostole. Moda je Ivan drugo 'krilo' i drugi pristup Isusu Kristu.

Misija krcanstva nije rezervirana samo nekim specijalistima. Svaki krtenik je 'po naravi krtenja' misionar: on je slika Kristova i svjedok svojeg doivljaja i spasenja. Najsnanija misija je unutarnje zadovoljstvo i ivotno svjedocenje. Ako se ivi Isusova istina ona progovara kroz rijeci i lica onih koji ju ive.

A biti misionar znaci izici iz sebe, iz svojih naucenih navika da bi se dijelilo vjeru s drugima. Vjera nije neto to se iri kao reklama ili izvoz. Vjera je irenje radosti vjerovanja, radosti ivota. Vjera ili daje smisao ivljenju ili nije boanska vjera.

Petar 'ribar' i Pavao 'ucitelj - farizej' ispovijedaju Isusa kao Boje objavljenje, kao spasenje ljudskog roda. Svaki na svoj nacin pomogli su da svi mi prepoznamo Isusa Krista. Petar je prvi ispovjedio da je Isus sin Boji da je Mesija. Sam mu Isus kae da to on nije domislio nego da mu je to Duh Boji objavio. Da, spoznaja Boga u Isusu uvijek je dar Boji. Sam Bog sebe objavljuje i mi se u njemu nalazimo. Petar nam takoder govori da je on odabran ne radi svojih vrijednosti nego radi ljubavi Boje. Cinjenicno, naa vjera je dar Boji.

Petar spada u onu trojicu 'privilegiranih' ucenika koje je Isus imao uza se kad je lijecio kcer Jairovu (Mk 5,37), na preobraenju (Mk 9, 2), i u Getsemaniju (Mk 14,33). Njemu se prvom ukazuje poslije uskrsnuca, "da ucvrsti bracu u vjeri" (Lk 22,32) i dobiva posebno poslanje (Iv 21, 15-17). Petar je izraz vjere dvanaestorice apostola (Dap 2,14...). Petar je simbol svih apostola (Mk 3,16). U Rimu, za vrijeme Nerona, (64) mucenicki je preminuo svjedoceci za svojeg Ucitelja. Petar je upalio vatru vjere u Rimu. On je prvi 'biskup' Rima i krcanstva.

Kako je vec spomenuto, Pavao je krcanstvo koje istice iz idovstva pretocio u druge kulture i druga vjerovanja. Propovijeda Grcima i Rimljanima, grenicima i pravednicima. Pavla su razumjeli i Grci i Rimljani, vjernici i nevjernici. On navijeta Isusa s Areopaga.

Pavlove poslanice, skoro su drugo Evandelje. One su evandelje uskrslog Krista. One povezuju ivo Stari i Novi zavjet. Pa bi se skoro moglo reci da je po Pavlu cijeli krcanski svijet krcanstvo judaiziran. Sve nas je povezao s 'Adamom' i s Kristom. Braca smo od pocetka, braca smo i danas (Poslanica Rimljanima).

Prema Pavlu Isus u sebe saima cijelu ljudsku povijest i njezino spasenje. Isus rada novog Adama i novo covjecanstvo. Krcanstvo je novost cijelog svemira. Isus je misteriozno prisutan u cijelom svemiru. On je za Pavla Kozmicki Krist (1Kor 2, 2-10).

Pavao ostaje primjer potenog i bezinteresnog obracenika. Za Pavla se uvijek znalo koji je njegov stav. On nikada nije bio 'ni vruc ni hladan'. On je uvijek bio dosljedan svojem uvjerenju.

Svi mi krcani idemo za Isusovim svjetlom Ljubavi i Istine to su nam donijeli veliki apostoli i proroci Pater i Pavao. Hvala im!

Fr. Marijan Jurcevic, o.p.

http://www.dominikanci.hr