Ne mogu uzivati u utudjimmukama!

...najvise gledam njemacku/austrijsku tv, a malo sam pogledao i htv,
danijelu, uz severinu i josipu lisac hrvatske najbolje. danijela ima
lijep glas, pjeva prirodno, bez naprezanja vratnih zila i drugih muka, a
uvijek je prirodno nasmijana, vedra, zraci ljepotom i optimizmom. u autu
sam slusao i severinu, i ona ima slobodan, lebdeci raspjevan glas, i ona
pjeva s lakocom bez naprezanja vratnih zila. dajem joj prednost pred
danijelom. iza ponoci, severina je valjala neku bezvezariju kao da je
bila pijana (radio s trga). josipe lisac sinoc nije bilo (barem dok sam
pratio). ona je vrhunska umjetnica.

ne uzivam gledati "macho" pjevace koji naprezu vratne zile i koji se
muce dok "pjevaju". ne mogu uzivati u utudjim mukama! a "padavicare"
(kako ih je "daizda" nazivao) ne podnosim (moja iskrena netolerancija!).
drogasi, s drogom ili bez droge.

ono sto je zazorno za blagdansko vrijeme je repriziranje proslava nove
godine iz, recimo, 1972. (karadjordjevo!)... 1985., itd. kad se odlazilo
u trst po toaletni papir, deterdzent, kavu. (ne cemo sex, hocemo kavu!
kaze jedna karikatura berislava fabeka iz toga vremena, a prosvjednici
su bili "penzici".) samo sto nisu pokazali marsala. ti nam zabavljaci
izgledaju "socrealisticki", "kineski", cudno, strano, ili kao americki
"geeks" (1: a person often of an intellectual bent who is disapproved of
2: a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usu.
includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake). takva je cak i
josipa lisac iz toga vremena, ni njezin glas je ne moze iskupiti.

(ra)

Ceten 

O starinama

Ziveci i neprestano se krecuci izmedju Atlantskog,Pacifickog i Arktickog oceana cesto se budim s glasom moje pokojne babe KajeTadic, rodjene Grabovica od oca Boze i majke Lucke, te njenim pricama opradavnim vremenima, koje je nastavila prepricavati moja mama Ruzica. Meninajdraza prica o cetenu, sirovom lanu, svuda me prati. Babin glas, usporen odprezivjelog tifusa, dugogodisnje astme i napora seljackog zivota, iz dana u danse vraca i zove me:

 Curko,kad me pitas, cuj me& Pamuk smo uvijek kupovali a ceten smo uvijek sijali. Kadu Drugom svjeskom ratu nije bilo pamuka, sve smo pravili od cetena. Pamuk secuvo za misne, izodne aljine il se mijeso s cetenom. Drukciji je od konopljekoja raste priko jednog metra u vis i grublja je...

Ceten se posije u jesen.Nagodinu odraste i iscvjeta. Cvat mu bude plav a stablo zeleno. Cure su ranoustajale, dok je rosa, cvatom od cetena lice umivale& Ceten sazrije u ljeto.Raste frtalj do metra, nije vise. Onda se cupa. Kad se pocupa, oruni se sjemenjegovo i cuva za iducu godinu, za jesensku sjetvu. Kad se pocupa, pazi se da unjemu ne bude trave. Ocisti se od trave i pokiseli se u vodu sedam dana; uSprecu il Oskovu il u seoske rijeke. Napravi se brana; zajazi se voda jer svemora bit u vodi i mora se pazit da sta ne ode. Udari se kolje, stave se vrljikei pritke - zioke. Udare se kuke kako bi se sve dobro ucvrstilo& Nije se kralo,mozda koji stucak. Pokiseljeni ceten nije smrdio jer je voda oticala. Voda morabit bistra; ako nije - bijo bi crn. Dobro je kad voda otice brzo. Iza sedam danamora se dobro isprat vadec ga iz vode. Stucak po stucak se vadi, ispire i cijedise sam u rukama. Nosi se na njivu i stere se po zemlji da se susi. Ne smije serukama gnjavit il stiskat. I da oces to radit, ne mere jer je jos stablo. Morase odma isusit da ne istrune. Kad se osusi, onda se nabija na stupu. To su dvijecjepanice il daske. Daske imaju po pet zubaca. Jedan po jedan stucak se stavljau stupu. Jedna se zena nasloni na vrljiku i nogama radi - jednim stopalom daskuzadize, drugim spusca. To se ceten nabija. Druga zena sjedi pokraj stupe i radisve rukama; stavlja stucak po stucak u stupu, okrece stucak, drzi stucak u stupii vadi kad bude gotovo - kad se uzna vlakno. A stablo - srcika, sto se zovepozder, ispane obaska kad ga stupa udara. Kad se stucak istuce, zove se rucica.Kad se dobije vlakno cetena onda se ono stavlja u trlicu. Najbolja je odrastovog drveta jer more dugo stajat&

Trlicu sto sam ti dala, milamoja, donijela sam od moje matere... Spremila mi moja majka u komori& Ona jedonijela u svojoj komori& Spremila joj njena mati, moja baba Manda, iz Kresica,s Par-Sela&

Kad se vlakno cetena stavlja utrlicu, ono se priradjuje; tare se ceten. Vlakna cetena se stave u trlicu iudare se sjekacem, gornjim dijelomtrlice. Sjekac in tako pritisne. Vlakna se vuku kroz trlicu jednom rukom ispodsjekaca pa se na drugoj strani dobijaju prociscena. Tako dobijen ceten bude joscisci i meksi& Kad se ceten nabijo, moralo se rajit po jakom suncu. Tako isto- samo po jakom suncu - kad se trao na trlici, a ostalo more sve u ladovini - ilna dvoru, il u kuci...

Uvijek se dizala velika prasina,pa su mloge zene obolile od zaduve& Rucice idju na grebenacu. Okrugla je, odzeljeza je, na jednoj daski. Zena nabaci rucice svojom snagom na grebenacu papovuce sebi istu rucicu njekolko puta kroz grebenacu. U grebenaci ostane slabije,tvrdje i krace sto se zovu kucine. Poslje se koristi u poutku svega sto ce setkat& A njoj u rukama ostane najmekse, najbolje, najfinije i najljevse sto sezove strasljika i to idje u osnovu svega sto ce se izatale tkat. Sto god se uzmes grebenace jos se priradjuje grebenom. Onda se prede; obaska jedno - kucine,obaska drugo - strasljika...

Sve su ovo zenski poslovi: odcupat ga do prest ga. Muskinje je jedino sijalo ceten i kiselilo ga u vodi& Prede se na obicnu rucnu drvenu prelu na koju se prela i ovcja vuna. Vuna seprede na meku ruku i na tvrdu ruku, pa kako ko oce. Na tvrdu ruku je lakse prest,a na meku je ljevse. Ceten se preo sve na tvrdu ruku. Vreteno se drzi kontra.Samo se preo na meku ruku za ponjave, jer je to islo puno debelo pa nije bilotesko. Kad ga napredes na vreteno onda ga motas s vretena na rasak. Primece se,obavija oko raska i onda se skine s njega i bude ko velki okrugli smotak- kancelo& Pari ga u parjenici s luksijom. Luksija je od pepela, pepeo oddrveta. More svako drvo. Parjenica je kad se pepeo zaljeva uzavrelom vodom.Aljine u tom staje tri sata. Ceten iz parjenice valja isprat u rijeki il nabunaru. I susi se... Kad se osusi, stavi se na vitlanice. Ko kriz su, a usredini suplje, nataknute na klip. Najposljem se ceten suce, namotava cekrkom namasure i koristi se za tkanje. Prvo se snuje - razapnu se glavne niti na snovaci- pa se stavi na stan i dalje se tka& 

Utom bi moj tata Mijo zakjucioovu besjedu:  Joj, kad smo za rata nosili sve od cetena& Grub, tvrd& Predja, slamarica... Podera kozu! Oguli dusu!

Tako je kazivala moja baba Kaja,rodjena na Morancanima pocetkom proteklog stoljeca, udana na Par Selo. Vise odpolovice babinog zivota je proteklo u ovim i drugim pregnucima. Djetinjstvo icurstvo moje mame je obiljezeno istim naporima. Cudne su mi njihove price obistroj Oskovi na kojoj su se seljani umivali na putu k misi ili u pohode, skoje su cure vodu pile kad su isle na sijelo iz jednog sela u drugo, u kojoj sekiselio ceten... Oskove se sjecam kao necega cega smo se mi, djeca, plasili.Plasili smo se da ne bi tko spao s mosta u crnu, ljigavu, cadjavu, masnuvodurinu u kojoj se ispirao ugalj za potrebe gospodarstva i napredak pucanstva.O tome smo ucili u skoli i po tome je moj zivinicki zavicaj bio nadaleko poznat& Crna rijeka bez ikakvog zivota mi se pokatkad javi u snu kao nocna mora& Odagnavam je prizivom babinih zapamcenja i odijevanjem babinih ubjelnialjina.

Babine aljine i klupcad cetena zive sa mnom u dalekom svijetu. Ostatkebjelicastog cetena, sijanog i kultiviranog na imanju Tadica u Spreckom poljuizmedju Prvog i Drugog svjetskog rata, uvijek nosim sa sobom, posebice na mojimizlozbama, monodramama i knjizevnim vecerima.

Danas, na petu obljetnicu smrtimog oca Mije, pricam mojim kanadskim ucenicima o bosanskohercegovackim starinama,o uporabi pamuka, cetena, beza, meleza, predje, sukna& u nasim narodnimnosnjama i u izradbi mojih suvremenih odora. Govorim o djecjoj radosti kad im sedonesu orasnice i slipepripravljene od przenog secera i cetenovog sjemena. Spominjem Sprecu koja nasskoro svake godine zaplavi u Zivinicama. Sjecam se velike Sprece i njenog malogizvora u Papraci, podno Bisine, kojeg smo mama i ja obisle prije petnaestakgodina i s kojeg smo donijele pletenkicu bistre studene vode doma mom tati,stradalniku i pateniku, da se napije& U rukama drzim smotke cetenanaslijedjenog od babe Kaje. Jos uvijek se u njemu osjeti miris nasih skrinja,udzera i domova& Premecem ga& , privijam uza se. Ceten oplemenjuje, osnazuje,te hrani i moju kozu i moju dusu&    

Toronto, 12. sijecnja 2002. 

Ljerka Lukic,

skupljacica, folkloristica,slikarica, kazivacica prica, pjesnikinja, spisateljica

TheView from the Toronto Tower 

BOOKREVIEW

by Ljerka Susanna Lukic

RUDITOMIC, The View from the Toronto Tower ofEvents in the Homeland

Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, ZIRAL, 1998, 330 pp.

           Without a doubt, no one has been able to come closer to events inBosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia from a distance as has Rudi Tomic in his book The View from the Toronto Tower, published by ZIRAL Press in Mostar.

           Using a selection of his writings, published in the Croatian-languagemedia in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and in the diaspora over the past sevenyears, Tomic addresses familiar events in pre-war, wartime and post-warBosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia from an analytical and critical perspective. Askilled and well-known journalist, as well as an analyst, editor, and poet, hemanages to interpret the causes and consequences of the war with greatobjectivity and fairness, while criticizing the main actors (foreign anddomestic) and identifying the Croatian illusions in relation to living togetherwith other nations. He warns of the negative consequences of erroneous politicalpolicies (which, unfortunately came to pass as predicted), and providessuggestions for the functioning of the Muslim/Boa
njak-Croatian federation andfor the survival of the Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Tomic, in his historicaland political commentaries, is also critical of the Croats ownrepresentatives, but, as he notes:  My frequently critical evaluations of myown Croats consisted only of commentaries and appraisals of their conduct, andnever of accusations, attacks or insults .

           The power of the author s written words is perhaps best felt in hishistorical texts: Half a Century of (Non)Peace in the World, Five Centuries of Croatian Patience, By One You Shall Know Them All,by which he shows that his arguments are not based on superficialjournalistic impressions but, rather, are the product of a methodical study ofproblems, and especially of the exodus of Croats.

            Manyof Tomic s ideas were dangerous at first, as well as being farseeing; theywere open and courageous, and were referred to later, when they were publishedin the media at home at the right moment.

            Althoughhe has lived in Toronto for forty years, Tomic can take pride in his knowledgeof Croatian linguistics, and he has used a philological approach to deal withthe very thorny problem of the Bosnian language in a penetrating and successfulmanner. He advises the Bosnia-Herzegovina Academic Society (of which he was oneof its founders) that  The issue of the Bosnian language is irrelevant underthese conditions when we are struggling for our very physical survival,irrespective of any former  existence of such a language. A language mustbe a living one if it is to serve as an expression of national sentiments. For afull three-quarters of a century the Serbian regime promoted a Serbo-Croatian and  Yugoslav language. Along with the demise ofYugoslavia, that linguistic monstrosity also disappeared. If someone had reallywanted to bring the Bosnian language into being, one would have had to writebooks and to teach children, even if only in cellars, as our parents taught theCroatian language to us. And, had there been such enthusiasm for Bosniakism asthere was for Yugoslavism, there would never have been a second Yugoslavia.

           The author s marked journalistic professionalism, which earned him allof Canada s most coveted awards, is also apparent. As the book s forward, byProfessor Drago Maric, Senior Aide in Bosnia-Herzegovina s Ministry of ForeignAffairs, notes:  The texts in this book are arranged chronologically but,given that they jump from subject to subject, they can be read almost by heart.The evident variety of the author s texts makes for easy reading and enhancesthe book s interest. The book contains almost all representative types of thejournalistic genre, including news reports, commentaries, feature articles,mature political essays, complete studies, and even the author s own poetry.However, above all, it is the many years of journalistic experience, formed andhoned over a span of some thirty years with CroatianWay, an extensive knowledge of history, ofthe national artistic tradition, and of the Croatian state-building idea, aswell as a refined sense for what is essential, and an outspokenly well-meaningintent in criticism, that assure for Rudi Tomic the reputation of a competentwriter.

           Two groups of texts merit particular attention. In the first, the mostpressing problem in the diaspora - whether to remain abroad or to return home -is the subject. The pamphlet reproduced in this book, There Is No Return to a PeacefulCroatia is the most complete andcoherent analysis yet of the problem of the non-return of our people to thehomeland. The texts How to Stimulate theReturn Home of Emigrants? and Assimilation,It Appears, Is the Solution onlyround out this analysis, leaving all Croats in the diaspora with a great concern is anyone really calling on them to return and does anyone (and why?) reallyneed them there?

           In the second group of texts, essays, and studies, The American Lid on the Bosnian Pot - and Peaceful Bosnia!, The Viewfrom the Toronto Tower, After the Celebrationof the Agreement in Belgrade, and ThePolicy of Mutual Concesions, the author comments on the inevitability andtragedy of the historical course of events at the end of the century, thedownfall of the East European socialist dogma, the assimilationist tendencies ofPan-Slavism (in whose name the Croatian identity was taken away and denied and aunitarist ideology imposed in its place, and by which Croatian statehood wasderailed), the Croatian (lack of) accommodation to that, the futility of theshedding of Croatian blood (often on behalf of political causes), the impact anddetrimental effects of foreign interference in our critical junctures andfateful decisions, and the unfulfilled expectations with which the Croats (andespecially those in Bosnia) will enter the twenty-first century.

           Tomic is one of the directors of the Toronto Press Club, and an adjunctin the Journalism Department at the University of Mostar. For thirty-five years,he was the editor and owner of the review CroatianWay and the publishing house bearing the same name. The latter publishedtwenty-five books, including works by well-known Croatian writers, as well asthe collective work Croatsin Bosnia and Herzegovina. As such, Tomic is well-placed to be verycritical of failures at home and is a champion of freedom of the press inBosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. As he says,  It is difficult to free oneselfof the impression that much of the Croatian media which used to be publishedunder the Yugoslav regime are also published today with the same title! At most,some minor changes in their appearance have been made, but these are notsufficient to do away with ingrained prejudices, especially about the Croatiandiaspora. The majority of Croatian journalists and pundits who commented on events under the pre-war regime as aprofession continue to do so today. It is thus not surprising that somejournalists find it difficult to break out of the mould, out of the uniformityof thought. His study The Croats Media in the Diaspora, covering a span of fifty years,created a sensation back home, as this has been up to now the most originalaccount and evaluation, and was followed immediately by the start of twodoctoral dissertations on the topic, for which Tomic will be the academicmentor.

           Of course, this book also devotes considerable attention to ourtragedies, especially to the suffering in Vukovar, as the result of Serbian warcrimes. The author puts forward an original proposal: that Vukovar be preservedin its present condition, as eerie as it looks. As he argues,  We must leaveVukovar, as it is today, for the future Croatian generations, for history, andfor the world as a memorial symbolizing hate, crimes, genocide, and Balkanism,which our eastern neighbor (Serbia) gave us as a gift after almost a century ofshared (state) life, so that the mistakes of 1918 and 1945 of creating newunions would not be repeated& Vukovar is a city which must be preserved, inthis form and in the condition that is in today, for perpetuity, and to save itfrom being forgotten, and to make it permanent . Unfortunately, this appealwas not welcomed in Croatia. Instead, there is a campaign to rebuild Vukovar,where today there are only a few hundred Croats and more than 13,000 Serbs. TheCroats are being asked to rebuild with their own money the houses which theSerbs destroyed, and to have the Serbs then return to live there, while at thesame time the bodies of Croats from Vukovar are being dug up from mass graves.

           TheView from the Toronto Tower is a genuine view of every Croat, even indefeat, and Tomic, with this book, has reaffirmed his talent and hiswell-deserved reputation. 

JOURNAL of Croatian Studies, Volume XL, 1999, p. 144-148

AnnualReview of the Croatian Academy of America, INC.

NewYork, NY U S A

Note:

Thebook is written in Croatian language. Can be purchased from the author ($20 + $5for mailing):

RudiTomic, 34 Southport Street, P. O. Box 88510, Toronto ON M6S 3N0, Canada

tel./fax:416-604-8161, e-mail: ruditomic@hotmail.com

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

writtenby Ljerka Susan Lukic, B. A., M. A., Ph. D. candidate (Croatian Philology)

900Dufferin Street, P. O. Box 24026, Toronto ON M6H 4A9, Canada

tel./fax:416-534-5442, e-mail: Ljerka-Susan@Rogers.com 

Rudi Tomic

(zivotopis)

Rudi Tomic je rodjen 8.kolovoza 1933. godine u Donjim Radisicima (Ljubuski, Bosna i Hercegovina).Osnovnu je skolu zavrsio u Ljubuskom, gimnaziju na Sirokom Brijegu, preventivnumedicinsku u Mostaru, te vojnu medicinsku u Mariboru.

Od 1959. zivi u Torontu(Kanada), gdje je zavrsio studij grafike, gospodarstvenog, drustvenog iorganizacijskog poslovanja.

Od 1962. do 1990. bio jeglavni i odgovorni urednik politicke revije Hrvatski put. Od 1962. upravitelj je istoimene medjunarodne nakladnekuce u kojoj je dosad objavio dvadeset i osam djela. S pocetkom 1991. bio jeupravitelj i voditelj prvog Bosansko-hercegovackog radioprograma u dijaspori naCHWO 1050 postaji u Kanadi. Dopredsjednik je Saveza Hrvata Bosne i Hercegovine uKanadi.

Napisao je oko tisucu clanaka, eseja, prikaza,studija, pjesama& , sto je objavljivano u dijaspori i domovini. U nakladi Hrvatskogputa objavio je i nekoliko svojih posebnih izdanja: Republikanskiantikomunizam i antijugoslavenstvo 1970., prvu zbirku pjesama Pregrstsuza 1994. (cije je drugo dopunjeno izdanje u tisku), te Nemapovratka u mirnu Hrvatsku 1996. U nakladi mostarskoga ZIRAL-a objavljena je 1998. njegova knjiga Pogled s Torontskog tornja.

            Odrzaoje mnoga predavanja iz zurnalizma, te politickih i socioloskih znanosti udijaspori i domovini. Redoviti je gost predavac na sveucilistima.

Dvadeset i jednu godinu je bio upravitelj tiskarei nakladne kuce na Ryerson sveucilistu u Torontu.

Clanje nekoliko profesionalnih udruga, klubova i ustanova medju kojima su: Udrugakanadskih etnickih novinara i pisaca, Udruga kanadskih novinara, Udrugakanadskih pjesnika, PEN Kanada& Direktor je Toronto Press Cluba.

Dobitnikje nekoliko medjunarodnih nagrada i priznanja:

1991. od Kanadske vlade za izvrsnost u zurnalizmu

1991. od Udruge kanadskih novinara i pisaca zaizvrsnost u zurnalizmu

1995. od Ryerson sveucilista za izvanredni doprinos

1996. od Sveucilista u Mostaru za potporu i suradnju

1999. od Napretka u Mostaru za potporu i suradnju&

Uvrstenje u milenijsko izdanje americke publikacije Whois Who (2000.).

Zbogsvog pjesnickog, zurnalistickog, politickog i organizacijskog iskustva cesto jepozivan u savjetodavne odbore prestiznih institucija u Kanadi (Odbor zaOlimpijadu u Torontu 2004., Odbor Royal banke, najvece financijske institucije uKanadi& ).

RudiTomic je jedan od najboljih poznavatelja hrvatske dijaspore. Glashrvatske dijaspore je njegova nova knjiga (posvecena mrtvim i zivimdrzavotvornim Hrvatima u dijaspori), koju ce tiskati ZIRAL u Mostaru. U tisku jetakodjer i druga zbirka Tomicevih pjesama Dodji k meni.

Building a Culture ofPeace.

The theme of the event is "Building a Culture of Peace." As part of the program, coalition members Mario Spalatin and Jean Ranallo plan to talk about the coalition's project to help to remove land mines from Pakrac, Croatia.

Church leader at Peace Day event
Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel will speak at Englewood's World Peace Day event.

By KARA CHALMERS

kara.chalmers@heraldtribune.com 

ENGLEWOOD -- The national leader of the Presbyterian Church will speak at a World Peace Day celebration scheduled for New Year's Day in Englewood.
The Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel, moderator of the 2002 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, will join the Rev. Fred Morris, executive director of the Florida Council of Churches, in addressing participants at Englewood United Methodist Church, 700 E. Dearborn St. The event, which is open to the public, is slated to begin at 11 a.m.
Three Englewood-area organizations devoted to peace -- the Southwest Florida Peace Education Coalition, the Englewood Ministerial Association and the Prayer Day for World Peace Committee -- came together to stage the event.
The coalition started World Peace Day in Englewood 14 years ago as a way for people of different faiths to pray for peace at the same time, said coalition member Peter Duisberg.
"The basis is if we all pray together regardless of our beliefs, maybe we'll have some impact," Duisberg said. "The idea is to have people pray at approximately the same time for peace in the world. … They might inspire us and our politicians to really work on it."
Moderator is the highest elected office in the Presbyterian Church, and Abu-Akel is the first Palestinian-Christian-Arab ever elected. Abu-Akel is a U.S. citizen who spent part of his childhood living in a Palestinian refugee camp. He is scheduled to talk about his view that peace is possible between the Israelis and the Palestinians. He may also speak about his opposition to a war between the United States and Iraq, Duisberg said. Abu-Akel is a minister in Atlanta.
Morris was a Methodist missionary in northeast Brazil, one of the poorest areas in the world, Duisberg said.
The theme of the event is "Building a Culture of Peace." As part of the program, coalition members Mario Spalatin and Jean Ranallo plan to talk about the coalition's project to help to remove land mines from Pakrac,Croatia.
Prayers stressing commonalities among different religions' peace doctrines will be offered by members of the Baha'i, Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths, Duisberg said. There will also be music at the event.
A post-program reception will feature a slide show of Ranallo's visit to Croatia, as well as paintings by artist Linda Ohlson Graham. There will be an opportunity to sign petitions against violence and war.
For more information, call the church at 474-5588.

Last modified: December 31. 2002 12:00AM

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Sophomore Mia Jerkov helped lead Cal to 

best seasons in school history.

Women's Volleyball Home

HEADLINES 
Cal's Mia Jerkov Named Third Team All-American

Mia Jerkov Named to the 2002 AVCA All-Region Team
Cal's Mia Jerkov Named Third Team All-American 

Jerkov is the Bears' first All-American selection since Sylvie Monnet in 1983. 

Dec. 30, 2002

BERKELEY, CA - California's sophomore outside hitter, Mia Jerkov, has been selection as a 2002 third team All-American, it was announced Dec. 20 by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Jerkov, a 6-3 outside hitter from Split, Croatia, is the first Cal All-America volleyball player since Sylvie Monnet was a second team All-America selection in 1983. In 2002, Jerkov helped lead the Bears to a 20-12 overall mark and their first NCAA postseason appearance since 1989. 

Jerkov latest accolade adds to her already long list of awards received in 2002. She was tournament MVP for the Golden Bear, UNLV Gameworks Classic and the SMU DoubleTree Invitationals; she was the Oct, 21 AVCA National Player of the Week; was twice named Pac-10 Player of the Week (Sept. 9, Oct. 21); was first team All-Pac-10 and was honorable mention Pac-10 All-Academic. Jerkov was also the first Cal volleyball player to earn AVCA All-Region honors since Sienna Curci was second team All-West Region in 1993. 

Jerkov led the Bears and the Pac-10 with 578 kills and 635.0 points (combining kills, service aces and blocks). She recorded 30 or more kills in six matches this season and established school records for single match kills (39, Oct. 17 versus Washington) and kill attempts (91, Nov. 22 versus Stanford). Jerkov also established a school record for single season kills (578), despite missing five matches due to ankle injuries. 

In other Cal volleyball news, the Bears finished the 2002 season just barely out of the final USA Today/AVCA Division Top 25 Poll. Cal received 162 votes, which would have placed the Bears 26th in the national rankings. During this past season, Cal defeated No. 10 ranked Washington State, No. 12 ranked Arizona on the road and twice defeated No. 19 Santa Clara, once at Santa Clara and once in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at UC Santa Barbara.

No Respect For Young CroatianDemocracy 

Sleepwalking in the Balkans

Grace Vuoto 

President Bush has thus far done an admirable job in the war on terrorism, but in the Balkans he is asleep at the wheel. The president has been so preoccupied with combating terrorism and attempting to revive a sluggish economy, that he has neglected an area of strategic necessity which has revealed twice in the 20th century that it will be ignored only at dire peril.
The problem in the Balkans is that the war-crimes tribunal at The Hague, Netherlands, for the former Yugoslavia is running roughshod over the basic principles of justice and fair play it was mandated to enforce. Instead of restoring calm and order by patiently identifying those who committed war crimes during the Croat-Serb conflict (1991-95), the tribunal is behaving in a sloppy and high-handed manner likely to spark tensions once again.
Carla Del Ponte, the chief prosecutor, is presiding over an office that is out of control and drunk with power. Rather than undertaking the slow, difficult and painful process of identifying each and every soldier or paramilitary fighter who committed an atrocity, the prosecutor's office has issued broad and vague indictments against leading Croatian generals such as Ante Gotovina and Janko Bobetko. These men are not accused of a specific crime but simply of "command responsibility" for isolated crimes that took place during major military operations. This is akin to indicting a police chief for an act of police brutality perpetrated by a subordinate simply because the chief has "command responsibility" over his unit. This prosecutor would be laughed out of every courtroom in the Western world.
Furthermore, The Hague is treating Balkan countries as though they were second-rate fiefdoms. In an attempt to stifle the groundswell of criticism that is emerging against Mrs. Del Ponte's office, members of her staff such as spokeswoman Florence Hartmann have sought to influence and intimidate news agencies in Croatia in order to prevent publication of condemnatory articles — especially if these articles are written by Western journalists.
The Hague is thus failing to respect the national sovereignty of this newly independent nation and is badly damaging all efforts to establish freedom of the press in this young democracy.
Moreover, The Hague is now rearing its ugly head toward the United States. Investigators have begun to make inquiries into the American role in Operation Storm, the August 1995 offensive launched by Croatia that effectively ended the Croat-Serb war.
Despite the recent denials by the State Department, it is well known by all who have observed this scene closely that the United States had ultimate "command responsibility" over Operation Storm. Washington gave the operation the green light and provided Zagreb with vital military and intelligence assistance such as the use of unmanned drones and encryption gear. Does this mean we will soon face the humiliating prospect of American officials being dragged before the tribunal? Will our generals be treated with the same contempt? Will our journalists be intimidated when they criticize The Hague? If this scenario is unacceptable to Americans, then why should the Croatian people accept it?
And of course, we must ask Mrs. Del Ponte: Who has "command responsibility" over her office? How do we obtain redress for the incompetence and misuse of power committed by her staffers? It is clear that Mrs. Del Ponte must resign; the charges against the generals must be dropped immediately; and a mechanism must be established to curtail the arbitrary power of The Hague.
American leadership is required. Mr. Bush came to power pledging humility in foreign affairs: he must demonstrate this by protecting the rights of weaker nations and calling to account this arrogant court. If the Bush administration does not act soon, nationalist sentiment will be inflamed in the Balkans once again. Furthermore, the president's indifference is alienating allies who will be vital in the war on terrorism.
Also, by allowing Mrs. Del Ponte and her staffers to run wild, international law is being undermined.
Finally, America's reputation is at stake: Are we so self-centered that we appeal to the principles of international law and seek international cooperation only when we are in desperate need or do we genuinely care to establish a fair and just community of nations based on protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty?

Grace Vuoto is a professor of European history at Howard University.

Source: http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20021230-87318664.htm 

CROATIA  -  MAGIC KINGDOM
	Magic Kingdom Within the Adriatic fortress of Dubrovnik, cafés, churches and palaces reflect 1,000 years of turbulent history  "Sometime out here I feel as if I'm living five centuries ago," says fisherman Nino Surjan, 60, as he begins hauling in nets, studded with tuna, from the waters of the Adriatic. "Kids today learn about Croatia, but when I was growing up we studied the Republic of Dubrovnik—a magical place that survived more than a thousand years without an army or a king." Writer David DeVoss traveled to the ancient city, a great walled redoubt—founded in the 7th century amid the chaos that followed the fall of the Roman Empire—rising from the rocky coast like an Adriatic Camelot. Today, the 4,000 residents within Dubrovnik's old city, a warren of limestone lanes, Renaissance palaces and Baroque churches, inhabit, as one resident puts it, a "functioning Renaissance city where people live in the houses and shop at the markets." It is almost miraculous that the city's extraordinary riches, intact for a millennium, survived its recent history. In 1992, as civil war broke out in the former Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav Army shelled Dubrovnik relentlessly. The attacks went on despite the fact that banners, proclaiming Dubrovnik a UNESCO World Heritage Site, were raised throughout the city. Ninety-two people were killed; hundreds of historic buildings were damaged. Today, extensive renovations have been completed and tourists are returning to stroll the battlements, linger in the outdoor cafés and sunbathe on the seaside quays radiating out from the city. As the famous Dubrovnik actor Mise Martinovic says: "On a silent night you can almost hear the ghosts. There is magic in this city."

Source: http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues03/jan03/magic_kingdom.html

Unbelievable !

From Croatia, the country withno skiing tradition. Janica and Ivica Kostelic. Two of the best skiers in theworld ! It's like bob sled from Jamaica winning the world cup every week.Everything is possible if we put our mind into !

Janica Kostelic Wins Again

Croatia's Janica Kostelic celebrates in the finish area afterwinning the World Cup women's slalom race in Semmering, Austria, Sunday, Dec.29, 2002. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)