AnthonyJ.Peraica

http://www.peraica.com 

Cook County Commissioner -- 16th District

Today, Cook County government is in a state of crisis. The budget is fast-approaching $3 Billion annually. Themoney for this budget is primarily raised from one source: taxes. While most people understand the need fortaxes and our duty as citizens to help fund our government, no one likes to be taken advantage of. Our taxes aretoo high, because the budget is too high. And the budget is too high for all the wrong reasons: waste; patronage;unnecessary employees, departments, and "consultants". All of these contribute to make your tax bill an unfairburden upon you and your family. When elected your commissioner, I will fight to bring fairness to Cook Countygovernment.

How am I going to do this? By eliminating waste. My first priority will be the Forest Preserve District, where Iwill press for a complete audit of the budget and expenditures, and the imposition of a balanced budget. The mostimmediate means to accomplish this goal is to abolish the Forest Preserve Police force, which unnecessarilydrains millions of tax each and every year. I will vehemently oppose any further tax giveaways from the Countyto the District. The District must also return its focus to its reason for being: the acquisition, preservation, andmaintenance of open spaces. The District must acquire the land the taxpayers have already given it to acquire.For too long, the District has operated primarily to justify its own existence, and has forgotten that primaryfunction. Finally, I will continue my push to bring the District directly into county government, which will makeyour commissioners directly responsible to you for the performance of the District on Election Day.

I will apply a similar approach to county government as a whole. Duplication of services by local governmentsand the County is a tremendous and unnecessary drain on our tax base. Where a county department providesservices already provided by local government, it must be eliminated. I have long argued for the privatization ofcounty golf courses. While this has finally been done, it is only the tip of a very large iceberg. The county payroll is too big. Many functions of county government can be performed by the private sector, both more efficientlyand for fewer tax dollars. 

Certainly not least, I will fight to bring ambulatory care and other County services directly to residents of the Western Suburbs. It is simply unfair for suburbanites to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for a hospital whichthey have no reasonable access to. Suburban residents are paying for health care, and it is only fair that they getwhat they have already paid for. If you have any concerns to share, please call me any time at (708) 443-5554.

Main Office

3339 South Halsted Street
Professional Building Suite 1-A
Chicago, Illinois 60608

(773) 890-1001

Southwest Branch Office
5130 South Archer Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60632

(773) 735-1700

Lorence Ferich

If you don't believe your dreams then why are you  dreaming them.	Art is like an iceberg in the ocean only 1/10 comes above the surface.
When you start being afraid of going under it means that you have reached your top.	Every move in life is just another bet, it's only the odds that are different.
It is not a madness that turns this world upside down, it is ordinary mind.   Lorence Ferich, New York
	Lorence Ferich  was born in 1954, in Split, Croatia. After classic high school he moved to Paris where he studied Photography and Film (1973 - 76). Since 1976 he has lived in New York where he works as a Freelance Artist and Photographer, specializing in "night life" photography with a unique point of view. Stock photography available from Studio 54 era till "last night party."

Those who come to understand the truth, becomea part of it.

Op-ed

Recently, Photo Agency Corbis/Sygma acknowledged Lorence's work. Mr.Ferich is aunique man and the words that you just read are his philosophy. Pay attention tohis talent and success. If you want get in tuch with Lorence this is his email: LorencFeric@cs.com

Nenad Bach

  HelloCroatian World Net again!

   The good news is that lifeis middle aged for me these days.  So?  so, I went off to New Mexicoand took in the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta last month.  It is an annualevent in that city.  There were 981 hot air balloons of all sizes andshapes.  Fortunately, I had a digital camera with me.

   I noticed there is an artistsection on this website with my name there.  Other artists are there, also. Nenad suggests, I agree, pictures sometimes tell better stories then words. I have returned as a wiser man who understands a few more things about life anddeeds and what is important, self-respect and empowerment.  It is somethingCroatians need a daily dose of.  For now my digital photos will speak forme.

    I shot thephotos, I resized them and I signatured them.  I am now in the screensavers business.  Thanks Nenad for a caring.  It means a lot to methat  you were willing to bother and find out and listen.  Oh yes, thehigh quality photos are available for cash and business networking.  Theyare not free, unless you know how to right click and copy it.  Hint, winkand copy!!

                                               --Steve Renko

                                                  rukav1@yahoo.com  

Croatia is beautiful,unspoild and

Times Online

November 3 2002 
Croatia starts to catch on

MORE THAN 20 tour operators are to start offering trips 
to Croatia next year following a record rise in the 
number of British visitors this summer, Sarah Turner 
writes. 
Tourists had been slow to revisit Croatia since the war 
in neighbouring Kosovo ended three years ago, but this 
summer saw numbers increase by almost a quarter. 
Tourist officials now expect 110,000 Britons to travel 
to the former Yugoslav country this year, a 22 per cent 
increase on 2001. Simply Travel, Cosmos and Headwater 
are among the big names to start offering trips there 
next year. 
Simply Travel features 14 hotels and 12 self-catering 
properties, including four agro-tourism projects in 
Istria, for next summer. “Croatia is beautiful,unspoild and you can do 
everything, from a weekend in Dubrovnik to two weeks in 
a villa on an island in the archipelago,” said Sally 
Balcombe, a spokeswoman. 
Cosmos is offering 11 hotels serviced by Pula airport in 
the north, and six near Dubrovnik in the south. 
“Croatia is picturesque and cultured with loads of 
history. It’s probably more for the older market, rather 
than groups of girls and lads,” said Jill Standeven of 
Cosmos. 
Croatian National Tourist Board (020-8563 7979, www.croatia.hr   ); Simply Travel (020-8541 2222); Cosmos (0800-093 3922).

Copyright 2002 Times Newspapers Ltd.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,71-465119,00.html 

Dear Croatians

Can you send this information via e-mail to all your friends on the list?
Thank you. fra Robert Zubovic
PRAYER, REFLECTIONS
AND 
HEALING SERVICE

FR. JOZO ZOVKO, OFM

Tuesday, November 5, 2002
Schedule:
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD CHURCH
(Lower Church)
32-23 36th street ASTORIA
(No parking lot)

ALL CROATIANS ARE CORDIALLY INVITED

Fr. Jozo Zovko, world renowned franciscan, witness to the Medjugorje apparitions, has become one of the best known priest in the world. Many tribes have made him their chief and he is connected with many miraculous healings. Pope John Paoul II sent Fr. Jozo a thank you note through the polish pilgrims. Pope John Paul II was thankful to Fr. Jozo for his apostolate for Medjugorje, for what Fr. Jozo is doing and has done so far.

For Info:
718-932-9135 
RZubovic@aol.com 

Belgrade - Baghdad

http://www.tol.cz/look/TOLnew/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrIssue=37&NrSection=6&NrArticle=7639&ST1=body&ST_T1=wir&ST_PS1=1&ST_AS1=0&ST_LS1=0&ST_max=1  

29 October 2002

Yugoslavia: The Iraqi Affair Heats Up

Banja Luka and Belgrade take the international spotlight over alleged dealings with Iraq.

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia, and BANJA LUKA, Bosnia and Herzegovina--Yugoslav authorities found themselves in the line of fire last week after a Belgrade company was linked to illegal arms dealings with Iraq. 

After October’s inspection of Orao, located in Bijeljina in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia, the international community concluded that the factory had assisted Iraqi military experts through Belgrade’s Jugoimport SDPR company, which imports and exports arms. 

The same company was unsuccessfully targeted by NATO during the 1999 air strikes against Yugoslavia. NATO hit instead the Chinese Embassy, claiming the error was due to bad intelligence.

On 26 October, the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo sent a diplomatic protest letter, its second. In its first letter, the U.S. government had threatened sanctions against Bosnia if it failed to identify those responsible for the alleged dealings with Iraq.

“This puts you in the position of assistant to Iraqi forces. The fact that SFOR [Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina] found documents in the Orao factory now calls into question the credibility of Republika Srpska,” read the second letter.

In October, Britain’s Sunday Times and the Belgrade daily Blic published stories about the Yugoslav and Bosnian companies’ illegal dealings with Iraq; both companies were alleged to have violated the UN arms embargo against Iraq. 

In Republika Srpska, the Banja Luka daily Nezavisne novine published two documents found by SFOR at the Orao facility. The first document, translated from Arabic into English, said that in October 2000, Belgrade’s Jugoimport company signed a contract with a Baghdad company called Al Bashair for $8.5 million. 

The second document contained correspondence between Jugoimport and another Baghdad company called IBN Firnas. In the correspondence, the director of Jugoimport’s branch in Baghdad, Krsto Grujovic, asks the company’s Iraqi partners to hide all evidence that Orao and Jugoimport have been dealing with Iraq in case of a UN inspection.

On 25 October, a Republika Srpska Defense Ministry special commission released a statement to the press admitting that it had discovered evidence at the Orao factory that proved the company was conducting illegal business with Iraq. Earlier, the ministry had said there were no such documents.

A few days later, the government of Republika Srpska called a special session to discuss the crisis. During that session, the director of Orao, Milan Prica, and two high-ranking Republika Srpska Army officials were suspended. On 28 October, Republika Srpska Defense Minister Slobodan Bilic resigned along with the chief of the Republika Srpska Army, Novica Simic.

In Belgrade, the Yugoslav Defense Ministry, which is responsible for approving all types of military cooperation, denied the accusations. Serbian Interior Minister Dusan Mihajlovic, who is also the president of Jugoimport’s board of directors, likewise denied any knowledge of assistance to Iraq, stating that there were no documents suggesting any kind of cooperation. Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic also denied any knowledge of the issue.

Still, the detailed account of the companies’ cooperation with Iraq published in Blic had an unexpectedly strong impact. Following the publication of the British and Yugoslav articles, the Yugoslav government sacked Jugoimport head Jovan Cekovic and Yugoslav Army General Ivan Djokic, who also serves as assistant to the Yugoslav defense minister. Djokic was responsible for controlling the movement of arms and military equipment.

Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica and Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic--Serbia’s two greatest political rivals--offered different perspectives on the recent crisis. 

According to Djindjic, the Iraqi affair is seriously damaging the country’s international image. Djindjic pointed to the lack of civilian control over the Yugoslav Army as a grave problem. 

Kostunica, on the other hand, said that though he condemned the violation of UN sanctions and though the Iraqi affair was significant, he doubted it would damage Yugoslavia’s image. Kostunica called on those responsible to be brought to justice, referring to Jugoimport’s illegal dealings as “hazardous and highly irresponsible business moves.” 

Kostunica also said that the Iraqi affair was being used to attack Yugoslav institutions and his own political career, referring to criticism from political parties within the ruling Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition, led by Djindjic. 

Nenad Canak, president of the Vojvodina regional parliament, publicly stated that Kostunica should be held responsible for the crisis. 

In the meantime, Serbian media have continued to publish daily speculations on the Iraqi affair. 

The Belgrade daily Danas published a story saying that Republika Srpska counterintelligence chief Vanko Djukic was personally involved in the affair. Djukic disappeared four months ago. Fifteen days after his disappearance, he reportedly contacted his colleagues from the United States, saying he would never return. Danas claims that it has information that two employees and some microfilm disappeared along with Djukic. 


--by Dragan Stojkovic in Belgrade and Dragan Stanimirovic in Banja Luka.

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Ovcara - An Unpunished Crime

Zagreb, October 19 (HINA) - Exactly ten years ago, the world press learned of
the discovery of a mass grave in Ovcara near Vukovar, in which, wounded
Croatians from the Vukovar Hospital were buried by Serbian paramilitary forces
with help of the Yugoslavian army. Dr. Clyde Snow, a U.N. expert for forensic
medicine, announced news of the mass grave’s discovery. In October of 1992, he
visited the Ovcara region and found numerous human remains in the mass grave.
This corroborated with eyewitness accounts of the disappearance of people
during the evacuation of wounded Croats and patients at the Vukovar Hospital.
After the occupation of Vukovar, serbian paramilitary forced and the
Yugoslavian army killed wounded Croats, hospital staff, and civilians from the
Vukovar hospital on October 20, 1991. Because of the obstructions of the
puppet Serb quasi-government in the occupied Croatian regions, exhumations of
the victims in the mass grave started only four years later, on September 1,
1996. In 40 days of work, experts of the Intrnational Hague Tribunal for War
Crimes and the organization of "Doctors for Human Rights", exhumed the remains
of 200 victims. Among them was the body of Sinisa Glavasevic, the legendary
journalist for Radio Vukovar, who reported on the heroic defense of Croatian
soldiers and the suffering of Vukovar by Serbian aggression. 

Even though the discovery of the mass graves in Ovcara were the first complete
evidence of war crimes during the wars in former Yugoslavia, caused by Serbian
aggression, the Hague Tribunal has yet to this day not brought any of those
accused of this crime to trial. The head of the Serbian quasi-government in
Vukovar, Slavko Dokmanovic, prior to the trial's start, committed suicide in
the Hague Tribunal's prison, the process for Mile Mrksic has not even begun,
because of his extradition is remains a formal statement of guilt, while
Veselin Sljivancanin and Miroslav Radic have not even been extradited, even
though the indictment against them was served seven years ago.

Translation courtesy of Marko Puljic.

 Croatia& Egypt

10 Years of diplomatic relations

President Stjepan Mesic is visiting Egypt and has in the course 
of the visit awarded a medal to the Croatian honorary consul 
in Egypt, Moustaffa El Naggara for his special contribution 
to the development of economic cooperation between Croatia and 
Egypt. Mesic said at the ceremony that this year marks 10 years since 
the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. 

The Association of Writers and Poets of Egypt has handed to 
the Croatian president a medal for special honors in the development 
of cultural and friendly relations between Croatia and Egypt.