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Balkans Junior Faculty Development Program (includes Bosnia-Hercegovina) Primary Sponsor: Department of State Deadline: 5/10/2002 [Public Notice 3945] Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs; Request for Grant Proposals: Balkans Junior Faculty Development Program SUMMARY: The Office of Academic Exchange Programs/European Programs Branch of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for the new Balkans Junior Faculty Development Program (JFDP). Public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C. 501(c) (3) may submit proposals to place visiting faculty from Bosnia and Herzegovina (and Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) at U.S. universities in a one academic year (nine months) teacher training and curriculum development program. The grantee organization for this new program will support and oversee the activities of the faculty throughout their stay in the United States, including their undertaking a practical internship at the end of the academic program (an additional two months). In addition, the grantee organization will recruit and select candidates for the JFDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia to begin the program in the United States in Fall 2003. Program Information Overview The new Balkans Junior Faculty Development Program (JFDP) will offer fellowships to university instructors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Selected through an open, merit-based competition, JFDP Fellows will attend U.S. universities for one academic year to work with faculty mentors and to audit courses in order to develop new curricula and approaches to teaching in their fields of study. The JFDP will encourage its Fellows to develop professional relationships with the U.S. academic community, and to forge ties between their U.S. colleagues and colleagues in their home countries, and to share their experiences and knowledge with U.S. students and professors. Throughout their stay in the United States, JFDP Fellows will attend conferences and seminars, and participate in two-month practical internships after completing the academic component of the program. The goals of the program are to allow U.S. scholars and scholars from the participating countries to exchange ideas on curriculum design and teaching, and to increase collaboration and cooperation between universities in the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Participation in the JFDP under this grant is restricted to university instructors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia in the following fields of study: American studies, business administration, economics, education administration, environmental studies, history, international affairs, journalism, law, library science, political science, public administration and public policy. Programs must comply with J-1 Visa regulations. Subject to the availability of funds, it is anticipated that this grant will begin on or about July 1, 2002. Please refer to the Solicitation Package for further information. Budget Guidelines Grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than four years of experience in conducting international exchange programs will be limited to $60,000. Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire program. The Bureau anticipates awarding one grant in the amount of $1,240,000 ($140,000 for Bosnia and Herzegovina; $550,000 for Macedonia; $150,000 for Montenegro; and $400,000 for Serbia) to support the program and administrative costs required to implement this program. The Bureau encourages applicants to provide maximum levels of cost sharing and funding from private sources in support of its programs. There must be a summary budget as well as breakdowns reflecting both administrative and program budgets. Applicants may provide separate sub-budgets for each program component, phase, location, or activity to provide clarification. Allowable costs for the program include the following: 1) Overseas recruitment and selection of candidates 2) Participant travel expenses, stipends, accident and sickness insurance, visa fees, professional development costs 3) Orientations, participant conferences 4) Host university fees 5) Alumni and follow-on activities Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget guidelines and formatting instructions. Announcement Title and Number: All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFGP should reference the above title and number ECA/A/ E/EUR-02-07. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: The Office of Academic Exchanges, ECA/A/E/EUR, Room 246, U.S. Department of State, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, tel. (202) 205-0525, fax (202) 260-7985, exchanges@pd.state.gov to request a Solicitation Package. The Solicitation Package contains detailed award criteria, required application forms, specific budget instructions, and standard guidelines for proposal preparation. Please specify Bureau Program Officer Sheila Casey on all other inquiries and correspondence. Please read the complete Federal Register announcement before sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFGP deadline has passed, Bureau staff may not discuss this competition with applicants until the proposal review process has been completed. To Download a Solicitation Package Via Internet The entire Solicitation Package may be downloaded from the Bureau's website at http://exchanges.state.gov/education/RFGPs Please read all information before downloading. Deadline for Proposals: All proposal copies must be received at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs by 5 p.m. Washington, DC time on Friday, May 10, 2002. Faxed documents will not be accepted at any time. Documents postmarked the due date but received on a later date will not be accepted. Each applicant must ensure that the proposals are received by the above deadline. Op-ed Many Croatians live in Vojvodina, Bosnia-Herzegovina and some in Serbia andMontenegro. nb |
| An Afternoon of Croatian Music and Dance - FIRST TIME IN THE LIBRARY! Dear Mr. Bach, Please be informed that there is going to be a performance by the folk ensemble Croatian Rose on Saturday, March 23 at 3 p.m. in the Broadway Branch of the Queens Borough Public Library. The address is: 40-20 Broadway, Astoria (close to the intersection of Broadway and Steinway St.). This performance is an introduction to the public of the new children's books collection in Croatian. First time ever, the library is dealing with Croatian children's material, as well as celebrating Croatian heritage through a cultural arts program. The initiator is Sanja Crnkovic of Astoria, Queens. Hopefully, this is just a beginning of a series of Croatian events in the busiest library in the country. Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday, Sanja Crnkovic crnkovic@netzero.net Press release. Priopcenje. Sanja Crnkovic, 718-600-4011 Date: 20. listopada, 2001. Subject: Djecje knjige na hrvatskome jeziku - prvi put u Javnoj knjiznici Queens! Draga djeco i roditelji, Hrvatice i Hrvati, Po prvi puta u povijesti Javne knjiznice Queens (Queens Borough Public Library), moguce je posuditi djecje knjige na hrvatskome jeziku! Zbirka od cak stotinu trideset i pet potpuno novih, kvalitetnih djecjih knjiga i slikovnica na hrvatskome jeziku, upravo je stigla u lokalne knjiznice Broadway (40-20 Broadway, LIC, tel.718-721-2462) i Ridgewood (20-12 Madison Street, Ridgewood, tel.718-821-4770). Knjige su kupljene sredstvima proracuna tzv. New Americans Programa pri Javnoj knjiznici Queens, a kao rezultat petogodisnje inicijative Sanje Crnkovic iz Astorije. Op-ed Congratulations Sanja. This is a VERY important event. We have to learn how to utilize structure and institutions of the country we are living in. This is a very good and positive example. Many times, great opprtunity lies behind hard work (five years), and that is the reason why many cannot recognize it. Please come and support this event. It is crucial to be present. Cestitke Sanja. Ovo je vrlo bitan dogadjaj. Mi moramo nauciti kako upotrijebiti institucije drzave u kojoj zivimo. Ovo je prekrasan primjer. Cesto prilike leze iza napornog rada (pet godina) i ljudi su skloni ne prepoznati takve. Molim Vas Vi koji ste u New Yorku i okolici, podrzite ovaj dogadjaj Vasim prisustvom. Nenad Bach Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! |
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Phoenix Suns' Joe Johnson (2) fouls Atlanta Hawks' Toni Kukoc (7) of Croatia, in the first quarter, |
| DOM I SVIJET - RAZGOVOR S FRA JOZOM GRBESOM From:crowc@shaw.ca DOM I SVIJET - 18. ozujka 2002. http://www.hic.hr/dom/ RAZGOVOR S FRA JOZOM GRBESOM, SVECENIKOM U HRVATSKOJ ZUPI SV. JERONIMA - CHICAGO Ako mi i jesmo u pustinji, neka pustinja ne bude u nama... Pise: Gordana Dujic Predstavljanju jubilarne spomen-knjige o franjevcima Hrvatske franjevacke kustodije Svete Obitelji za Ameriku i Kanadu, pod nazivom Stoljece vjernosti, koja se odrzala u Franjevackom samostanu u Dubravi, prisustvovao je fra Jozo Grbes, nas sugovornik i, uz fra Roberta Jolica, autor spomen-knjige. Fra Jozo, inace, djeluje na Hrvatskoj zupi sv. Jeronima u Princetownu - Chicago. Kad smo ga zamolili da se predstavi nasim citateljima, rekao nam je: -Mislim da je o sebi najteze govoriti. Dijete sam svijeta, upucen uvijek negdje prema Nebu. Pripadam ovoj zemlji, dio sam ovog naroda, otisao iz domovine davno. Roden sam u Rami, odrastao u Slavoniji, studirao u Sarajevu, New Yorku, Londonu, a sad sam u Chicagu. Za knjigu kaze: -Mislim da knjiga sadrzi najbitnije podatke o djelovanju franjevaca u Americi u zadnjih 100 godina. Materijal je uistinu obiman, knjiga je mogla imati nekoliko tisuca stranica. Moj kolega Robert i ja smo podatke skupljali po nasim zupama, arhivima, u Hrvatskom etnickom institutu u Chicagu… Materijala je bilo mnogo, jer je rijec o dugom nizu godina, o mnogim ljudima koji su djelovali na ovom ogromnom kontinentu. U knjizi se govori i o dolasku nasih ljudi u te krajeve. Kako je teklo iseljavanje Hrvata u Ameriku? -Hrvati su u Ameriku poceli dolaziti odavno, posebno s podrucja Dalmacije. Hrvatski moreplovci dosli su u doticaj s Amerikom u 16. i 17. stoljecu. Poznata je prica o indijanskom plemenu Croatan; pretpostavlja se da su Hrvati na obale Pacifika i Atlantika dolazili jos u 16., 17. i 18. stoljecu. Masovniji dolazak Hrvata dogodio se koncem 19. i u 20. stoljecu, prvenstveno zbog ekonomskih i politickih migracija... Kakav je bio zivot tih prvih doseljenika? -Jako tezak. Danas, kad se kaze Amerika, ljudi sanjaju o nekom velikom novcu, sjaju, Hollywoodu, filmovima, ali zivot u Americi bio je sve do sezdesetih godina jako tezak. Vecina Hrvata je radila u istocnim dijelovima Amerike, u rudnicima Pennsylvanije, Ohija itd. S kakvim su se sve nedacama nosili ti ljudi, vidi se po maticnim knjigama u nasim zupama, gdje je zabiljezeno da je dosta ljudi umiralo u cetrdesetoj - pedesetoj godini. Mnogi su bolovali, stradavali u rudnicima, jednom rijecju - zivot u Americi pocetkom stoljeca je bio jako tezak. Hrvatski misionari su stigli i prije hrvatskih doseljenika. Oni su djelovali i na domicilno stanovnistvo. Koja biste imena izdvojili? -Poznatiji svecenik, koji se u svim dokumentima spominje, je Josip Kundek. Casni Jesih, imenovan pravednikom medu narodima u Jeruzalemu, jedan je od osnivaca Hrvatske katolicke zajednice. Koncem 19. i pocetkom 20. stoljeca posebno su utjecajni bili redovnici ili dijecezanski svecenici, koji su okupljali Hrvate na razlicitim podrucjima Amerike. Tek kasnije, kad je organizirana nasa franjevacka kustodija 1926., postojala je zajednica na tom podrucju, gdje su franjevci organizirano djelovali. Slijedece godine slavimo 300 godina od djelovanja oca fra Ferdinanda Kunscaka, po kojem je i jedna skupina otoka dobila ime. -On je prvi covjek koji je napravio kartu juzne Kalifornije. Nase iseljenistvo iz Dalmacije zivjelo je na podrucju Kalifornije i on je medu njima djelovao. Djelovao je i medu Amerikancima, a bavio se i znanoscu, pa je njegovo ime upisano u taj dio americke povijesti. Kaze se da se posebno humano odnosio prema domicilnom stanovnistvu, da ga nije omalovazavao, kao sto je to tada bilo uobicajeno, pa mu i to uzimaju kao zaslugu. Kakav je znacaj za hrvatske doseljenike imalo prisustvo hrvatskih svecenika? -Zupna zajednica je svugdje po svijetu i socijalna zajednica. Ljudi se sastaju, dolaze zajedno na misu, u nasim zupama u Americi je tradicija da ljudi poslije mise ostanu na kavi i kolacima. To im je prigoda da se susretnu, popricaju, da podijele probleme i radost. Tu ce naci posao, naci ce pomoc. Zupa, u kojoj sada djelujem, osnovana je 1912. Zupe su inace u iseljenistvu mjesta zajednickog okupljanja. Ljudi koji su se poznavali, vidali, pomrli su, njihovi pojedinacni napori su manje-vise isceznuli. Ali zajednice oko crkve su ostale, upravo zato sto imaju tu socijalnu dimenziju okupljanja nasih ljudi. Crkva je djelovala i na kulturnom planu, izdavala razne publikacije... -To su bile publikacije koje su nasi franjevci izdavali godinama. Danicu su izdavali od 1944. Ona je u iseljenistvu bila glas slobode, postojao je tjednik koji su nasi franjevci tiskali u Chicagu koji je bio poznat diljem svijeta i prodavan na svim kontinentima. Oni su htjeli da se cuje rijec slobode, hrvatska rijec. Bilo je dosta tih tiskovina koje su franjevci uredivali. Danica je ugasena devedesete, jer s nastankom hrvatske drzave vise nije bilo potrebe za njom. Ostale publikacije se i dalje izdaju. Hoce li se Danica ponovno poceti izdavati? -Moguce je. Sve vise je zahtjeva nasih ljudi koji kazu da mi iseljenici moramo imati svoje casopise i svoje novine. Iseljenistvo, iako je dio naseg naroda, je entitet za sebe, to su ljudi koji zive u odredenom kontekstu, odredenoj kulturi, drzavi, oni imaju svoje probleme, tradicije, svoje obicaje. Zasto je i kako nastao Hrvatski etnicki institut? -Hrvatski etnicki institut nastao je 1976. godine. Sedamdesetih godina je sazrela ideja da svu tu gradu o Hrvatima u Americi – po zupnim zajednicama – treba skupiti na jedno mjesto. Tako su franjevci 1976. godine osnovali Hrvatski etnicki institut, jer je kao Hrvatski povijesni institut djelovao davno prije zahvaljujuci poznatom hrvatskom povjesnicaru fra Dominiku Mandicu. U Hrvatskom etnickom institutu skupljamo gradu o Hrvatima Amerike i Kanade; ako netko pise knjigu o toj tematici, tu ce naci sve potrebne podatke. Fra Ljubo Krasic vodi danas Hrvatski etnicki institut. On je ujedno i jedan od utemeljitelja HISAKA. -Da, on je jedan od osnivaca Hrvatskih skola u Americi i Kanadi. To su skole koje djeluju pri nasim zajednicama, dopunske skole, u kojima se nastava obicno odrzava petkom i subotom, gdje djecu pokusavamo nauciti hrvatski jezik, povijest, kulturu... Gdje su najvece hrvatske franjevacke zupe u Americi? -Najvece zupe su u najvecim gradovima. U New Yorku je najveca nasa zupa koja broji 3-4 tisuce hrvatskih obitelji, zatim u Chicagu, Los Angelesu itd. U knjizi je objavljena fotografija jedne ploce s natpisom: Hrvatska zemlja. Sto to znaci? -Nasa zupa je 1973. godine u New Yorku kupila jedan park koji smo zatim uredili. Dogadaju se tu sportske aktivnosti, zajednicka misa, piknici i razne druge manifestacije. Buduci da mnogi Hrvati nisu mogli posjecivati Hrvatsku, to mjesto su nazvali, ne park, nego "Hrvatska zemlja", jer su se tu osjecali nekako doma. Kad je pokojni Vinko Nikolic bjezao iz zemlje, ponio je iz Hrvatske grumen zemlje. Da ga je prodavao, umjesto dijelio, silno bi se obogatio, jer su ljudi prije smrti, znajuci da se nece moci vratiti, zeljeli da makar grumen hrvatske zemlje bude sahranjen s njima. Postoji i prica vezana uz jednu crkvu u Pittsburghu. -Crkva Svetog Nikole u Pittsburghu je nedavno proslavila 100 godina postojanja. Prije petnaestak godina, gradske vlasti su donijele odluku da ce, na mjestu gdje se nalazi crkva, prolaziti autocesta. Posto je crkva bila uistinu divna i kako je narod bio vezan uz nju, bilo ju je steta srusiti pa je grad pomogao da se crkva doslovno pomakne. Meni je osobno neshvatljivo na koji nacin, ali tehnikom kojom danas gradevinari raspolazu, oni su tu crkvu jednostavno postavili nekoliko stotina metara dalje od prvotne lokacije. Postoje i franjevacke zupe koje su se ugasile. Iz kojih razloga najcesce dolazi do toga? -Amerika je zemlja u kojoj su unutrasnje migracije jako velike. Nase obitelji promijene i 5-6 mjesta stanovanja. Ljudi idu za poslom. Odlaze zivjeti tamo gdje mogu dobiti posao. Jedan mali dio nasih zupa se ugasio jer je pucanstvo iz toga mjesta odselilo u neki drugi grad. Tako smo osnivali nove zupe, a prethodne su ugasene. Zupe imaju smisla jedino ako su ljudi tu. Hrvatskim franjevcima, rodenim u domovini, pridruzili su se i mnogi Hrvati franjevci, rodeni u Americi. -Svecenicki poziv na svoj nacin u sebi ima snagu, bez obzira gdje covjek djeluje. Nasi franjevci, koji su rodeni u Americi, dosli su iz nasih zupa. Bili su u doticaju s nasim franjevcima i htjeli su raditi na tom podrucju, na kojem radimo mi. Neki rade na engleskom govornom podrucju, neki na talijanskom. Je li bilo pojava da su se Hrvati, tamo gdje su bili malobrojni, udruzivali s nekom drugom etnickom zajednicom pa zajednicki dijelili zupe? -Da, to se dogadalo u nekim sredinama, u Chicagu, u nasoj zupi Srca Isusova - na pocetku. To se dogadalo i u Pennsylvaniji, gdje su Hrvati i Slovenci imali zajednicke zupe. Ponegdje smo se udruzivali sa Slovacima, ali vecinom je to bilo sa Slovencima. U koliko hrvatskih katolickih zupa u Americi djeluje vasa franjevacka kustodija? -Nasa kustodija u Americi i Kanadi djeluje u 17 zupa, dok su u ostalim zupama svecenici iz razlicitih biskupija iz Hrvatske. Imamo svecenika iz dalmatinskih biskupija, Varazdina, Zagreba itd. Postoji li teznja americke katolicke crkve da asimilira nase zupe? -Ne bih rekao da postoji teznja. To je na neki nacin prirodna asimilacija. U zupi u kojoj ja djelujem imamo mise na engleskom jeziku, imamo trecu ili cetvrtu generaciju americkih Hrvata, koji dolaze k nama. Tu nema nikakve prisile da se nesto mora uciniti. To je prirodan proces. HIC vec vise godina hrvatskim doseljenicima i njihovim potomcima nudi televizijski satelitski program, putem Interneta vijesti na engleskom, spanjolskom, hrvatskom, izdaje tjedni prilog "Dom i svijet". Po Vasem misljenju, imaju li ti nasi programi i emisije smisla? -Nama je svima jasno da je danas u svijetu komunikacija - sve. Vijest je sve. Rijec je postala najmocnije sredstvo. Bilo da se radi o pisanoj, televizijskoj, radijskoj, bilo kojoj. Bez komunikacije ne postoji nista. Kad je u pitanju odnos domovina - iseljenistvo komunikacija je najvaznija. Na taj se nacin ljudi "zagriju" za projekte u domovini, ako dobiju zaista dobru vijest odavde, a ohlade ako vide da to ne funkcionira. Ja mislim da je vas program odigrao ogromnu ulogu sve ove godine povezujuci domovinu s iseljenistvom, svakodnevnim razlicitim programima o zbivanjima u domovini. Ako budete i dalje imali kvalitetan program, koji ce ljudima ponuditi nesto dobro i aktualno iz domovine, ljudi ce to i dalje gledati. Po tome ce znati sto se to u Hrvatskoj uistinu dogada, a to ih jako zanima. I ova vasa knjiga zapravo govori o svojevrsnoj vjernosti u istrajnosti da se hrvatski zivalj ne asimilira. Kad ste zbrojili sve godine, koje su vasi franjevci pojedinacno djelovali u Americi, umjesto tih 100 godina, izgleda da su oni ulozili 2800 godina rada. To je velicanstven broj. 2800 godina vjernosti Bogu, hrvatskom narodu, a svakako i blagoslov zemlji u kojoj su djelovali. -Divim se mnogoj mojoj braci franjevcima, koji godinama nisu smjeli ici u Hrvatsku. Jedan nas franjevac je dosao doma tek nakon 55 godina. To su ljudi koji su zaista davali cijeli svoj zivot jednoj ideji, jednom pokretu, na dobrobit svoga naroda. Zato ne iznenaduje kad se te godine zbroje i ispadne ih tako puno - 2800. Vi ste nedavno u goste pozvali i vlc. Zlatka Sudca. -U nase misije i zupe redovito dolaze svecenici i biskupi iz Domovine. Nama je to uvijek osvjezenje, kad misno slavlje predvodi netko od njih. Jedan od nasih gostiju je covjek, kojega vi jako dobro poznajete - vlc. Zlatko Sudac. Svojim dolaskom on je uistinu ostavio jedan veliki pecat na zivotima mnogih ljudi. To je covjek koji ima izniman dar, karizmu. Vjerujem da to i u Americi, kao i u Hrvatskoj, dopire do mnogih kojima je to potrebno. Kakav je bio njegov susret s Amerikancima? -Ja bih rekao: kad u sebi netko ima bezuvjetnu dobrotu, ljubav koju dijeli s drugima, onda to nadilazi, kao sto Krist nadilazi, razlike i granice, i naroda, i jezika i svega onoga sto nas dijeli. Danas nas u svijetu sve dijeli, jedino nas ljubav spaja i to nam je zajednicko, bez obzira odakle dolazimo. Covjek koji donosi poruku Bozje ljubavi je prihvatljiv svima. Zato je i u Americi prihvacen. Bila sam nazocna jednoj misi koju je on drzao i nisam nikad u zivotu vidjela u Hrvatskoj pomamu niti za jednom zvijezdom - glumackom ili pjevackom, sportskom, kao za njim. Ljudi su jednostavno jurili za njim, sa zeljom makar da ga dotaknu. -Ima tu dosta fanatizma. Ja bih rekao ovako – Hrvati su stoljecima patili i Bog je njihovu patnju nagradivao, slao im je vjesnike, proroke, slao im je karizme i darove, samo je do nas hocemo li to prepoznati. A dogadaji u Medugorju? -Mislim da spadaju u isti kontekst. Doba je korizme, sto biste kao svecenik porucili Bozjem narodu? -Mnogi ljudi ce reci - evo opet pustinja. U korizmi razmisljamo o pustinji, razmisljamo o odricanju, o Kristu. Ja bih ukratko rekao ono sto mi je jedan subrat rekao neki dan: Fra Jozo, opet citamo o pustinji u prvoj nedjelji Korizme. Dobro je da mi odlazimo u pustinju. Samo ne smijemo dopustiti da pustinja ude u nas. Eto, ja bih savjetovao citateljima da, sto god cine u zivotu, gdje god da jesu, na bilo kojem kontinentu, u bilo kojem zivotnom kontekstu, neka ljudima budu dar i neka ne budu nikad pustinja. U jednoj emisiji vlc. Sudac je rekao: ne brini za sutra, ja zivot zivim punim plucima, i nikoga i nicega se necu bojati - ja u Boga vjerujem. -Mislim da je to ono sto je Isus rekao i u evandelju. Treba se uvijek zaista brinuti za danas. Sutra ce se vec pobrinuti za sutra. Mislim da, ako covjek svaki trenutak svoga zivota zivi odgovorno, potpuno, s ljubavlju, da ce onda zivjeti cjelovit i potpun zivot. Mi ljudi smo cesto, posebice na ovim prostorima, okrenuti proslosti, optuzujemo jedni druge, ili okrenuti necem u buducnosti sto se ne moze dogoditi, a uvijek gubimo sadasnjost, gubimo sadasnji trenutak koji jedino i imamo. Zato bih volio da se ljudi pokusaju zaista posvetiti tom trenutku u zivotu. Jer to je ono sto imaju. Opasno je odgadati ljubav. Opasno je odgadati dobrotu, opasno je odgadati Krista, opasno je odgadati dobre stvari u zivotu i reci: Napravit cemo sutra... Op-ed Poznavajuci fra. Jozu, kako ja tako i svi drugi, znali smo prepoznati bogatstvo njegove rijeci i njegovih djela. Jos uvijek ne mozemo prezaliti njegov odlazak iz New Yorka. Nenad Bach Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! |
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God save Croatia "Boze Cuvaj Hrvatsku"
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| NATIONAL FEDERATION OF CROATIAN AMERICANS 1329 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20036 Phone: (202) 331-2830 NFCAhdq@aol.com Fax: (202)331-0050 NATIONAL FEDERATION OF CROATIAN AMERICANS CALLS FOR INCREASED FUNDING FOR CROATIA (Washington, D.C., March 18, 2002). The National Federation of Croatian Americans calls on all Croatian Americans to urgently contact their Congressmen concerning proposed United States assistance to Croatia for Fiscal Year 2003. The budget proposal allocates only $30 million to Croatia and $50 million to Bosnia and Herzegovina. This compares with proposed allocations of $110 million for Serbia, $25 million for Montenegro and $85 million for Kosovo. Of interest is the comparison with aid proposed to be given to other states that were not formerly part of Yugoslavia. Albania and Bulgaria will each get $28 million and Romania $29 million under the proposal, a minor difference in comparison to the amount proposed for Croatia. John Kraljic, President of the NFCA, notes that Croatia has consistently fulfilled its international obligations, including those concerning the International War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague. "Despite the fact that the indictments brought against a number of Croatian military officers contain numerous questionable charges, the Croatian government has nevertheless been committed to complying with demands to turn over indictees and evidence. This has certainly not been the case with Serbia." The Republic of Croatia remains in dire need of additional assistance from the United States. "The Republic of Croatia appears to have stabilized is financial and monetary system, but the economy still has a long way to go. The Croatian government will likely have to cut additional costs to balance its budget at a time when more than 400,000 remain unemployed. Croatia continues to suffer from the effects of having its territory occupied for four years. Mines remain a problem, houses have not been rebuilt, fields remain fallow." Mr. Kraljic further noted that the present poor economic problems were exacerbated during NATO's 1999 war against Serbia. "Croatia supported the United States in its determination to stop Serbian aggression on Kosovo and freely allowed its air space to be used by NATO planes to accomplish their mission. This was all done at tremendous costs to Croatia's tourist industry, one of Croatia's most important. The 1999 tourist season turned into a disaster because of this." The need for assistance is clear. Croatia's road to democracy and full integration with the West depends completely on its ability to stand on its own two feet. Croatia may be headed that way but it's not there yet. "Croatia still needs its training wheels," Mr. Kraljic noted. "This proposal suggests to Croatia that the United States no longer cares about Croatia. Croatia, however, remains in need of this assistance." The NFCA is a national umbrella organization whose members have approximately 130,000 members. Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! |
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| http://www.dartreview.com/issues/2.4.02/split.html Nationalism in Split, Croatia by Christian Hummel Robert Kaplan's praised (and despised) Balkan Ghosts considers the region through the eyes of a well-informed traveler. Rather than merely reporting what he sees or writing tales of the places he visits, in this book, as in his others, Kaplan attempts to map the dynamics at work today and the future processes. To account for Croatian nationalism, for example, Kaplan turns to the stories of two bishops, demonstrating the links between Croatian identity and the Catholic Church. While the two are often deemed synonymous, Kaplan only weakly brings the two together. His biggest problem was that he went to Zagreb in search of nationalism. He should have gone to Split. Split is the second largest city in Croatia, although its population is only a quarter of Zagreb's. Located on the Dalmatian coast, the city has always drawn its share of visitors. Having divided the Roman Empire, Diocletian built a palace and camped out in Split for the remainder of his days. The town's history is a veritable "who's who" of Mediterranean conquerors, with the Greeks, Romans, Slavs, Venetians, Turks, French, Italians, and Serbs all having overrun the place in the last 2000 or so years. Split's archaeological museum, like the ruins of the Roman town of Salona just outside the city, is a tribute to Franjo Bulic, the dean of Croatian archaeology. The museum itself consists of a fairly straightforward display of items from across the ages, while, outside, spectacular monuments are arranged unobtrusively and so largely unnoticed by visitors. Although the archaeological museum and its accompanying ruins are among the better of the Adriatic, the best museum in Eastern Europe must surely be the Ivan Mestrovic Gallery. And, while ancient ruins are nice, the true story of Split is to be found beyond Diocletian and his palace. Ivan Mestrovic was a 20th century sculptor, whose works can be viewed in such diverse weave's as Chicago's Grant Park, in front of the United Nations building in New York, and all throughout Croatia. The development of Mestrovic's style is historically illuminating; it chronicles the decline of the Austro-Hungarian state and the rise in the aspirations for independence of the south Slavic peoples. Mestrovic trained in Vienna and his initial works display a strong emphasis of classical styles. His subjects are the characters of Greco-Roman mythology and generally lack any originality or excitement. Later, though, his sculptures develop a unique character. Mestrovic embraced curved shapes, conveying alternately a sense of motion or one of stillness and contemplation. Consistently though, the sculptures of this period are of figures with their heads bowed submissively. This aspect, present in works like "Contemplation" or "The History of Croatia," lasted until the outbreak of World War II. In the 1940's Mestrovic embraced a fascination with religious figures that would persist for the rest of his career. Among the many striking works of his later career, "Job," dated 1946, best reflects his connecting of religion and Balkan politics. Mestrovic's tortured Old Testament figure comments on the war and Croatia's fate in the new Yugoslavia. No longer submissive, his figures gaze upward, seeking divine relief from earthly agony. Mestrovic is clearly an important figure. His career is reminiscent to those of other important figures in Croatian history, such as Bishop Strossmayer. Strossmayer was educated in Vienna but rejected the control of the Austro-Hungarian Empire over the South Slavs. He was disappointed by the problems of the first Yugoslavia, created after World War I, as the ambitions of the Croats were relegated, in his eyes, to the dominating interests of the Serbs. Ultimately, he left Yugoslavia and settled in the United States, teaching at Syracuse and Notre Dame. Split remains a stronghold of nationalist sentiment. Walking towards town center, my friend and I noticed a group of people gathered in front of the Franciscan monastery holding large banners. The largest sign read "Hungry for Justice," and it was clear that a hunger strike was underway. Smaller signs mentioned indicted war criminals and Operations Storm and Flash. The strikers themselves were large men, for whom a few days without food might prove beneficial. They gathered in the shade of the monastery, juice boxes and water bottle's in hand, and lit candles around themselves. The next day, the striking men all donned identical hats: ballcaps with a checkerboard red and white design and HRVATSKA written on the back. The men were cheerful and determined. On the final day of my stay, things changed. A huge crowd had gathered in front of the men; something was afoot. I meandered over to see the Bishop of Split talking to the strikers in front of cameras from local media outlets. Later, I learned that he had asked the strikers to leave the monastery's premises. He did, however, give them books and a crucifix. Voting patterns also indicate a strong nationalist bent in Dalmatia. The HDZ's biggest stronghold is Dalmatia. That party controls most county and municipal governments in the area. I suspect there are several reasons for this pattern, because, historically, Dalmatia was never considered a part of Croatia proper until recently. First, the borders of Dalmatia include much more than the coast. In the hinterlands above the coast, the small, scattered population is almost entirely nationalist. Many served on the front-lines during the war. This did not make them sympathetic to weaker politics. Second, the influx of refugees into the cities is a factor. Related to the point above, Split and the other large cities saw an influx of the displaced, not only from within Croatia, but from Herzegovina as well. This population movement skewed the political demographics to the right. Not that I have any problem with right-wing politics. It's just violent nationalists I distrust. Mr. Hummel is a graduate of the College and a Fulbright Scholar Studying in Croatia. Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! |
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| To: letters@nytimes.com Date: Sun, 17 Mar 2002 00:27:21 -0800 Subject: Film Review Letters to the Editor New York Times New York, N.Y. March 16, 2002 Dear Editor: In the review of Serb producer Bogdanich's film "Yugoslavia, the Avoidable War" film critic Stephen Holden errs when stating that "it would be inaccurate to label this documentary pro-Serbian". While he sees through most of the fallacies parading as facts, the reviewer evidently does not have any knowledge of events in WWII Yugoslavia and therefore falls easy prey to the film's portrayals of all Croatians as Nazi collaborators. Not only were Serbs also Nazi collaborators , but most importantly left out is the historic fact that the Nazi resistance was formed in Croatia, not Serbia, with Croatians predominating in the antifascist war. Most outrageously, Serbs, as in this film, still keep bringing up the hugely inflated numbers of Serbs and Jews killed in WWII by Nazi collaborators. While the loss of one innocent life is one too many, research by experts, historians and statisticians back in the 1980's Yugoslavia have proven the numbers to be vastly exaggerated. At the same time Serbs omit ever mentioning the tens of thousands of Jews and others they killed in their own concentration camps in Serbia. It is therefore obvious that such a "documentary" is indeed simply a Serb propaganda film and should not be seen as anything else. Sincerely, Hilda M. Foley National Federation of Croatian Americans 13272 Orange Knoll Santa Ana, CA 92705 Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! |
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