Croatia: Holcim to Invest €5mln in Facilities Modernisation

15:46 - 25 January 2006 - Holcim Croatia, a fully-owned subsidiary of Swiss cement maker Holcim Group, intends to invest 37 mln Croatian kuna (5 mln euro) in modernisation of production and environment protection in 2006. Holcim Croatia is carrying out a 5.0 mln kuna (679,000 euro) revamp at its Koromacno factory. In 2005, the company completed two large-scale projects, including a 130 mln kuna (17.7 mln euro) new cement mill in Koromacno and a greenfield investment of 13 mln kuna (1.8 mln euro) at the concrete factory in Kukuljanovo, near Croatia's northern Adriatic port of Rijeka. Holcim Croatia has an annual production capacity of 750,000 tons of cement and over 150,000 cu m of concrete blocs.

http://www.reporter.gr/fulltext_eng.cfm?id=60125154625
 

Playing Ball with the Jazz
Gordan Giricek talks about life in the NBA

Gordan Giricek, right, with Jazz assistant coach Scott Layden.

By Frank Vinko Mustac

For the game, which Utah Jazz won 97-89. Giricek had 8 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot. For the season, Giricek averages 10.6 points per contest.

Before the game, the 6-foot 5-inch 210-pound 28-year-old Zagreb native spoke with the Croatian Chronicle about life as an NBA player, the phone call he received a while ago from NBA rookie Andrew Bogut and living so far from his daughter, family and friends back in Croatia.

Giricek also had some choice words to say about the media as well as the many people back in his homeland who do not often speak kindly towards successful Croat­ians.

Croatian Chronicle: What is life for you like in the NBA?

Gordan Gircek: Pretty good. Everything is organized and the only thing you have to worry about is playing the games, everything else they do for you.

CC: You probably did not have time to go back to Croatia for the Christmas holidays. How did you spend the holidays?

GG: No, we didn't have time. The only time off we have is the All Star break in Feb­ruary and after the season. So I didn't have time to go home, but I spent Christmas at my friend's house in Salt Lake City. It was nice.

CC: Did you have what could be considered a traditional Croatian Christmas meal?

GG: Yeah, we had pork and francuska salata (French salad) and prsut (procuitto), eggs, and all the things you eat for Christ­mas.

CC: Talk about the story that appeared in a Salt Lake City newspaper that Milwaukee Bucks rookie Andrew Bogut, who is Aus­tralian of Croatian descent, left you a message on your answering machine and that you didn't return his phone call. What happened?

GG: They made a big deal of it. Even in the Croatian newspapers.

Bogut probably got angry or something. I don't know. I really don't want to go into it, because it's ridiculous for me.

I told my side of the story. I'm the only guy that knows what happened.

He tried to leave a message in Croatian, and let's be honest, he didn't speak Croatian well at that time. I didn't understand any word, so I thought someone was messing with me.

I listened to the message twice or three times and I erased it because I really couldn't understand any words he was saying. I erased the phone number also with the message. So basically I didn't call back the number.

CC: The same newspaper article reported that you met Bogut at a restaurant in Salt Lake City after that.

GG: No I didn't meet him after that. You know newspapers. They always add something to make a story. No, we didn't meet after that, only when we played against each other.

CC: Talk about how you came from Zagreb to play in the NBA.

GG: I started professionally when I was 16. I considered that professional because I started to practice twice a day for a professional club. Then I came to play for Cibona, the main club in Zagreb.

Then at 24, I signed with CSKA in Mos­cow, Russia. Then the year after that, I went to the NBA, to the Memphis Grizzlies. And then they traded me to Orlando, then Orlando traded me to Utah.

This is my second year, going on my third, playing for Utah. I like it. I would like to stay here.

CC: How would you compare playing in Europe to playing in the NBA?

GG: It's way harder. The guys you play against in the NBA are very tough, very competitive. Every night you have a hard job, especially playing defense against shoot­ing guards. You have to guard all these guys that score above 20 points a game. So it's very hard.

We're also traveling a lot. Every other day we're in an airplane. But that's why the NBA teams make it very easy for us. They do everything for us, because they know it's a hard rhythm, so we need to rest and we need to concentrate on the games.

I mean I like it. It's better than the Euro­pean leagues. The NBA is tougher, but it's better organized.

At the end, it's safer money. It's guaranteed, so whatever you sign for, at the end of the season you end up getting. It's okay. It's good.

CC: Were there any particular cultural challenges you faced or things that surprised you about the United States?

GG: No. I'm a pretty easy-going guy. I can adapt. I can adjust to any culture. I don't have problems with that.

But I know I won't be able to live here after my career that's for sure. The main reason is because it's so far away from Europe, and I still have my family and all my friends back in Croatia.

After the season, all the Utah Jazz players go away from Salt Lake City. If I stay there, I have no one to hang out with. And I'm too old to make new friends right now outside of basketball.

I have my old friends from my high school and my childhood, and all of them are in Croatia. Also, my parents and my daughter are back in Croatia. My heart is back in Croatia. I go back every summer.

CC: What do you miss about Croatia?

GG: I miss the country. I miss my friends and my family. I don't miss other people, to be honest with you. Definitely I'm going to have one other option in Europe to live somewhere.

In our country, Croatia, they don't treat you too well. I don't say they have to admire me, but at least have respect, because they always try to find some bad things to say about you.

CC: You mean the media?

GG: Everybody. Generally people are very jealous. I know it's a very hard situation in Croatia economically, but when you have money, people usually assume you stole something from somebody, that you don't deserve that money. And it's just not a good atmosphere for me.

I'm in the kind of position of someone who goes back for two months, and I start feeling that pressure. People are always asking for something, and if you don't want to do something then you're acting like a star.

I would like to please everybody, but sometimes it's not possible. I have to have my own rhythm, my own life.

People start talking, and then the rumors spread very fast. Then you end up being a bad guy, but you're not that kind of guy.

So I have to have some other options. I'll probably move to Spain. That's my dream right now. So we're going to see.

For me, life is not playing chess, making all the right moves.

I'm going to try and fulfill a dream to live in two places, Croatia and Spain.

CC: Do you hear the same kind of thing from other Croatian professional athletes?

GG: I didn't hear, we didn't talk about it, but I think they have the same situation, the way I see it.

I think all successful people are pushed away from living in Croatia, because people start talking badly to the newspapers. Every newspaper is a gossip newspaper.

Successful people try to run away from it. They don't want to invest there. It's not good for us. That's what I think.

The country is the greatest. I never saw a country with more qualities than Croatia, but something is always missing.

What I can tell from socializing with people, Croatians don't appreciate ... I mean here, if you're a legend, you're always a legend.

In Croatia, I'm not talking about myself, I'm talking about guys that did some good things in their careers. They make a few mis­takes, then they're considered the worst people. But what about the things they did before? I mean you have to respect something.

Many Croatian people don't respect anything. They just try to pull you down. That's the only thing I don't like.

CC: Growing up, who did you admire as a player?

GG: Drazen Petrovic, definitely. He was the only guy who was put on the table for me at that time. When I was living in Zag­reb, he was playing for Cibona, so I had a chance to see him play. He was one of the best players for sure.

He opened it up for all the European guys to come play in the NBA. He had, I think, the hardest time coming here, but he overcame all that.

CC: How about some of the American players?

GG: At that time, I think I admired Scottie Pippen and Grant Hill.

CC: And now, who are some of the toughest NBA players to defend against for you?

GG: All these guys can average 20 shots a game, because you know they're going to take their shots and it's very hard to guard them. You know there are two or three screens in a row are coming for you. You have to get ready every game for that job.

Sometimes Allen Iverson plays the two-guard. Ray Allen, Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant, Richard Hamilton. I mean all these guys. So it's a pretty hard job for us to do, for me to do.

CC: Is there a Croatian community in Salt Lake City?

GG: There are lots of Bosnian people. Some Croatians and a little bit Serbs. I hang out with them all. They all helped me out. They helped me a lot when I came the first time there.

I even found a Croatian restaurant, a Croatian guy from Bosnia from around the border between Croatia and Bosnia. His wife is Serbian. Everyday I'm there. It's close to my house. I like it.

CC: Do you ever get calls from people in the Croatian community while you're on the road like in Chicago or New York?

GG: Not really. You know what, I don't have time. Sometimes I don't have the will or I'm tired. I want to rest. Like I said, I want to please everybody, but sometimes you just can't.

I hope no one will take that as a bad thing. Sometimes I just want to stay in my room and watch TV and rest, because I had a tough night, a tough game.

CC: Do you have a family?

GG: I'm divorced, but I have a daughter, Lara. She will be 2 years old in March. She's in Croatia. I can hardly wait to see her.

Right now I'm seeing her over an Internet Web camera. Last night was the first time I saw her on the Web camera, so it was nice.

CC: Anything else you would like to add?

GG: In general everything is good. I like Salt Lake City. It's a great city, very clean. The only bad thing about Salt Lake City is it's far away. When I'm going back home to Croatia, it's pretty far. That's the only bad thing. Everything else for me is perfect.

Croatia's Davis Cup triumph has tennis rackets

"flying" out of the sports stores

Ljubicic willing to captain Croatia's Davis Cup team
Jan. 18, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Croatia's Davis Cup triumph has tennis rackets "flying" out of the sports stores, and increased the focus on who should get the job of leading the country's title defense.

Ivan Ljubicic, who has agreed to be player-captain for the Feb. 10-12 match in Graz, Austria, says that 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic will meet Saturday with the Croatian Tennis Federation about the issue.

"We wait for Goran's decision, what he wants to do," Ljubicic said Wednesday after advancing to the third round of the Australian Open with a 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 win over Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany.

"So, we'll see what his ideas are about it. But, yeah, I am at the moment the playing captain."

Radimir Cacic, the head of the federation, announced on Monday that Ljubicic, who helped Croatia win the Davis Cup for the first time last month, was stepping up after last year's leader Nikki Pilic and Ivanisevic refused the job. Ivanisevic said in December he would take over as captain, but when the Croatian federation asked Pilic to stay on as an adviser, Ivanisevic reportedly said he did not want to take over the team until Pilic was no longer part of it. "If Goran decided not to take the team over for the first round, I am ready to do it," Ljubicic said Wednesday, adding he had already taken some preparatory steps. "I called some people who I am interested in as being like assistants to me," he said. Mario Ancic, who teamed with Ljubicic to lead Croatia's victory over Slovakia in December's final, said he was unfazed by the issue.

"I think the most important thing is to keep this team spirit - and I think we all have that - and a willingness to win," said Ancic, who also moved into the third round in Melbourne on Wednesday by beating Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.

Despite the uncertainty, both Ljubicic and Ancic are in no doubt about the effect the win has had in their homeland.

"A lot of people are buying rackets and starting to play, like when Goran won Wimbledon and was top" said Ancic.

Ljubicic agreed.

"I have some friends who are owning shops and they say the rackets are flying (out), they are selling really good," said Ljubicic. "I hope it's going to have a good impact and I hope a lot of kids are going to start playing tennis."

AP NEWS

http://www.sportsline.com/tennis/story/9172020

U prodaji je novi broj najčitanije hrvatske
novine u Americi - Hrvatske kronike!

Novi broj Hrvatske kronike donosi;

Razgovor s Gordanom Giričekom - košarkašem Utah Jazz-a;
Pročitajte što ponajbolji hrvatski košarkaš misli o svom NBA iskustvu, zašto ne vjeruje hrvatskim medijima i zbog čega želi jednog dana živjeti u Španjolskoj a ne u Hrvatskoj

Reportažu o hrvatskom restoranu Drago’s u New Orleansu; Kako je restoran obitelji Cvitanović prehranio tisuće i tisuće bekućnika nakon tragičnog uragana Katrina.

Hrvatska kronika istražuje; Koliko Amerikanci mogu saznati o Hrvatima i Hrvatskoj u jednoj prosječnoj američkoj knjižari. Rezultati poražavajući: U američkim knjižarama nema knjiga o Hrvatskoj!

Čitajte; zašto je Janica jedina Hrvatska kraljica!?

Što je osam stotina Hrvata poručilo generalu Anti Gotovini iz Vancouvera? Skup potpore uhićenom hrvatskom generalu u Vancouveru najmasovnije okupljanje Hrvata od Domovinskog rata naovamo.

Sve to i još puno drugih zanimljivih vijesti pročitajte u novom broju Hrvatske kronike!

Pretplatite se na svoj primjerak najpopularnijeg hrvatskog glasnika Sjeverne Amerike!

Tel. 718 278 5760
Fax. 718 278 4311

Pretplata moguća i putem kreditne kartice na internetu:
www.croatianchronicle.com

Janica Kostelic of Croatia celebrates on the St Moritz's podium

Janica Kostelic of Croatia celebrates on the podium following her victory in the women's Alpine Ski World Cup super-combined race that consists of one downhill and one slalom run in the Swiss resort of St Moritz January 22, 2006. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay



Janica Kostelic of Croatia throws flowers into the crowd following her victory in the women's Alpine Ski World Cup super-combined race that consists of one downhill and one slalom run in the Swiss resort of St Moritz January 22, 2006. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay
 

Janica Kostelic of Croatia attaches her country's flag to the skis following her victory in the women's Alpine Ski World Cup super-combined race that consists of one downhill and one slalom run in the Swiss resort of St Moritz January 22, 2006. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

ZOI 2006.: HRVATSKI BOB OSIGURAO NASTUP U TORINU!

22.01.2006
Hrvatski bob četvorosjed u sastavu Ivan Ĺ ola, Dejan Vojnović, Slaven Krajačić i Jurica GrabuĹĄić izborio je plasman na Zimske olimpijske igre u Torinu.

Na poznatoj bob stazi u Koening Feu naĹĄ je bob osvojio četvrto mjesto u konkurenciji deset posada i time iskoristio posljednju prigodu za plasman na XX. OI, koje će se od 10. do 26. veljače odrĹžati u Torinu.

To će, nakon Salt Lake Cityja, biti naĹĄ drugi nastup na olimpijskim igrama i to viĹĄe nije slučajno posebno kada se zna da je smanjen broj posada za čak sedam pa će u Torinu nastupiti 26 četverosjeda, a mi smo trenutačno po rezultatima 24 među njima, rekao Ĺ ola napominjući da je među naĹĄim guračima u jednoj voĹžnji četvorosjeda bio i Slovenac Matej Juhart, jer je Jurica GrabuĹĄić s vozačem Nikijem Drpićem pokuĹĄao izboriti plasman u Torinu i u dvosjedu, ali u tome, unatoč najboljim vremenima na treningu, nisu uspjeli zbog pogreĹĄke na bobu.

Plasman u Torino ostao je san i za naĹĄu Ĺžensku posadu u bobu dvosjedu Martinu MakoĹĄ, Anabelu Stragu i Ivanu LaĹžetu. No, realne izglede da se nađu među putnicima imaju naĹĄi predstavnici u skeletonu, a za to mjesto danas poslije podne borit će se Nikola Nimac i Ivan Pokos, ali će samo jedan od njih otputovati u Torino.

Sada viĹĄe veslač Igor Boraska nije jedini hrvatski sportaĹĄ koji je nastupio na zimskim i ljetnim olimpijskim igrama. Naime, i atletičari Dejan Vojnović i Slaven Krajačić, koji su nastupili na OI-ju u Sydneyu 2000., te Jurica GrabuĹĄić u Ateni 2004., imaju priliku nastupiti i na ZOI-ju u Torinu.

Hina/HRTweb sport (il)
 

Did God create everything that exists? Does evil exist? Did God create evil?

A University professor at a well known institution of higher learning challenged his students with this question. "Did God create everything that exists?"

A student bravely replied, "Yes he did!"

"God created everything?" The professor asked.

"Yes sir, he certainly did," the student replied.

The professor answered, "If God created everything; then God created evil. And, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then we can assume God is evil."

The student became quiet and did not respond to the professor's hypothetical definition.. The professor, quite pleased with himself, boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, "May I ask you a question, professor?"

"Of course", replied the professor.

The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?"

"What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?"

The other students snickered at the young man's question. The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460 F) is the total absence of heat; and all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."

The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?"

The professor responded, "Of course it does."

The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact, we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"

Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course, as I have already said. We see it everyday. It is in the daily examples of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.

To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist, sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat, or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The professor sat down.

The young man's name -- Albert Einstein

Istria, Croatia: For Foodies, the Next Tuscany

By GISELA WILLIAMS
Published: January 22, 2006
With a bounty of seafood in the surrounding Adriatic waters, and with white truffles in its rolling hills, Istria, a heart-shaped peninsula in northern Croatia, is starting to attract adventurous foodies weary of overpriced and overcrowded tables in Tuscany and Provence.

Antonin Kratochvil for The New York Times
Adriatic waters draw vacationers to Istria, a peninsula in northern Croatia.

The Destinations of 2006

Forum: Traveling in Europe
Lidia Bastianich, chef and author of "La Cucina di Lidia" grew up outside the town of Pula near the tip of the peninsula and travels there at least four times a year. "In Istria you'll find intensely wonderful pristine flavors from the earth. That's the beauty of the region. One is still able to go around and taste artisanal products almost straight from the family table."

Ms. Bastianich and her daughter Tanya, an art historian, offer custom trips to the region through their travel company Esperienze Italiane. But she also recommends Tasteful Journeys, a boutique luxury tour company founded by friend and fellow Istrian, Wanda Radetti.

Istria, Ms. Radetti says, is a rich "mosaic of Roman, Germanic and Slavic heritage, history and ingredients which produces exciting culinary results." In 2006 she plans to organize at least one trip to Istria with Milan Licul, a native of Labin who is the owner of two New York restaurants, Arno and Delmonico's. "Much of what you'll eat in Istria is produced within a 10-mile radius," says Ms. Radetti. "There's a man with a restaurant called Kukuriku in Kastav. Everything he cooks is from the area: the honey, the cheese, the mushrooms - and the lamb is from a nearby island where they feed on fresh herbs and the saltiness of the sea."

Istria is a year-round destination, but Ms. Bastianich is particularly fond of the early spring, when she forages for wild asparagus. Truffle fans might prefer the fall, when generous helpings of white truffles are grated like cheese onto a dish rather than sparingly and carefully shaven. And stay tuned in 2007 when the Istrian island of Veliki Brijun will be the much buzzed about home of the spa resort complex of Brioni, the fashion company. GISELA WILLIAMS

http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/01/22/travel/22istria.html?emc=eta1

Seventh seed Ljubicic beats Lopez in Melbourne

Ljubicic has been well-supported by Melbourne's expatriate Croatian community.
 

Fri Jan 20, 2006 12:40 PM GMT

MELBOURNE, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Seventh seed Ivan Ljubicic extended his good start to the new year with a 7-5 7-6 6-0 victory over Spain's Feliciano Lopez in the Australian Open third round on Friday.
Ljubicic, who beat Carlos Moya in the Chennai Open final before arriving in Australia, is unbeaten in seven competitive matches in 2006 and this victory moved him into the fourth round at Melbourne Park for the first time in seven appearances. The 26-year-old, in Croatia's Davis Cup-winning team in December, dominated against the left-handed 31st seed despite the close score in the first two sets.
The match would have been closer to a rout had Ljubicic converted more than just five of the 17 break points he accumulated. Three of his five breaks came in the final set. Ljubicic will now meet 2002 Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson in what should be a raucous occasion. Johannson has been cheered by a large group of Swedish fans wearing traditional blue and yellow t-shirts and Viking helmets while Ljubicic has been well-supported by Melbourne's expatriate Croatian community.

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=tennisNews&storyID=URI:urn:newsml:reuters.com:20060120:MTFH07165_2006-0 1-20_12-40-41_SP10094:1 

Mario Ancic Men's Singles
Luka Belic Jr. Boy's Singles
Ivo Karlovic Men's Singles Men's Doubles
Ivan Ljubicic Men's Singles
Nikola Mektic Jr. Boy's Singles
Antonio Sancic Jr. Boy's Singles
Sasa Tuksar Men's Qual Singles
Antonio Veic Jr. Boy's Singles

Ivana Abramovic Women's Qual Singles
Jelena Kostanic Women's Singles Women's Doubles
Ivana Lisjak Women's Qual Singles
Tereza Mrdeza Jr. Girl's Singles
Nika Ozegovic Women's Qual Singles
Karolina Sprem Women's Singles Women's Doubles
Silvija Talaja Women's Doubles Women's Qual Singles