JANA IS HERE in the USA

www.janawater.com

 

Scientists have confirmed that Jana natural artesian water began its long journey from the surface to a depth of 2500 feet well over 3,000 years ago. Jana Water is bottled at the source at an underground depth of 2500 feet in the picturesque Croatian village of Saint Jana, nearby the Adriatic Sea. Croatia, a country known for its water has the largest supply of drinking water in all of Europe. Croatia has more than 1000 islands, situated along the coast of the Adriatic Sea, many lakes surrounded with lush forests, and many more hidden natural treasures.

About the Agrokor Group:

Creative Enterprises International, Inc. has entered into an exclusive long-term manufacturing and distribution agreement with the
Jamnica ("JANA") division of the Agrokor Group. Jamnica has also agreed to a reciprocal distribution and sales of Jana Skinny
Water™ to their customers throughout the European Union (EU).

Jamnica is the largest manufacturer and distributor of bottled water [ 300 million liters annual production ] in all of Southeast Europe maintaining a very successful 175 year tradition! Jamnica's parent corporation, Agrokor Group, is a 2.5 billion Euro food and beverage company and represents the largest corporation in all of Southeast Europe.
 

Croats in Louisiana andMississippi
A Centuries’ Long Story

By John Peter Kraljic

In 1880, Miho Baccich landed in New Orleans. The Korcula nativewho had sailed the seven seas and survived a dramatic shipwreck off ofAustralia, had recently received command of his first ship, the Resurrection,owned by his uncle, Nikola. Baccich was surprised by New Orleans. "Howironic that in my first glimpse of America, where I expected to find Americansor men of English origin, I found a very European city with a variety ofEuropeans. During the next week, I was to discover many attractive features ofthis exiting place. First, it was so large and dynamic - over 200,000 residents!The Croatian colony was also large, nearly a thousand people, and [I was]introduced to many of them. A large number were already owners of their ownsmall businesses, retail stores, restaurants and oyster fisheries (a favoritebusiness among Dalmatians)." Baccich said that for four days he socialized"with the local Croatians and I saw a camaraderie that I had never knownbefore." He made up his mind: - Baccich stayed in New Orleans, married alocal Croatian woman and became a successful businessman. His efforts wererewarded by the naming of a city street after him in the city (the street runsparallel to the Inner Harbor Navigation Channel).

Baccich came upon one of the first Croatian colonies to beestablished in the United States. The first Croats to settle in Louisianaconsisted of men like Baccich, sailors from Dubrovnik, Orebić, Bokakotarska and their surroundings who traded in the French colony in the 1700s.

By the 1840s, dozens of Croats had stores and otherestablishments in New Orleans. During the 1850s, a "second generation"of Croatian immigrants came to New Orleans. Led by Luka Jurišić from Dubaon Pelješac, they began to cultivate the oyster trade, establishing what becameone of Louisiana’s largest industries. Later, many went into the shrimpingbusiness as well. Louisiana’s Croatian fishermen and oystermen continue to beespecially concentrated in Plaquemines Parish, especially in the towns ofEmpire, Olga, Buras, Ostrica, Venice and Port Sulphur.

In the 1860s, Louisiana’s Croats fought for the South in theAmerican Civil War, establishing at least three companies (the First and SecondSlavonian Rifles and the Cognevich Company) and fighting in many others.

On May 1, 1874, the Croats of New Orleans established the secondCroatian organization in the United States, the United Slavonian BenevolentAssociation (Sjedinjeno Slovinkso Društvo Dobročinstva). TheAssociation numbered 200 members in the mid-1970s, even though its bylaws onlyallowed men born in the territory of former Yugoslavia and their direct maledescendents to be members! The Association (renamed as the United CroatianBenevolent Association) had 152 members in 1996 and still served the Croatiancommunity.

New Orleanian Croats became especially well-known asrestaurateurs. A list from the late 1930s listed 17 restaurants and 3 tavernsowned by Croats (including the famous Uglesich’s which was featured in TheNew York Times earlier this year as it was set to close its doors). NewOrleans Croatian cooking continues to this day, the restaurants including Drago’s,opened in 1970 by Drago and Klara Civtanović. Another legendary restaurantfrom the 1930s includes the Broad Inn Restaurant, owned by Chris Matulic,which later grew into Chris’ Steakhouse, the ancestor of the nownationally known chain as Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.

The arrival of Croats in Biloxi, Mississippi is also tied to theoyster industry which began in that city around 1880. As in Plaquemines Parish,Croats dominated the oyster and shrimp trade in Biloxi as well. The Croats inBiloxi also became very active socially, having a CFU lodge as early as the1930s. The Croats had their own hall, Slavonian Hall, which unfortunatelyappears to have been destroyed by Hurricane Katrina (one unusual fact - ElvisPresley performed at the Hall in 1955 during the dedication of the Hall’s newair conditioning system!).

The recent hurricanes which devastated New Orleans, Biloxi andother towns are not the first to cause havoc to Croat settlers in the region. Astorm in 1893 destroyed a small town of Croats near New Orleans. The stormkilled 252 of the town’s 400 people.

Other storms killed off another agricultural project promoted byCroats, the growing of oranges and the making of orange wine in Triumph,Louisiana. This business had been especially spearheaded by settlers from Igraneand Podgora near Makarska.

The hurricane which has until now been most remembered by theCroatian communities in the South was Hurricane Camille in 1969. Camille hitBiloxi especially hard and, among others, destroyed Baricev’s SeafoodRestaurant (a recent mystery novel, Green-Eyed Hurricane, by MartinHegwood, features as its victim Biloxi shrimper Casper "Cass"Perinovich, a Croatian whose wife and son had been killed by Camille).

That Katrina is but one of many storms to have hit ourcommunities in the Gulf gives little comfort to those in need today. However, ifthe past is an indicator of the future, one has great hope that the Croatianpeople of the region will rebuild their lives and continue their outstandingcontributions to their cities, towns and villages.

Croatian family of Joe Buccaran (right) pictured in 1940
with wife and daughters Barbara and Ann.
Photo courtesy of Fedora Rukanic from New York.

JOSIP NOVAKOVICH ON TOUR TO PROMOTE 'INFIDELITIES'

Award-winning author JOSIP NOVAKOVICH is promoting fiction 'INFIDELITIES – Stories of War and Lust,' published by Harper Perennial $12.95 www.harperpenennial.com

This Croatian-American writer returns to the short story form with a new collection in which he once more underscores the everyday absurdities that temper the darker realities of life.

Novakovich is the winner of a Whiting Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts grant, and an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation. A resident of central Pennsylvania, he teaches at Penn State University.

Books by Josip Novakovich: novel 'April Fool’s Day, short fiction 'Salvation and Other Disasters, Yolk; essays 'Plum Brandy: A Croatian Journey', Apricots from Chernobyl; as editor 'Stepmother Tongue: Stories in English as a Second Language' (with Robert Shapard); 'Fiction Writer’s Workshop' and 'Writing Fiction Step by Step';

Tour schedule for 'INFIDELITIES – Stories of War and Lust':

NEW YORK SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 KGB Reading Series
2 Horatio St. #2F

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10 THE NEW SCHOOL
66 West 12th St

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11 192 BOOKS
192 10TH Ave

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28 National Arts Club
245 East 21st St. #10C

COLONIE, NY WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12 BARNES & NOBLE
7:30 PM 20 Wolf Rd
Colonie, NY 10011

PITTSBURGH SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15 BARNES & NOBLE
3:00 PM 1723 Murray Ave

STATE COLLEGE, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20 WEBSTER’S BOOKSTORE
PA 8:00 PM CAFÉ 128 South Allen St

VERMONT THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27 MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE

ANN ARBOR, MI WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9 BORDERS
7:OO PM 612 East Liberty

KALAMAZOO,MI THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10 WESTERN MICHIGAN
UNIVERSITY

LOS ANGELES WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16 VROMEN’S BOOKSTORE
7:00 PM 695 East Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91101

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17 LOS ANGELES PUBLIC
LIBRARY, 'A Conversation
With Philip Gourevitch'
630 West 5th St

COLORADO SPRINGS FRIDAY,DECEMBER 2 COLORADO COLLEGE

Submitted by Katarina Tepesh
 

Marija Miletic Dail

Director - Producer - Animator - Filmmaker

www.marijamileticdail.com

Work History
Education
Biography
Additional Information

Started in animation at “Zagreb Filmâ€? studio in Zagreb, Croatia.
Upon immigrating to Canada and Hollywood independently produced directed and animated three shorts, one of which, “Why Not?â€? received “The best of animation awardâ€? in Switzerland.

1981 Earned the Master’s Degree (MFA) from UCLA in theater Arts, majoring in animation.
Was offered to lecture at the animation workshop with a promise of professorship. She did it simultaneously with working at the studio for two years. The double duty proved too taxing and she had to decide for the better paying job at the studio.
Still keeps in touch with students, who want her input.

Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,

Contact: dailart@comcast.net

Op-ed

Just a small addition to the above biography from a personal and professional point of view. Marija is 'Odlikasica' with a huge heart for Croatia and Croatians. She was one of the first to help me with Can We Go Higher? Video that was produced at the very beginning of the war. Generous to many as I personally witnessed... and gave a lot for our country, silently, without asking anything for herself. Talented as the best come. Her vision of Joe Magarac should be supported long time ago to become a feature animation film. Croatia should have an ear to help Marija create an epic that involves Croatian characters form the American legends. It is still not too late. It comes down to the same song I always sing. So much talent and so little collective support. Croatia as a country needs to create a STRUCTURE OF SUPPORT for her best daughters and sons, who are so undeniably representing Croatian culture around the world. Marija Miletic Dail, certainly deserves your attention.

Nenad Bach, New York August 26th, 2005

Joe Magarac:

Joe Magarac is a genuine American Legend with roots in Croatian as well as other nationalities' immigration.
The story evolves around the lives of steel mill and mine workers of Pennsylvania's Allegheny Mountains at the turn of the century. Joe Magarac is a hero who helped save many a live and changed the course of the steel industry forever.

Your border between Croatia and...

From: hmfgsf@juno.com
To: earth.support@google.com
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 2005 Subject: Croatia's map

Dear Earth Google,

Your border between Croatia and Serbia/Montenegro is incorrect, giving
Serbia/Montenegro part of Croatia. This is too serious to ignore, as a
bitter war has just been fought in this area recently, when Serbia used
military aggression as it tried to expand into "Greater Serbia".

I understand you already received complaints and answered them by saying
that it will take quite some time to correct that. If you would put the
border between the U.S. and Mexico inside the U.S. south of San Diego, I
don't think it would take you very long to come up with the correction!
So again, please make that correction promptly. Prevlaka peninsula is in
Croatia.

Sincerely,

Hilda M. Foley
National Federation of Croatian Americans
132372 Orange Knoll
North Tustin, CA 92705

One of their pieces is a skirt called 'Croacia' -- Croatia in Spanish
 

Dear all,

I was just perusing a clothing website called Mango (www.mangoshop.com ) and came across an interesting reference to Croatian culture in its fall clothing collection.

Mango is a Spanish fashion retailer targeting young urban women throughout Europe. They spot developing fashion trends and quickly translate these into the latest looks with mass appeal. One of their pieces is a skirt called "Croacia" -- Croatia in Spanish -- which uses large ribbon bands of Croatian-inspired embroidery work along the waistband and skirt ruffle.

The skirt is available in black with white embroidery, or for a more authentic Croatian look, in white with reddish embroidery. A picture of the white skirt with burgundy embroidery is below.

Interesting to see how some elements of Croatian culture are being disseminated by other Europeans and reinterpreted in something like modern, trendy fashion for a mass audience.

For anyone contemplating buying the skirt, you must live within the EU for purchase and delivery.

regards
Sanja

A Songbird Takes Flight

With her dazzling performance at this year’s Split Music Festival and the release of her first CD, 
19 year-old Croatian American singer Gina Picinic is poised to take the music world by storm

By Josip Bogovic

Gina Picinic has plenty to sing about these days. The 19 year-old CroatianAmerican's performance of the song Da si mi nocas blizu (If You Were Near MeTonight) at this year's Split Music Festival was a surprise hit that resulted ina top-ten finish and extensive radio play. Her triumph at the festival propelledher latest hit, Adio ljubavi (Goodbye, Love), up the Croatian music charts toits current number four spot. The exposure couldn't have come at a better timeas it coincides with the biggest step of her artistic career to date, therelease of her very first CD simply called, Gina. These are just the latest in aseries of accomplishments that suggest the singer's warm up is over.

Picinic's CD aptly captures a history of achievement and recognition in arelatively young life. As a teenager she won first place for best vocalist atthe Croatian Children's Youth Festival. At the 2003 MIK Festival in Croatia, shewon the People's Choice Award for her song, If I Could Take a Stroll with You (Dami je s tobun prosecat). Adding to her success, she won Best Teen Soloist at theNew York International Music Festival in 2004. The critics of the festivalcalled Picinic the 'Croatian Sensation'.

At his Melody Studios in the city of Rijeka, Andrej Basa richly producedPicinic's CD of ten original songs, a number of which incorporate klapa (acappella) singers, adding a unique dimension to its sound. Many of the lyricsand melodies were written by the well-known Robert Pilepic. The majority of thecompositions are love songs destined for longevity in the popular music genre.Picinic has a unique natural vibrato to her rich voice that gives her songs adistinctive signature, a kind of special spice to the ambience of her music. Ifyou spoke to her in Croatian, you would never know that she left Croatia at theage of three. She came to America and New Jersey at the age of seven, stoppingin Italy along the way.

The 19 year-old takes success and the release of her very fine CD in stride."The older I get the more confident, independent and responsible I become.I'm proud of this CD; it is the result of lots of hard work and persistenteffort. I'm happy with the progress I've made as a singer and I'm also happywith my life. I'm blessed to have a very supportive family, especially mymom," she says.

Recalling her experience in the recording studio she says, "There are ofcourse the long hectic hours, the element of getting the performance to thelevel you imagine it should be. The studio is a place where I can open up andnot feel inhibited. I can sing as loud as I want to and make the mistakes thatare not welcome in a live performance."

Although her talent earned her a well deserved place at the Split MusicFestival, Picinic was awed nonetheless. "The Split Music Festival is anevent where the finest Croatian singers perform their favorite songs. To be apart of an event like that is wonderful and a memorable experience for me. I hada chance to experience the commanding voice of the legendary Tereza Kesovija atrehearsal. It's something you don't forget and this inspires you to do betterand strive for higher goals. We were well received by Split and the audience andthis is also a very important part of the overall festival experience."
The festival circuit has given Picinic the polish of a seasoned pro with aninsight that has no doubt helped her feel at home while performing, and createdsome special memories along the way. "Each festival has its owncharm," she says. "The MIK Festival has a different structure to it.It's performed in different locations of the Kvarner region of Croatia. Thefestival becomes more like a family outing partly because the performers travelon the same bus and are together for a longer period of time. You also getinvited by the local community-the performers, and their family and friends-tosleep or eat in their homes. So the experience becomes a lot less formal."

Picinic is deeply passionate when discussing her singing, describing her craftin a somewhat dreamy tone: "I like the rush that comes before I go on stagefor a performance. During my time on stage I try to give all of myself to thesong so at the end of the show, I'm usually exhausted. My performance is aboutconveying the feeling of a song and the feeling I have for the song to theaudience. The emotion I convey has to be felt by the audience otherwise it looksbored and that is the last thing the performer wants to see or feel fromlisteners. I much prefer and strive for them to be spellbound. This is why Ilike to sing songs that reach for something; I also like for my song to reachthe intellectual part of the listener. I want them to have visual associationsto the emotion of the song performed. Ultimately, the song has to feed yoursoul."

Although this young artist has already attained a measure of success, there arealways hurdles to overcome. There is the issue of musicians being undermined bythe illegal pirating and distribution over the Internet of their songs."Many people are under the impression that this CD will make me rich orthat I'm living an extravagant lifestyle. That's far from the truth; the costsassociated with producing a CD are high and the artist does not make much moneyfrom the sale of the CD," she explains. She is currently attending NewJersey City University where she is pursuing a degree in music and liberal arts.She also works part-time in a local drug store to save up for her travelingexpenses when she goes to Croatia. Her mother Blazenka is her confidant, coachand the family's bread-winner. A warm, friendly and positive person, she is alsoa source of inspiration for Gina. The two make an effective, balanced team.

As she ponders her future, Picinic smiles playfully at all the possibilities."This is the first step of my dream. I will build on this work and justmaybe, someday I'll sing a duet with the likes of Josh Groban and my favoriteCroatian singers," she says.

If you get a chance to see Gina Picinic perform, you may conclude that she ispassionate about her craft. Her flawless performances speak of hard work andcommitment as she strives to take us to a place where peace, serenity, andbeauty rule the moment through her songs. Apart from her voice, this youngartist has numerous other attributes including personality, warmth, sincerityand a fighting spirit.

Gina Picinic's CD is available in Croatia and at the Dubrovnik Deli in Fairview,New Jersey. The next opportunity to catch a performance by this exceptionaltalent will come on October 15 at La Fortuna in Fairview at a fundraising eventput on by the Croatian organization IMAS.

Joe Magarac

Joe Magarac is a genuine American Legend with roots in Croatian as well as other nationalities' immigration.
The story evolves around the lives of steel mill and mine workers of Pennsylvania's Allegheny Mountains at the turn of the century. Joe Magarac is a hero who helped save many a live and changed the course of the steel industry forever.

http://www.marijamileticdail.com/joe_magarac.htm

If you want to see the feature film about Joe Magarac contact Marija Miletic Dail at:dailart@comcast.net

Pixletown - The World Found

"There is nothing new under the sun" had been quoted thousands of times in the centuries past. However, there was something "new" on the horizon, just waiting to be "discovered," or, simply, brought into the light. Such is the case in the story of Pixletown, where a whole world existed, and even thrived, undiscovered for eons, until this last century, when the vehicle had been invented to bring it to our attention.
That vehicle was the computer.

In paperback atAmazon.com.

www.marijamileticdail.com

www.animationcottage.com

Boris Ljubicic wins 'Best of Show' award from the 'How Design' magazine

'You think of a poster as a flat and static. Now see one that's dimensional and interactive. It's our Best of Show winner - all the way from Croatia' - Bryn Mooth

Bryn Mooth and Boris Ljubicic

op-ed

Photos - Courtesy of Boris Ljubicic

NB

'The Croatian American' July 26, 2005
Osoba Tjedna Person of the Week
(Translared by Hilda M. Foley)

Boris Ljubicic

After receiving over the last ten years many awards in many parts of the world, the best known Croatian designer with a world wide reputation, Boris Ljubicic from Sinj, has been rewarded also with a prestigious American award. In a competition of more then 500 works in all categories from 40 countries Boris Ljubicic has received in Chicago the top 'Best of Show' award from the 'How Design' magazine.

What enthused the members of the jury most was Ljubicic's original idea in presenting the advertising poster, whose photographs were made by the well known Croatian master of photography Ivo Pervan. They are presented in a new three-dimensional version, which leaves the viewer with a strong impression, in contrast to the classic posters with a flat surface. In order to view the poster, one has to walk around it, much like a tourist who is visiting a place or viewing an object.

The award in Chicago was given for a series of posters that were ordered from the Ljubicic design studio by the Croatian Tourist Association for their worldwide promotional campaign this Fall. The whole series are not yet finished as only 22 posters have been presented in Chicago from the 40 in the series. Even though,
this was enough for the jury to reward the inventiveness of Ljubicic's work, presenting him in such competition with the most prestigious award. Member of the jury Steff Geissbuchler remarked about Ljubicic's work that it is exceptionally impressive, while another member of the jury, Kelly Kofron appraised the originality of these posters as being indeed outside of the existing borders.

Even Boris Ljubicic said that this project was for him a challenge of the new medium for the old message.
He explained his idea thus: 'Turists are nomads and searchers. Their curiosity leads them to travel and discover new horizons, people and customs. These posters attract with their complexity and originality and because of it they are more successful than the current classic posters.

These series have already been rewarded in Germany and are in competition of designers in New York for the 'Gold Medal' for which 80 top designers of the world will make the decision this Fall.