Hungarians flock to Croatia's Adriatic coast

Monday August 15, 2005
By Patricia Fischer

The most popular foreign holiday destinations for Hungarians lie along the Croatian coast, according to current surveys. More and more Hungarians are visiting Croatia; the number of visitors last year was over 400,000, and a 10% growth has been registered in the first six months of 2005.

The Adriatic’s popularity is due not only to its spectacular natural scenery, but also to its accessibility. Once across the border, the coast is easily within reach via newly built, high-quality toll motorways.

But despite the increasing numbers of Hungarians visiting the Mediterranean country, tourism experts stress that there is no need to worry about Croatia distracting tourists from Lake Balaton.

'I don’t think Croatia is our real competitor,' said KornĂŠlia Kiss, head of the research department at Hungarian Tourism Rt. 'It’s quite far away, and travelers have to pay highway tolls.'

Marin Skenderović, head of the local representation of the Croatian National Tourist Board, agrees that Lake Balaton and the Adriatic Sea are not comparable.

'We’re talking about two different products. They are aimed at different target groups,' said Skenderović. 'Those who prefer seaside holidays do not present a significant demand for the Balaton region.'

Croatia’s government has realized the importance of developing the country’s highway network – especially in those areas favored by tourists. Croatia now has a highway and motorway system stretching more than 900 kilometers – 100 kilometers of which has been completed this year. Once the decade-long highway construction program is completed in 2008, the network will be more than 1,500 kilometers in length.

Skenderović is certain that the latest highway construction efforts will increase the number of Hungarians traveling to Croatia.

'Even though the tolls are not cheap,' he said, 'the speed and convenience by which Hungarians can now travel is prompting many people to make weekend getaways, in addition to typical week-long visits.'

Among Hungarians, Croatia has been the second most popular holiday destination in recent years, according to the Central Statistics Office (KSH). Hungary is the sixth largest source market for tourism in Croatia, and the number of Hungarian visitors was 13% higher in 2004 than the year before.

'Germans, of course, are on top, but the growth rate of German visitors is much slower than that of Hungarians. I’m expecting approximately one million Hungarian visitors to Croatia in 5–6 years’ time,' Skenderović predicted.

National traits

Hungarian travel habits have not changed significantly over the last few years.

'The most favored accommodation types among Hungarians are apartment houses and campsites, but there is increasing demand for hotel accommodation,' Skenderović said.

Prices are at nearly the same level as they are at Lake Balaton, though a Hungarian traveler also has to factor petrol and tollway costs into the equation. Nevertheless, Hungarians are still among the top spenders in Croatia.

'Hungarians rank sixth in terms of average spending on a Croatian holiday. A Hungarian spends €47 a day on average, which is close to Austrian and Dutch spending,' Skenderović said.

The Croatian Tourist Board spends around Ft 50 million (about €200,000) a year to operate its Hungarian representation. The amount includes promotion costs, but this year another Ft 20 million is being spent on marketing.

'We had a television campaign, and billboards were placed all over the country, but we are also spending on study tours,' Skenderović noted.

This year, the Croatian Tourist Board decided to introduce a strong promotion program in Hungary. As Skenderović claimed, the program is based upon the success of a previous large-scale campaign.

'We carried out a similar campaign in 1999,' he said. 'Back then, Croatian authorities registered a 3% increase in the number of border crossings from Hungary, which shows the effectiveness of our campaign.'

Skenderović put Croatia’s planned income from tourism at €6 billion this year, 5%–6% higher than in 2004.

'Last year, nearly 5% of tourism industry income came from Hungarian travelers. That’s a high share, considering that Germany, as the main source market, generated a 20% share of last year’s income in the sector,' Skenderović concluded.

http://www.bbj.hu/?module=displaystory&story_id=250180&format=html

Job: Position as Institute Initiator/Assistant to the Head of Mission,

CWWPP, Vukovar, Croatia

Date: Sat, 13 Aug 2005 00:03:52 +0200
From: "Coalition for Work With Psychotrauma and Peace" <cwwppvuk@zamir.net  >
Subject: Job: Position as Institute Initiator/Assistant to the Head of Mission, CWWPP, Vukovar, Croatia

Charles David Tauber, M.D.
Coalition for Work With Psychotrauma and Peace
Gunduliceva 18
32000 Vukovar
Croatia
tel and fax +385-32-441975
website: www.cwwpp.org

Job Description Institute Initiator and Coordinator
Assistant to the Head of Mission

14 April, 2005


Job Description

The person in this position will work together with the Head of
Mission and the other members of staff of the CWWPP to develop the
Vukovar Inter-University Field Institute for Post-Conflict Studies.
This will involve researching and contacting institutions and
departments that are potential partners in the Institute and setting
up formal and informal agreements for cooperation with them,
development of the program of the Institute and coordination of the
logistics for implementation of it, monitoring of the process of the
development of the Institute and coordination of this process with
other institutional members of the staff and Board of the CWWPP and
the members of the Initiating Group. Work on the funding of the
Institute will be primarily carried out by the CWWPP's funding
officer.


The person in this position will also be a member of the staff team
of the CWWPP. As such, s/he will also work on the general tasks of
the CWWPP, including the writing of occasional research papers,
education of local groups and individuals and treatment and/or
practical interventions with groups and individuals. In particular,
the person in this position will assist the Head of Mission in his
daily tasks.

The position holder will participate in CWWPP staff days, weekly
staff meetings and monthly Brainstorm/ Strategy days involved with
the policymaking of the CWWPP.

The person will be expected to undergo training in the history of
the organization and psychological trauma and civil society as
present in this area and as taught by the CWWPP to clients.

The person is responsible directly to the Head of Mission and to the
Board of the CWWPP.

Job Conditions

This is a permanent position. A minimum three-year commitment is
required. There is a six-month probationary period. During the
probationary period, the position holder or the CWWPP may give a
week's notice of departure. After this period, neither the CWWPP
nor the position holder may give notice, except for specific reasons
and with the agreement of both.

After one year, if there are sufficient funds within the CWWPP, the
candidate will be offered - and required - to undergo education to
the M.A. level. The CWWPP will pay for up to half of this education
in addition to salary and with time given for study, with the
agreement that the position holder stays with the CWWPP for a period
equivalent to the period of the subsidy.

The position is full-time, that is, 40 hours per week.

Initial payment is 500 Euros per month. This will be increased with
the funding of the CWWPP and the experience of the position holder.
The final salary is at present expected to be 1000 Euros per month.

Weekly psychological supervision is required.

Requirements for the Post

. A B.A. in a relevant field. An M.A. is preferred.
Persons without these degrees with appropriate experience and/or
other qualities will be considered.

. Excellent organizational sense and skills.
. Dedication and the ability to work for far more than a standard working week.
. Fluency in speech, reading and writing in English.
. Willingness and ability to learn Croatian/Serbian/Bosnian.
. Ability to work both individually and in a team.
. Ability to work under pressure.
. Ability to work in crisis situations.
. Creativity in finding unusual solutions to sometimes difficult problems.
. Good general health.
. A valid driving license.
. The post is considered to be permanent. No candidate will
be considered who is willing to work for less than three years.

. No military or other obligations.
. No religious or ethnic bias of any sort.

Desirable for the Post
. Persons from Croatia, Bosnia or Serbia will be given preference.
. Knowledge of Croatian/Serbian/Bosnian is desirable.
. Knowledge of German, Dutch or French is also desirable.

Method of Application
Please send a CV and a letter of motivation of at least 100 words to
Charles David Tauber, M.D.
Head of Mission Coalition for Work With Psychotrauma and Peace
cwwppvuk@zamir.net

No postal or fax applications will be accepted, and such
applications will be ignored.

If the candidate is to be considered, further procedures will
include submission of an extensive application, three references and
a physical examination. A virtual interview may be carried out.
 

Croatian priest stands up for Manson

A Catholic priest has defended controversial rock star Marilyn Manson ahead of his concert in Croatia.
Anton Bobas - the lead singer of his own metal band - said Manson was unlikely to "turn young people into Satanists" during his performance. The gig, taking place in Pula on 22 August, has been condemned by a number of Croatian clerics. Seven Catholic priests have offered to pay compensation to organisers if the show is cancelled.

Dark

Father Bobas, speaking to the Croatian newspaper Vjesnik, said that most of Manson's critics had never seen his act. The cleric, whose band is called Messengers of Hope, said the best concert he had attended was a Manson show in Hamburg three years ago. But he added that despite the music, Manson's persona was rather dark and he was not recommending that young people see the singer in action. Other religious groups in Croatia have come out against Manson's plans to perform in the country, with Protestant organisation Oaza calling for an outright ban on the conert. Manson is due to perform in the UK later this month at the Leeds and Reading festivals.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4159862.stm
 

DALMATINSKA SANSONA SIBENIK 2005.

'Malo gdje se, kao u Sibeniku proteklih desetljeća, njegovala prava izvorna dalmatinska pisma koja je zaboravu otimala stare riÄ?i i napjeve. Na najljepsoj pozornici, onoj smjestenoj između kamene ljepotice katedrale sv. Jakova i stare gradske vijećnice, dvije veÄ?eri za redom izvodit će se sansona, stara i nova.' J.Klisović  Najbolji kulturni događaj grada Sibenika svake godine, pa tako i ove, krajem kolovoza izaziva veliko zanimanje javnosti...
Festival koji je donio zvijezde poput Lukya, Tedija Spalata, vratio Nenu Belana i Massima, ove godine donosi nove zanimljivosti...Uz već renomirane izvođaÄ?e, na ovoj će se Sansoni, 19. i 20. kolovoza, pojaviti i mlade nade, ali i poznati hrvatski glumci.

GLUMCI PROPJEVALI NA SIBENSKOJ SANSONI!

Anji Sovagović, Simi Bubici i Čedi Martiniću koji su već sudjelovali na dalmatinskoj sansoni, pridruzit će se i Kostadinka Velkovska te Arijana Čulina koje će svoje izvrsne glasovne mogućnosti pokazati na drugoj veÄ?eri - VeÄ?eri novih skladbi.

Kako se sve skladbe izvode uzivo, uz festivalski orkestar ili uz pratnju klapa ili ansambala, to je prilika za pravi dozivljaj i dokaz kvalitete sibenskog festivala.
 

Croatian Club & Cultural Center in Loraine, Ohio from 1923

http://www.americancroatianclub.com/

Club, with the following purposes of the organization:

'To assist in Americanization of Croatians and those of Croatian descent in Lorain; to stimulate interest and study of the city, state, and national forms of government and to actively participate in the election of the officials thereof; to instruct Croatians and those of Croatian descent who were not citizens of the United States of America and to enable them to become citizens; to promote social and educational advancement of Croatians and those of Croatian descent in the City of Lorain, Ohio; to maintain clubrooms for social entertainment and education which can be lawfully conducted for the physical and intellectual development of the members of the club; to participate diligently in promoting of the progress of this locality in moral respect; according to its means, to aid all cultural and educational organizations, such as sports, singing clubs, and libraries; In the event of change of name, the word "Croatian" shall not be omitted."


Croatian Club & Cultural Center

Club History

Early in 1923, a group of twelve Croatian men, under the leadership of Rok Dominick, met and the American Croatian Political Club was organized. On May 11, 1923, the following men drew up the Articles of Incorporation : Rok Dominick, Michael G. Pozega, M. E. Lukesic, John Zvosecz, Mike Kanoti, Joseph Rebok, Martin Knezetic, Frank Kostelich, George Marks, John Radman, Frank Fertalj, Paul Siladi. At their regular monthly meeting, held at 1688 E. 28th St., and better known as "Dominick's Hall", the men signed the Articles of incorporation and a Notary Public by the name of William F Hurley witnessed their signatures.

On May 12, 1923, the Articles of Incorporation were registered in the Lorain County Courthouse, Elyria, Ohio. The registration was made by C. M. Williams, Registrar for Lorain County. The Articles of Incorporation were then forwarded to the Secretary of the State of Ohio in Columbus. On May 14, 1923, Thad Brown, then Secretary of State, signed the Articles of Incorporation and granted the Charter to the American Croatian Political

Shortly after the completion of St. Vitus Church at the corner of East 32nd St. and Pearl Ave., the meetings were then held in the basement of the church. The first elected president of the American Croatian Political Club was Mr. Martin Knezetic, who served faithfully for the next 25 years. The first duly elected Secretary was Mr. Steve Keshery. In 1947, the Club, under the leadership of then President Joseph B. Grubic, applied to the Department of Liquor Control, State of Ohio, for a liquor license. This permit was granted on January 11, 1948, and the old Grove Theater was leased for the purpose of our general clubroom and meeting room. In 1950, under the leadership of President Joseph M. Katkic, the club purchased Dianne's Recreation. This included the bowling lanes and the restaurant on the comer. The restaurant was converted into the new clubroom and the lanes were modernized for public use. In 1953, under the leadership of Mrs. Katherine Lukesic, the American Croatian Ladies Auxiliary was organized. On December 2, 1953, their first election was held and Mrs. Mary Prianic Sislowski was elected president .In 1960, under the leadership of President Joseph M. Katkic, the club bought the Grove Theater and remodeled it into our clubroom. The old clubroom was then remodeled with thehelp of the Lira Tamburitzans, C. F. U. Lodges 136 and 140, the Ladies Auxiliary and members of the club. It was known as the "Lira Room." It was used as a meeting room and was rented out for small doings of the public. Our "Block W" bar, manufactured by Freeworth, Inc., of Cleveland, Ohio, is said to be the only one of its kind between Chicago and New York.

In October of 1997, the American Croatian Club sold its building and property on the comer of E. 28th Street and Grove Avenue to the Rite-Aid Pharmacy chain. While in the long run the deal was in the best interest of the Club, the prospect of leaving the location of the Club's longtime home in South Lorain left mixed feelings in the hearts of many of our members. n April of 1998, however, the Club purchased the Riviera Swim Club property at 4850 Oberlin Avenue in Lorain from Tom and Sandy Ivancic. As a private swim club, Riviera had been a landmark recreation facility on the west side of Lorain for over 30 years having been owned and operated by the Ivancics for all of those years. The 3 acre plus parcel includes 3 swimming pools, volleyball courts, basketball court, playground equipment and picnic pavilion. On April 15, 2000 a new clubroom, rental hall and space to house a cultural center for our Club were added. If not for the hard work and dedication of a lot of individuals, probably too numerous to mention, our club would have never made it this far. With a new home, and renewed interest among the Croatian people in the area to become involved in preserving and promoting our rich cultural heritage, the future of the American Croatian Club of Lorain looks very promising.

http://www.americancroatianclub.com/
 

Croatia calls for cooperation with Iran in railroad system

Tehran: 20:41 ,
2005/08/15

Croatia calls for cooperation with Iran in railroad system
TEHRAN, Aug. 15 (MNA) — In his recent visit with managing director of Iran’s Pars Wagon Production Company, representatives of Croatian rail industries companies called for the two countries’ cooperation in the railroad transport system sector.
The official, on behalf of his accompanying delegation announced Croatian locomotive producing companies’ readiness for manufacturing DHL-100 locomotives, rebuilding, overhauling and modernization of the existing electric and GM locomotives currently existing in Iran as well as establishing a passenger electric train to commute between Tehran and Mashhad, in Khorasan Province.

It was also decided that Croatia would provide and undertake the required equipments for the construction of 100 kilometers of the electric railroad as well as overhauling the electric trains commuting in Tabriz-Jolfa railroad; the cities are located in the northwestern part of the country.

Croatia has made significant advances in railroad industries.

http://www.mehrnews.ir/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=218730

Branco Panic of Croatia playing for Sabah

Tough time ahead: Jose

14 August, 2005
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah are expecting a tough match with Selangor PKNS team at the Stadium Larkin, Johor, despite the latter occupying the last spot in Malaysia Cup Group A table. Coach Jose Garrido said midfielder Rosdin Wasli is still injured while defender Ronny Harun is in Kuala Lumpur training with the national Under-23 football team.

The latest records showed that the Rhinos are third in the table while Terengganu, on top with three points and Perlis, second, also with three points. "It'll be a tough match considering we've never met PKNS previously," he said on Saturday. Although the Portuguese coach did not elaborate, his words clearly reflected the situation Sabah are facing.

Beaten by Perlis 1-2 earlier this month, the Rhinos has been struggling to make good its pledge to win at least one trophy this season. It lost its chances in the FA Cup and was demoted from the Super League to the Premier League.
Nevertheless, Sabah FA (Safa) President, Datuk Anifah Aman, believes that his players hold the key to the match outcome. "I was informed by the coach (Garrido) that the players did really well during training.

"Hence, they should apply the form they displayed during training throughout the 90 minutes game on Sunday because at the end of the day, it is the players who decided the outcome of the match," he said.

He said playing an away or home match does not make any difference because the Rhinos had proven they are not invincible even when playing on home ground. "What's more important is that the players produce their best while they are in the field," he stressed.

Meanwhile, Anifah expressed hope that the import players adapt to the environment in Sabah fast so that they could help the Rhinos do well in the tournament.

The import players are Brazilians Julio Cesar Rodrigues and Ivan Martin, Nigerian Udensi Christopher Ikechukwu and Branco Panic of Croatia. Garrido said apart from Rosdin and Ronny, the rest of the players could be fielded in the Sabah-Selangor PKNS match.

Probable line-up:
Shamsul Sabtu, Md Reithudin Embran, Madzalan Emoi, Branco Panic, Mafry Ballang, Mohd Arsyah Mohd Ayob, Henry Soimpon, Joey Ryan Gundok, Zainizam Marjan, Julio Cesar Rodrigues and Udensi Christopher Ikechukwu

DAILY EXPRESS NEWS
http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=36439

Ivo Karlovic - the Croatian Giant
 

Trying to Catch a Break
by Jeffrey Lesser

NEW YORK
Six-foot-ten Ivo Karlovic is the tallest man ever to be ranked among the top hundred tennis professionals. Equipped with a serve Andy Roddick calls “the biggest weapon in tennis,” Ivo should without a doubt have a big leg up on the rest of the men’s field. However, the Croat giant has reached a career-high ranking of only 51 and has since nestled into a ranking of around 80 (82 as of August 8, 2005). While his Croatian compatriots, Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic, have flourished and come into their own as tennis players, 26-year-old Karlovic has failed to do so. As the 2005 hard court season progresses, Ivo will have to reverse his mindset and habits in order to turn around his game, and consequently, his ranking.
While playing at the Legg Mason Classic in Washington, D.C. last week, Ivo was very impressive in defeating hard-servers Kenneth Carlsen, Max Mirnyi, and Greg Rusedski (both Mirnyi and Rusedski were seeded in the tournament). Reaching the quarterfinals of a non-grass court event for the first time in his life was an enormous achievement for Karlovic, who was playing extremely well and was considered a legitimate threat to defeat top seeded Andy Roddick. The first set of the match went wonderfully for Ivo, who beat the American in a thrilling tiebreak that ended 9-7 in favor of the man from Zagreb. In the second set the two stayed on serve until 5-5, when Roddick broke Karlovic and served out the set successfully. The third and decisive set was 4-4 and at 15-15 on Ivo’s serve. Ivo responded to the pressure-filled situation with two double faults and lost the game, allowing Roddick to serve out the set and the match. Just like that, Ivo Karlovic blew his chance to not only reach the semifinals of the Legg Mason Classic, but also to defeat a top ten player not named Lleyton Hewitt for the first time in his life.
“With (Ivo’s) serve, I am surprised he doesn’t win more,” remarked Cliff Drysdale, who along with Roddick’s former coach Brad Gilbert, commentated the Karlovic-Roddick showdown. Drysdale, unfortunately, has no reason to be surprised. The reason Ivo does not win more often is because of his dreadful return game. As Gilbert noted, Ivo has the worst break percentage of any player in the ATP top 100. That is, he breaks his opponents’ serve at the worst frequency out of any of the top hundred professionals (just six percent of the time, to be exact).
In order to win a set, Ivo probably has to force a tiebreak. To do that, with his six percent break rate, he has to hold his own serve every time. That transforms his serve, “the biggest weapon in tennis,” into a shot that only keeps him in the match.
When he enters tiebreaks, Karlovic, despite owning a better serve than his opponent, wins only fifty percent of the time. This can be attributed to his penchant for committing costly errors. Karlovic is not an extremely steady player, and if his opponent can return his serve back to the other side of the court, there is a decent probability that Ivo will miss the put-away or lose the point one way or the other. Considering Ivo has great difficulty winning a point on his opponent’s serve, one Karlovic mistake can give his opponent the set in tiebreak.
The only things that stand between Ivo Karlovic and tremendous success is his erraticism and his return game. His inclination to make an error can be easily diminished and made insignificant by his tremendous serve. Simply raising the rate at which he earns a break of serve from six to twelve will increase the number of matches he wins by a remarkable amount. If he can continue holding serve the way he has in the past, and his return game slightly improves, Karlovic will become not only a dangerous player, but perhaps a truly great one.
“He needs to improve his return game just a little, and then he can be a top 25 player,” stated Gilbert during Ivo’s duel with Roddick. To go from 82nd in the world to 25th, all Ivo needs to do is learn to return serve. It sounds easy enough, but only time will tell.
Stay tuned for the rest of the summer to the Ivo Show, which culminates at the 2005 US Open. In Flushing Meadows, he will certainly be a threat to win a round or two, but if he can break serve there, who knows? Maybe six-foot-ten Ivo Karlovic can be the tallest man to win the US Open.

JEFFREY LESSER lives in West Orange, New Jersey, where he is a 16-year-old high school senior. A "straight A" student, Jeffrey is the editorials editor of his school newspaper, the Pioneer, and frequently contributes editorials, mainly about politics. Jeff is the captain of the boys' tennis team at West Orange High School. He hopes to attend Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he wants to major in sports medicine and become a licensed physician. His mother said that Jeff is such a big fan of Croatian tennis, he might as well just move to Croatia altogether.

University of Zagreb to host EU Enlargement Conference

The Faculty of Law at the University of Zagreb,
Croatia, will host a conference on EU enlargement from
Monday to Wednesday, Sept. 5-7. 2005

The conference titled “The European Union: Past and
Future Enlargements” is being organized by the
University Association for Contemporary European
Studies, based in the United Kingdom.

A pre-conference day trip and welcome reception will
be held on Sunday, Sept. 4.

A sizable portion of the conference will focus on
Croatia’s and the rest of Southeastern Europe’s EU
aspirations.

Featured speakers include Erhard Busek (Special
Coordinator, Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe);
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic (Croatian Minister of Foreign
Affairs and European Integration); Samuel Issacharoff
(Columbia Law School); and Boris Vujcic (Croatian
National Bank, Zagreb).

For more information, visit www.uaces.org/zagreb.htm .
 

CROATIA: Tourism along Adriatic is continuing to grow

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2005
ZAGREB, Croatia

Tourism along Adriatic is continuing to grow

Croatia's tourism industry is riding high this year, with travelers flocking to a country that was locked in bitter interethnic war only a decade ago. Around 4.5 million foreign tourists visited Croatia's Adriatic coast in the first seven months of 2005, nine percent more than in the same period last year. In July alone, the number of foreign tourists increased 13 percent compared with the same month last year, and the number of Croatians touring their own country rose 18 percent. The government's goal is to have 11 million tourists in 2010 and to increase the industry's contribution to the economy to 29 percent of gross domestic product, compared with 21 percent last year. (AFP)

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/08/14/travel/travel15.php