Elaborate funeral

It's Monday again, out of numerous email messages since Friday, I thought to share this one.
Have a good, safe week and a chuckle or two!
Maria

A cardiologist died and was given an elaborate funeral.
A huge heart covered in flowers stood behind the casket during the service.
Following the eulogy, the heart opened, and the casket rolled inside.
The heart then closed, sealing the doctor in the beautiful heart forever.
At that point, one of the mourners burst into laughter.
When all eyes stared at him, he said, "I'm sorry, I was just thinking of my own funeral - -
I'm a gynecologist."
And That's when the proctologist fainted…..

Where Do You Find a Dog With No Legs?
Right Where You Left Him.

What Do Fish Say When They Hit a Concrete Wall?
Dam!

What Do You Call a Boomerang That Doesn't work?
A Stick

What's The Difference Between Roast Beef And Pea Soup?
Anyone Can Roast Beef.

Two Reasons Why It's So Hard To Solve A Redneck
Murder
1. All the DNA is the same.
2. There are no dental records.

How Do You Catch a Unique Rabbit?
Unique Up On It.

How Do You Catch a Tame Rabbit?
Tame Way, Unique Up On It.

How Do Crazy People Go Through The Forest?
They Take The Psycho Path

How Do You Get Holy Water?
You Boil The Hell Out Of It.

What Do Eskimos Get From Sitting On The Ice too Long?
Polaroid's

What Do You Call Cheese That Isn't Yours?
Nacho Cheese.

What Do You Call Santa's Helpers?
Subordinate Clauses.

What Do You Call Four Bullfighters In Quicksand?
Quattro Sinko..

What Do You Get From a Pampered Cow?
Spoiled Milk.

What Do You Get When You Cross a Snowman With a Vampire?
Frostbite.

What Lies At The Bottom Of The Ocean And Twitches?
A Nervous Wreck.

Why Do Gorillas Have Big Nostrils?
Because They Have Big Fingers.

Why Don't Blind People Like To Sky Dive?
Because It Scares The Dog.

What Kind Of Coffee Was Served On The Titanic?
Sanka.

What Is The Difference Between a Harley And a Hoover?
The Location Of The Dirt Bag.

Why Did Pilgrims' Pants Always Fall Down?
Because They Wore Their Belt Buckle On Their Hat.

What's The Difference Between a Bad Golfer And a Bad Skydiver?
A Bad Golfer Goes, Whack, Dang!
A Bad Skydiver Goes Dang! Whack.

How Are a Texas Tornado And a Tennessee Divorce The Same?
Somebody's Gonna Lose A Trailer

Two guys were discussing popular family trends on sex,
marriage, and values. Stu said, "I didn't sleep with my wife
before we got married, Did you?" Leroy replied, "I'm not
sure, What was her maiden name?"

A little boy went up to his father and asked:
"Dad, where did I get all of my intelligence?"
The father replied. "Well son, you must have gotten it from
your mother, cause I still have mine"

"Mr. Clark, I have reviewed this case very
carefully," the divorce Court Judge said, "And I've decided
to give your wife $775 a week," "That's very fair, your
honor," the husband said. "And every now and then I'll try
to send her a few bucks myself,"

A doctor examined a woman, took the husband
aside, and said, "I don't like the looks of your wife at
all." "Me neither doc," said the husband. "But she's a great
cook and really good with the kids."

Two Mexican detectives were investigating the
murder of Juan Gonzalez. "How was he killed?" asked one
detective. "With a golf gun," the other detective replied.
"A golf gun?! What is a golf gun?"
"I don't know. But it sure made a hole in Juan."

This guy has been sitting in a bar all night,
staring at a blonde wearing the tightest pants he's ever
seen. Finally his curiosity gets the best of him, so he
walks over and asks, "How do you get into those pants?" The
young woman looks him over and replies, "Well, you could
start by buying me a drink."

A man is recovering from surgery when a nurse asks
him how he is feeling. "I'm O.K. but I didn't like the
four-letter-word the doctor used in surgery," he answered.
"What did he say," asked the nurse.
"OOPS!
 

CSYPN : Croatian National Day @ London's City Hall

There is a deadline to register below, but if you
email by Wednesday you may still be able to go.

Brian Gallagher, Vice-President, CSYPN
-----
Celebrate Croatian National Day with us in one of
the most prestigious buildings in London!!!

CSYPN has an original treat for you - enjoying a
wonderful London evening, nine floors up on the top floor of
the Great London Assembly building and its 'Sky
Balcony'.

The GLA building is that modern-looking one near Tower
Bridge, not far from the spot immortalised by David Blaine!

This will (probably) be your once in a lifetime chance
to go there, to a place optimistically called London's
Living Room.

We are organising a drinks reception there on Thursday
23rd June, starting at 7 pm and lasting a couple of
hours.

Now the GLA building is a 'serious' place - meaning
they want a list of all everyone coming well in advance, so
they can give you your own personalised badge after you
have gone past security. So sorry, folks, this time
definitely no gatecrashers!

We'll get a fantastic view of central London and if
the evening's bright and clear, better still.

The event is free for CSYPN members and 10 pounds for
non-members.

If you wish to join us, please email us on
cityhall@csypn.org.uk  by Saturday, 18 June 2005.

-----
What: Croatian National Day Reception
When: 7.00pm, Thursday, 23 June 2005
Where: Greater London Authority
City Hall
The Queen.s Walk
London SE1 2AA
http://www.london.gov.uk/gla/locationmap.jsp
Price: FREE - CSYPN members, ÂŁ10 - non-members
RSVP: by Saturday, 18 June 2005
on cityhall@csypn.org.uk
-----

Looking forward seeing you and celebrating Croatian
National Day together.

CSYPN Committee

Ana will be in New York on June 24

Hi

Dropping you a line to let you know that Ana will be in New York on June 24!
If you are interested in a private guitar lesson contact me asap at:management@anavidovic.com

Thank you,
Luba Management
 

Croatia is producing a 260 MVA transformer

The transformer works in Croatia is producing a 260 MVA transformer for the 400 MW Plamiet pumping power station near Cape Town and six 450 MVA power transformers for the Arnot coal-fired plant, whose output is 2100 MW. Many of the power plants are located near South Africa’s lignite mines about 200 kilometers northeast of Johannesburg.

Siemens supplies power transformers for the modernization of several South African power plants
Order valued at over EUR 30 million

/noticias.info/ Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution (PTD) is to supply eleven power transformers worth over EUR 30 million at large for the modernization of several coal-fired power plants and a pumping power station in South Africa. The customer is Eskom, the state-owned power utility. As in other parts of the world, many power plants in South Africa have reached the end of their service life and are in need of an overhaul and modernization. This work also involves replacing the old transformers. The equipment in question was installed in the seventies and is now, on average, 30 years old. The first transformers will be delivered from December 2005; commissioning will begin in February 2006.

For this modernization order, the Siemens transformer works in Nuremberg is manufacturing an 850 MVA power transformer for the 3708 MW Lethabo coal-fired power plant, two 770 MVA transformers for the Tutuka coal-fired plant (3654 MW) near Sasolburg and a 770 MVA power transformer for the Duvha coal-fired power station (3600 MW) near Witbank. The transformer works in Croatia is producing a 260 MVA transformer for the 400 MW Plamiet pumping power station near Cape Town and six 450 MVA power transformers for the Arnot coal-fired plant, whose output is 2100 MW. Many of the power plants are located near South Africa’s lignite mines about 200 kilometers northeast of Johannesburg.

Last year, Siemens received an order from Eskom to supply three 220 MVA generator transformers for the Hendrina power plant northeast of Johannesburg, another plant currently undergoing modernization. The transformers were delivered in March and April of this year.

Power utility Eskom sets great store in the quality of the new transformers, since the transformers need to be replaced in South Africa but not just because of aging of the cellulose insulation of the coils. The transformers are exposed to additional strain caused by solar winds initiated by large plasma eruptions occurring on the surface of the sun and shooting through space. Very large and frequent eruptions occur approximately every twelve years. Areas particularly affected include regions near the poles such as South Africa. There, the solar winds induce direct currents in the long overhead lines between 10 and 100 A on the earth’s surface that flow through the connected transformers and cause magnetic saturation in the transformer core. This results in local overheating of the core and coils. It has happened on many an occasion that the solar wind phenomenon has caused total failure of a transformer. For this reason Siemens has designed and built transformers which conform to these requirements.

Gert Coetzee, Corporate Consultant at Eskom Generation commented: "The main reasons for placing the order with Siemens were not only the high quality of the transformers but also their competent consulting and short delivery times." Markus Harlinghausen, Vice President at Siemens PTD Transformers stated: "An important component of our consulting activities was the two-day South African Transformer Symposium staged for the second time at the beginning of April at our branch in Johannesburg." The speakers were experts from our German transformer works in Nuremberg and Kirchheim, as well as from plants in Croatia, Portugal and the USA. Over 70 customers took part in the event, which proved to be a real success.“

Eskom is Africa’s largest electricity supplier and covers 63 per cent of the continent’s demand. Eskom is the world’s seventh-largest power utility and supplies 95 per cent of the power consumed in South Africa. The power generation division operates 20 power plants with a total output of 41,830 MW.

http://www.noticias.info/asp/aspComunicados.asp?nid=76521&src=0
 

Pliva to work with Mayne on generic biologics

Croatia’s Pliva, the largest pharmaceutical company in Eastern Europe

22/02/2005 - Croatia’s Pliva, the largest pharmaceutical company in Eastern Europe, has teamed up with Australia’s Mayne Pharma to hasten the development of two ‘generic’ biologic drugs.

Some of the biggest-selling biological drugs developed during the first phase of the biotechnology revolution in the 1980s – including human growth hormone, interferon alpha and insulin – have already lost or will lose patent protection in the next few years, opening up a $23bn market that is growing at 10 per cent a year.
But regulators and the generics industry have found it difficult to agree ways to ensure that copies of the original drugs are safe and effective, short of carrying out a full - and expensive - clinical development programme.

Undeterred, Pliva and Mayne say they will collaborate on the development of the Croatian’s firm’s most advanced ‘biogeneric’ projects, the white blood cell stimulator G-CSF and red blood cell equivalent erythropoietin (EPO), over the next three years. Pliva stands to receive €21m from Mayne over that period, during which the two companies aim to complete clinical development of the two products.

Based on figures produced by IMS Health, worldwide sales of EPO and G-CSF reached a combined market value of more than $14bn in 2004, up 17 per cent over 2003.

The collaboration “combines Pliva's expertise in the development and manufacturing of high quality and technically complex products with Mayne's position as the leading generic hospital player in the EU," said Pliva CEO Zeljko Covic in a statement.

The high cost of biologics (often tens of thousands of euros per patient a year) lends some urgency to the approval of biogenerics for healthcare budgeters, and the generics companies are trying to respond.

For example, Switzerland-based BioPartners and Sandoz have filed applications to market so-called ‘biomilar’ versions of hGH in the EU, but while the former dossier is still active, Sandoz offering was turned down on procedural grounds. BioPartners has also filed for approval of a generic version of interferon alpha for hepatitis C, but while biosimilar drugs have been launched in Asia and other territories around the world, to date none has been approved for marketing in Europe and the US.

Pliva has already developed and submitted a generic EPO for registration in Croatia, and plans to launch it this year, said Covic. “To the best of our knowledge, this launch will position us as one of the first companies to successfully, develop, produce, and sell a generic EPO on the commercial global market, and the first on the European continent,â€? he added.

In Europe and the US, regulators have found it hard to develop an approval route for biogenerics because production of biologic drugs can be more of an art than a science. In contrast to chemically synthesised drugs, it is hard to develop quality standards for biologics: so the tools needed to show ‘bioequivalence’ – the standard measure by which a generic is shown to behave in the same way as an originator drug - are lacking.

Their decision is made the harder by suggestions that small changes in a biologic production process can have dramatic consequences on a product’s safety and efficacy. One often cited example is the case of Johnson & Johnson’s Eprex (epoetin), which was associated with 250 cases of a serious red blood cell disorder in the late 19990s, eventually blamed on changes in the handling and administration of the drug.

Because of these difficulties, biologics tend to be approved on the basis of purity, potency and identity, rather than safety and efficacy as is the case with conventional drugs. In the eyes of the biotechnology industry, this distinction is crucial, as it means that a biologic must always be produced using an identical manufacturing process. This is very difficult for biogenerics companies to achieve, and until recently meant that a full development programme was the only option.

Recognising these difficulties, Stuart James, Mayne’s managing director, said: " “Biological products are technically complex, requiring specialised expertise in development and manufacturing that would be expensive and risky for Mayne to develop internally. Pliva's advanced progress in the development of EPO and G-CSF ideally complements Mayne's international sales and marketing and regulatory strengths."

Last year, Europe adopted new legislation that for the first time set out a potential marketing application process for biosimilar drugs. Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration has just acknowledged in a public forum that it should be possible to seek approval for copies of biologic drugs without a full marketing application.

http://www.in-pharmatechnologist.com/news/news-ng.asp?n=58255-pliva-to-work
 

Pliva gets first approval for generic EPO

22/06/2005 - Croatian pharmaceutical company Pliva has won its first European approval for generic erythropoietin, a biologic drug used for the treatment of low red blood cell counts, reports Phil Taylor.

The company, which recently exited the proprietary drugs market to focus exclusively on the generics and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) sector, said its EPO is a generic version of Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Cilag’s Eprex (epoetin alfa). The approval, in its home market of Croatia, is the first for the product.
Pliva is one of a growing number of companies seeking to carve out a business in the so-called biogeneric sector, which has yet to take off in the US and Europe despite the expiry of patents on a number of the first wave of protein-based drugs launched in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Pliva has staked a claim to the new territory through product development agreements with Barr Laboratories and Mayne Pharma.

The problem for regulators is that, given the complex, biological nature of protein drug production, it has been difficult to establish a set of criteria to show that a biogeneric is indeed equivalent to its branded counterpart. Advances have been made in the European Union with the drawing up of a system for ‘biosimilar’ drugs, while similar moves are underway in the US, where biogenerics are known as ‘follow-on biologics’. However, there is still much political work to be done, and to date no generic biologic drug has been approved in these territories.

Croatia lies outside the EU at the moment, so Pliva’s approval for EPO there does not represent a test of the EU’s framework for biosimilar approvals. This test is being supplied by Switzerland-based BioPartners. BioPartners and Sandoz have both filed applications to market biomilar versions of human growth hormone in the EU, but while the former dossier is still active, Sandoz offering was turned down on procedural grounds. BioPartners has also filed for approval of a generic version of interferon alpha for hepatitis C.

Nevertheless, Zeljko Covic, Pliva’s CEO, said that the registration of EPO in Croatia is a milestone for the company as it ‘demonstrates the quality and capabilities of our project team’.

“We believe that this achievement clearly shows that Pliva will be among the very few companies that will succeed in both developing and registering biogenerics across global markets while respecting developing regulatory rules and patent protection for these markets,â€? he said in a statement.

Branded biological drugs generated an estimated total of $32 billion (€26bn) in sales for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries in 2003 and represented the fastest-growing group of medicines – but by 2010, when the market is forecast to be worth $53bn, biologicals which accrue an estimated $11bn worth of sales annually are expected to have lost patent protection in developed pharmaceutical markets.

The high cost of biologics (often tens of thousands of euros per patient a year) lends some urgency to the approval of biogenerics for healthcare budgeters.

EPO, first introduced in 1988, is a multibillion dollar drug primarily indicated for the stimulation of red blood cell production in patients undergoing dialysis therapy for chronic renal failure and patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

http://www.in-pharmatechnologist.com/news/news-ng.asp?n=60805-pliva-gets-first 
 

SEC Honors Auburn NCAA Champion
 

Edis Elkasevic
By Staff Reports Inside the Auburn Tigers
Date: Jun 20, 2005

Auburn, Ala.--NCAA shot put champion Edis Elkasevic has been named SEC Outdoor Field Athlete on Monday.

The Auburn University sophomore was selected for the honor by a vote of the league's 12 track and field head coaches. He won the NCAA title with an Auburn record toss of 68 feet, 6 inches, which is also a national record for an athlete from Croatia. He also won the SEC indoor and outdoor shot put titles and the SEC discus competition.

“He had quite an outdoor season,â€? says Auburn assistant coach Jerry Clayton, who coaches the throwers. “He was undefeated by collegiate throwers except for once during the outdoor season as one person threw ahead of him at Georgia Tech. He had an outstanding year and this quite an honor for him.â€?

The sophomore also won the NCAA Mideast Regional shot put title and was named the Mideast Regional Male Athlete of the Year.

Auburn head coach Ralph Spry says, "Edis contributed a lot to the team at the conference, regional and national meets. He started the year off with a terrific indoor season and was able to continue that and excel even more as the outdoor season progressed. We look forward to having him for two more years and it will be exciting to see what he has in store in that time.�

Elkasevic will compete in the Croatian national championships and the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland this summer.


http://auburn.scout.com/2/389155.html

Book review “Can You Hear Me Screaming?â€? Eric Obenauf

By Katarina Tepesh

“Can You Hear Me Screaming?â€? a novel by Eric Obenauf, featuring main protagonist Bee, a college student who’s existence is laced with the frustrations that go hand in hand with confusion. Dealing with trauma of a sudden death of his father and making an agonizing decision concerning an unwanted pregnancy. “My purpose is not to fly, but to soar. You see, I’m empty handed, but I hold the world,â€? says Bee.

The story takes place in New York City and Croatia. Obenauf describes Croatia in a unique style. “Adjacent to the town was the rock beach where all the swimmers went. In between those two points – though closer to the sidewalk corner than to the beach – was a large patch of pointy gray boulders, dark on the outside from where the water made them wet. They huddled together like devoted legions of followers bowing before their lord. In the middle was a rock podium where stood their god: a moss-green statue of a woman in a thin dress that seemed to belong more to the wind than to her. She stood in solitude, her right arm gently extended to receive a bird. Her body faced the sea, but her head was turned back over her shoulder to look at the town as though she were leaving and never returning.â€?

“I can do anything I want because I am alive and I can’t think of one good reason not to. Can you hear me screaming? Listen or not, I don’t care, just know that I’m screaming.â€?

Eric Obenauf is the son of famous Melissa Pintar Obenauf, co-owner ofwww.CroatiaGifts.com 

Eric graduated from New York University where he majored in Dramatic Writing. In the summer of 2001 he toured with the professional dance group “Zivili,â€? performing in refugee camps, orphanages, and homes for the elderly throughout Croatia.

Eric is a participant of the Two Dollar Radio Movement. The purpose is to reestablish the literary, cultural and artistic spirit of publishing. Submit your work at www.twodollarradio.com 

****

Croatia's Ancic wins first ATP title

Croatia's Mario Ancic holds his first ATP trophy

Croatia's Mario Ancic holds his trophy after his victory over France's Michael Llodra at the Ordina Open tennis tournament in the Dutch town of Rosmalen June 19, 2005. Ancic underlined his grasscourt credentials on Sunday, beating defending champion Llodra 7-5 6-4 to win the Ordina Open. REUTERS/Toussaint Kluiters

 

Croatia's Ancic wins first ATP title
21-year-old beats Llorda in Ordina Open finalThe Associated Press
Updated: 11:18 a.m. ET June 19, 2005DEN BOSCH, Netherlands - Mario Ancic of Croatia won his first ATP title at the Ordina Open on Sunday, beating defending champion Michael Llodra 7-5, 6-4.


It was the first victory in three finals for the 21-year-old Ancic, whose powerful serve befuddled his opponent. “I played some good points when I needed them,â€? Ancic said.

Ancic reached the semifinals of Wimbledon last year after also making the semifinals at Den Bosch. He said he hoped to “continue the traditionâ€? in his opening match this year at Wimbledon, which starts Monday. Ancic, seeded 10th, will meet German qualifier Tobias Summerer in his first match.

Ancic was the last man to beat No. 1 Roger Federer at Wimbledon, knocking him out in the first round three years ago. Asked whether Federer can be beaten this year, Ancic said, “You have to play unbelievable, and he has to be not 100 percent on top of his game.â€?

Llodra said he also felt more confident for Wimbledon, despite the loss. He plays ninth-seed Sebastien Grosjean, also from France, in the first round.

Against Llodra, Ancic had eight aces and dropped only three points on his serve in the first set.

But Llodra played faultless serve-and-volley, losing only one of his service points until the 11th game. Ancic passed the Frenchman at the net, hit a service return winner down the line and a winner at the net. Rattled, Llodra double faulted at game point, and Ancic comfortably served out the set.

Ancic won the fifth game of the second set with a cross-court pass to go up a break. Llodra saved two match points to hold in the next game, but Ancic moved up to the net for the winning points to close out the match.

“I have been serving very good all week. For sure it is my biggest weapon,â€? Ancic said. “I didn’t give him too many chances to return.â€?

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8277824/
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=tennisNews&storyID=URI:urn:newsml:reuters.com:20050619:MTFH37985_2005-06-19_12-30-07_L19183036:1
http://inhome.rediff.com/sports/2005/jun/19ancic.htm

Ancic secures Ordina Open title

Latest results
Croatia's Mario Ancic confirmed he will be a threat at Wimbledon by winning the Ordina Open on grass on Sunday.
The third seed, who will be seeded 10th at Wimbledon after reaching the last four last year, beat defending champion Michael Llodra 7-5 6-4.

Ancic dropped just three points on serve in the opening set and broke his French opponent in the 11th game.

Llodra saved two break points in the fifth game of the second set before Ancic finally broke to set up victory.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/4108740.stm