Obecnie w ruchu jest 416 km od Zagrzebia do okolic Splitu , ukończone w 2005 roku.

W przyszłości będzie sięgać aż do Dubrownika !!!

foto robione z autobusu ;)

Tunel Sveti Rok 5687 m ;)

The 2008 CYGN conference team are running a three question survey to find out. Whether it’s your children, travel, citizenship, speaking the language or learning to cook, we want to hear your thoughts and are inviting you to comment on the Živjela Hrvatska? section on this blog.  

We encourage you to take the survey – which should only take a few minutes - and to pass this on.

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Een paar foto's uit verschillende jaargetijden een klein uurtje van ons vandaan en net over de grens.

Want van ons plekje in Svinisce bij Omis is het een uurtje rijden om in het natuurgebied Blidinje in Bosnia Herzegovina te komen. En daar is het landschap weer totaal anders dan bij ons, laat staan aan de kust, tien minuutjes omlaag uit ons rustige dalletje.

De kust biedt wat de hele Adriatisch kust biedt, een juweeltje van een zee met schitterend azuurblauw helder warm water, en uiteraard eilanden voor de kust, want Croatia heeft pakweg 1500 eilanden (klein onbewoond tot flink groot en dus bewoond, en elk met een heel eigen karakter). Aan zee kun je doen wat iedere luie toerist doet, namelijk bakken tot de vellen eraan hangen en tussendoor een duik nemen in glashelder water van 25 C.

Niks mis mee, maar ik wil de "luie" toerist een beetje in beweging brengen. Niet dat ik iets tegen zonnen, snorkelen of luieren achter een koele pint heb (tuurlijk niet), maar je zou toch wel gek zijn als je niet af en toe eens iets anders zag dan zon, zee en zomergasten.

Ik bedoel maar, want pal achter de bergen aan de kust liggen binnen handbereik al schitterende gebieden zoals de toppen van Mosor, een eindje naar rechts aan de kust het Biokovogebergte, en wat verderop, over de Bosnische grens, o.a. het gebied zoals het op de foto's staat, met de naam Park Prirodne Blidinje, ofwel Natuurpark Blidinje, met 364 vierkante kilometers oppervlak en daarin een bergmeer op bijna 1200 meter hoogte, dat ruwweg 3 vierkante kilometers groot is.

Natuurlijk kan ik er veel meer over schrijven, zoals dat het op de Unesco Werelderfgoedlijst staat, maar ik wil er zo snel mogelijk zelf gaan rondlopen want er ligt o.a. ook nog een canyon "Diva Grabovica" in of aan de berg Cvrsnica, die in diepte varieert van 1200 tot 1500 meter en zes kilometer lang is. En reken maar dat ik daar uitgebreid over ga berichten.

Je kunt hier alvast een kijkje nemen: http://www.posusje.net/galerije/galerija_blidinje.htm 

remix in the sun, originally uploaded by jamesyuill.

hello!
yes...that's my laptop in the sun.
last weekend I went off to Croatia (namely Zadar) to play a lovely festival called Electric Elephant.
As clever as I am I still managed to bring out to the sweltering heat my coat, my thickest blackest t-shirts, socks, jeans and no sun tan lotion.
what i should have brought - shorts, flip-flops, thin white t-shirts, and lotion.
i did however manage to bring my sunglasses, but they're completely pointless as I'm virtually blind without my spectacles.
I played on the first night (friday) accompanied by Jess Bryant. great sound not so great crowd, but the beautiful surroundings certainly made up for it.
Saw some great acts, some I knew, some I was seeing for the first time. Magic Arm, Super Imposers, Adem, Pictish Trail, King Creosote, Liz Green...but what has to be my highlight was watching Denis Jones. His set was amazing joined with the great sound it floored me.
i was expecting to see some guys called Quiet Village whose album is unbelievably good. they unfortunately had laptop troubles so i took that as my sign to go and have some pasta.
during the evenings it was live music and djs...during the daytime...it was remix, remix, remix...I'd been asked to reedit a remix of Red Light Company's Scheme Eugene and also bust out a Sam Isaac Remix. It was bizzare sitting in that kind of climate and remixing. I felt like i should be outside frolicing.
I'll upload the remixes when I get the finished mastered ones.
word

Now, without further ado . . .

If planning a weekend trip to Canada, you'll want to stop by Go Green Travel Green's post Vancouver in 2 (Eco-Friendly) Days at Go Green Travel Green.

Heading south to California with Fido? Nancy Brown presents Upscale and Affordable Dog-Friendly Lodging in Mendocino County posted at What a Trip, saying, "Welcome to my new website! Less Than a Shoestring readers will appreciate the budget minded and dog friendly Fort Bragg recommendations, as well as the insider tip on a FREE off leash dog beach in Mendocino County."

Another California destination -- Half Moon Bay, to be exact -- is presented by the baglady in Expensive cars are unnecessary for a good time - The Baglady’s 1st Anniversary Trip posted at xynny.

Looking for a cheap hotel in Chicago?  You can't believe everything you read on the internet says Neil in B.Y.O.F. posted at Your Mileage May Vary, saying, "Some shoestrings are stringier than others..."

Hopping the Atlantic to Europe, I've got a post on what to see on a quick layover in Berlin in my post Two Hours in . . . Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Part II here at Less Than a Shoestring.

A train ride eastward brings us to Caitlin Fitzsimmons' Photo Friday: Jewish Krakow posted at Roaming Tales, saying, "The Jewish quarter in Krakow still persists but it's a shadow of its pre-World War II self. The Jewish Cemetery is a poignant reminder of what's lost."

Down on the Mediterranean, Jason Green presents The other side of Croatia - Pula « Europe a la Carte Blog posted at Europe A La Carte Blog, saying, "The Croatian city of Pula has beautiful beaches, a Roman arena and excellent seafood."

Flying on to the subcontinent, AdmirableIndia.com presents Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Bangalore: Part 1: Ancient Watch Tower and Organic Cultivation posted at AdmirableIndia.com.

Closing ceremonies this week in Beijing make Wendy's post on City Icons: Beijing China at Escape From New York the fitting end to this carnival edition! 

Thanks for visiting and submitting!  You can easily get in on the next edition of Carnival of Cities by using the handy-dandy carnival submission form.  See you next week at the newly rebranded Family Travel Logue!

A wounded Bosnian refugee boy  Photo: The IRC

Sarajevo. Winter 1993. The Bosnian capital is under siege by Serbian nationalist forces. Artillery pieces entrenched in the surrounding hills lob shells and mortars at hospitals, markets, and schools. From rooftops, snipers mow down civilians as they fill water buckets or line up for bread. All roads leading into the city are blocked, as are shipments of food and medicine. Water, electricity, and heat are cut off.In their offices in the heart of the beleaguered city, a small group of IRC aid workers hit upon an innovative plan: a seed distribution program to help the increasingly desperate Sarajevans grow fruits and vegetables in their backyards or apartment terraces. It is the first step in what will become the IRC’s most heroic relief effort—an effort that will continue for 14 years and involve lifesaving work throughout the Balkans.As one former IRC staff member in Sarajevo said at the time, “We were seeing an industrialized country descend into chaos. It was an environment for which none of us had any previous experience.”

In response, the IRC improvised and adopted unorthodox methods.

In order to cope with the logistics of moving tons of aid into battered Sarajevo, for example, the IRC contracted with local factories to produce as many supplies as possible inside the city. The IRC also provided seed grain to farmers to reduce the number of food convoys. In a city gripped by panic and starvation, this economic activity helped people to withstand some of the miseries and also helped them to resist fleeing their homes.

One project was deemed so risky few considered it feasible. Braving withering sniper fire, IRC engineers drew water from the Miljacka River, which winds through the center of Sarajevo, and piped it to safer areas of the city as drinking water. They hid the pumps and filter systems in tunnels to protect them from shelling. By August 1994, the daring project—which was funded by financier-philanthropist George Soros and enlisted the leadership of legendary disaster-relief engineer Fred Cuny—had succeeded in restoring water to Sarajevans’ taps. No longer would they have to dodge sniper fire while queuing up at dangerous central water taps.

Meanwhile, the engineers painstakingly repaired Sarajevo’s bombed out electrical and heating systems, projects that took two years to complete. Over 600 tons of supplies were transported over treacherous Mount Igman on a narrow, winding dirt track controlled by Serbian gunmen.

By the time the 1995 peace accords ended the siege of Sarajevo, the IRC had saved thousands of lives and brought food, water and light to the city’s populace.

We then shifted our focus to the victims of war and to destroyed communities in Bosnia and elsewhere in the Balkans.

In 1998, when clashes between advancing Serbian forces and rebels in Kosovo ignited the last of the Balkan wars, the IRC launched one of its largest aid programs, providing extensive humanitarian aid and repairing thousands of homes, electrical facilities, roads, hospitals and schools. The IRC distributed food and medicine to tens of thousands of people in Croatia, lent assistance to Serbian refugees fleeing Croatia and Bosnia, and established emergency aid and reconstruction programs in Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro

As peace gradually returned to the Balkans, the IRC began closing its programs, having assisted millions displaced by conflict. The IRC’s program in Serbia and Montenegro and Kosovo closed in 2004, followed by Croatia in 2005. The Bosnia program closed in April 2006.

The IRC’s years in the Balkans were without a doubt some of the finest in our history. 

And that story has continued in the United States.  Since 1993, the IRC has resettled 21,804 refugees from the Balkans here. Some have joined us as IRC staff members at our headquarters in New York and in many of our resettlement offices across the country. These cherished colleagues remind us every day of the IRC’s legacy in and from the Balkans.

Postscript: Radovan Karadzic, the Bosnian Serb leader who oversaw the killing of thousands of people by sniping and shelling in the siege of Sarajevo and later directed the Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 men and boys, was arrested last month on war crimes charges after 13 years as a fugitive. ]]> http://meerchant.wordpress.com/?p=312 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:09:15 +0000 ameer http://meerchant.wordpress.com/?p=312 So...you know how it always happens that the plans you make are rarely the plans you stick to? Well, I was planning to write about The Corrections, which is OK and I've enjoyed reading it - except that i didn't finish it :P I was also planning to get a nice suntan and I ended up getting a bit burnt :P But I still had a nice time and Croatia is a really nice country, with fairly decent people, great sea, rocky beach, boats and palm trees. Plus - the southern coast, sunsets, countless hours and about 4000 km on the road. If I ever go there again (and I'd like it), I'm taking the plane ;)

Hmm...where to begin? With the first night - when our GPS got us lost and we ended up in an abandoned quarry (I think) pushing a car uphill after more than 24 hours on the road? Coz that was pretty scary...although after we were sure the car was working fine, we took a couple of pictures to commemorate the moment :P The quality isn't that great - but it's all in the emotional value :P

Anyways, after some sleep, all was forgotten when we woke up to this - the little village of Vinisce, where we stayed:

So...what else...a boat ride to an island nearby - where we were hoping for a sandy beach, but no such luck...although after a while you get used to the rocks. It's a bit like a massage ;))

Next, Split: Diocletian, the Roman emperor, built a fortress here - and that's where the swarm of tourists goes:

Trogir: by far, my favorite - old, narrow cobble streets - so amazing that I didn't even mind the crowds (it certainly was very crowded everywhere). Cafes, boats, lots of ice cream shops, cute kids selling seashells and, again, that sea. :D

Dubrovnik - where we were a year too early for the highway, and the road there-and-back that was supposed to take up to 6 hours ended up taking about 11 hours. Not the best of surprises; we stayed there for about 3 hours and spent one of them eating - after all the driving we really were starving :P

The Plitvice National Park. So hard to choose among all those waterfalls, ducks and fish :D

Finally - the cats: the owner's (umm...the owner of the house we stayed in. Thought I should make that clear :P ) evil, pure evil cat. It hissed at us :O Dubrovnik kitty, abandoned on the side of the road: . Aaaaand...Plitvice lazy cat:

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Neteller will not accept transactions from the following countries - AFGHANISTAN, ALBANIA, ALGERIA, ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN, BELARUS, BHUTAN, BOUVET ISLAND, BULGARIA, BURMA (MYANMAR), CAMBODIA, COOK ISLANDS, CROATIA, ESTONIA, GEORGIA, GHANA, HUNGARY, INDONESIA, IRAN, IRAQ, JORDAN, KAZAKHSTAN, NORTH KOREA, KYRGYZSTAN, LAOS, LATVIA, LEBANON, LIBERIA, LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA, LITHUANIA, MACEDONIA, MALAYSIA, MOLDOVA, MONGOLIA, NAURU, NIGERIA, OMAN, PAKISTAN, PHILIPPINES, ROMANIA, RUSSIAN FEDERATION, SAUDI ARABIA, SERBIA & MONTENEGRO, SLOVAKIA, SLOVENIA, SOMALIA, SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC, TAJIKISTAN, THAILAND, TURKMENISTAN, UGANDA, UKRAINE, UZBEKISTAN, YEMEN, and YUGOSLAVIA.

Yet the IOC only provides each country a limited number of slots for their athletes.

That meant for instance Hayley Haining couldn't go to Beijing when Paula Radcliffe declared herself fit.

Now there are always going to be losers in any qualifying system for the limited slot placement in the Olympics.

But separate Olympic teams for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would widen the opportunities for our athletes, and ensure that as many athletes as possible fill each countries slots.

Consider this:

The UK with a population of around 60 million sent 311 athletes.

England's population of around 50 million is slightly higher than Spain's 46 million. Spain sent 312 athletes to Beijing. (These and other countries figures obtained from the Yahoo Olympic site.) You'd probably be talking at least the 311 athletes in a English Olympic team. (The Team GB breaks down England by region but subtracting the other countries totals from the 311 Team GB total gives an English total of 268 athletes.)

Scotland's population is around 5 million. Slightly higher than Croatia's 4.6 million. Croatia sent 110 athletes to Beijing. Probably the same numbers as a possible Scottish team, although New Zealand with 4.2 million sent 209 athletes. (A quick filter in the Team GB site gives 26 athletes at the 2008 Olympics.)

Wales' population is around 3 million. Just slightly smaller than Lithuania. They sent 74 athletes. (A quick filter in the Team GB site gives 14 Welsh athletes in the Beijing Olympics.)

Northern Ireland's population is around 1.8 million. Not far off Slovenia's 2 million. They sent 62 athletes. (A quick filter in the Team GB site gives 3 athletes, although Northern Irish athletes are also eligible for the Irish Olympic squad.)

Let's add that up:-

England 311
Scotland 110
Wales 74
Northern Ireland 62

Thats a rough estimate of 557. That's an increase in athletes for each country from their 2008 totals.

Might even be more if the Home Nations can begin to emulate the New Zealand population density rate. The UK - as four countries - could possibly send about 700 athletes, more than double the present number; a number that would never be possible for the single British Olympic Committee given the UK's population.

The key here is widening participation in sport for our top athletes.

Athletes that have experience in the Olympics generally do better in the next one. They know what the Olympics is all about, they have seen what it takes to compete at that level, and work that bit harder to achieve their Olympic dreams next time.

Athletes that don't make the slot places may just give up altogether.

With 4 different Olympic committees, sport all over England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland could flourish.

And of course, there's no reason for the IOC to object to four different IOC bodies in the UK. There were 12 territories represented at the 2008 Olympics that are not recognised countries.

Bermuda has its own representation. Britain own those islands; Bermuda is not independent or have a seat at the UN. Bermuda sent 6 athletes to the Olympics. And for a population of 66 000 people that's simply staggering.

Thats almost 1 in 10000 people there being Olympic athletes.

Or England sending 5000 athletes to Beijing.

M-am intors si mi-e rusine ca n-am scris atata timp. Si acum e noapte si nu e o noapte in care sa dorm in bratele cuiva asa ca las aici o poza.

Recviem pentru zilele perfecte

Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica

Kevrekidis Photography at deviantART

©2008 Jordan Kevrekidis

Speaking of Big Lies, one of Bush's cronies was on Al Jazeera English's "Inside Iraq" this week peddling Big Lies about Iraq. I was going to try to transcribe a bit of this--and double check the guy's name--but it seems that this week An Najah has decided that streaming video is blocked on our campus server (though last week I had no problem doing this). The debate is between Robert Fisk and a man whose name, I believe, is Brad Lakeman (I know his name is Brad, but I can't recall his last name exactly). But in a nutshell here is what Brad tells us: "America isn't a colonizing power"; "What we do because of our power, our might is..." help people around the world who call upon us to help others because they can't help themselves--or something to that effect; and, apparently, the U.S. invaded Iraq because Iraq "violated over 14 United Nations Security Council Resolutions." Watch for yourself and see--it gets worse:

But if invading another country's sovereign territory can be rationalized on violation of UN Resolutions someone please tell me why the U.S. has not yet invaded the Zionist state which has a far longer history of this, with far more brutal consequences than Iraq or any other country on the planet. Here is just a sample:

Resolution 252 (1968 ) Israel
Urgently calls upon Israel to rescind measures that change the legal status of Jerusalem, including the expropriation of land and properties thereon.

262 (1968 ) Israel
Calls upon Israel to pay compensation to Lebanon for destruction of airliners at Beirut International Airport.

267 (1969) Israel
Urgently calls upon Israel to rescind measures seeking to change the legal status of occupied East Jerusalem.

271 (1969) Israel
Reiterates calls to rescind measures seeking to change the legal status of occupied East Jerusalem and calls on Israel to scrupulously abide by the Fourth Geneva Convention regarding the responsibilities of occupying powers.

298 (1971) Israel
Reiterates demand that Israel rescind measures seeking to change the legal status of occupied East Jerusalem.

446 (1979) Israel
Calls upon Israel to scrupulously abide by the Fourth Geneva Convention regarding the responsibilities of occupying powers, to rescind previous measures that violate these relevant provisions, and "in particular, not to transport parts of its civilian population into the occupied Arab territories."

452 (1979) Israel
Calls on the government of Israel to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction, and planning of settlements in the Arab territories, occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem.

465 (1980) Israel
Reiterates previous resolutions on Israel's settlements policy.

471 (1980) Israel
Demands prosecution of those involved in assassination attempts of West Bank leaders and compensation for damages; reiterates demands to abide by Fourth Geneva Convention.

484 (1980) Israel
Reiterates request that Israel abide by the Fourth Geneva Convention.

487 (1981) Israel
Calls upon Israel to place its nuclear facilities under the safeguard of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency.

497 (1981) Israel
Demands that Israel rescind its decision to impose its domestic laws in the occupied Syrian Golan region.

573 (1985) Israel
Calls on Israel to pay compensation for human and material losses from its attack against Tunisia and to refrain from all such attacks or threats of attacks against other nations.

592 (1986) Israel
Insists Israel abide by the Fourth Geneva Conventions in East Jerusalem and other occupied territories.

605 (1987) Israel
"Calls once more upon Israel, the occupying Power, to abide immediately and scrupulously by the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Times of War, and to desist forthwith from its policies and practices that are in violations of the provisions of the Convention."

607 (1986) Israel
Reiterates calls on Israel to abide by the Fourth Geneva Convention and to cease its practice of deportations from occupied Arab territories.

608 (1988 ) Israel
Reiterates call for Israel to cease its deportations.

636 (1989) Israel
Reiterates call for Israel to cease its deportations.

641 (1989) Israel
Reiterates previous resolutions calling on Israel to desist in its deportations.

672 (1990) Israel
Reiterates calls for Israel to abide by provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention in the occupied Arab territories.

673 (1990) Israel
Insists that Israel come into compliance with resolution 672.

681 (1990) Israel
Reiterates call on Israel to abide by Fourth Geneva Convention in the occupied Arab territories.

726 (1992) Israel
Reiterates calls on Israel to abide by the Fourth Geneva Convention and to cease its practice of deportations from occupied Arab territories.

799 (1992) Israel
"Reaffirms applicability of Fourth Geneva Convention...to all Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including Jerusalem, and affirms that deportation of civilians constitutes a contravention of its obligations under the Convention."

904 (1994) Israel
Calls upon Israel, as the occupying power, "to take and implement measures, inter alia, confiscation of arms, with the aim of preventing illegal acts of violence by settlers."

1073 (1996) Israel
"Calls on the safety and security of Palestinian civilians to be ensured."

1322 (2000) Israel
Calls upon Israel to scrupulously abide by the Fourth Geneva Convention regarding the responsibilities of occupying power.

1402 (2002) Israel
Calls for Israel to withdraw from Palestinian cities.

1403 (2002) Israel
Demands that Israel go through with "the implementation of its resolution 1402, without delay."

1405 (2002) Israel
Calls for UN inspectors to investigate civilian deaths during an Israeli assault on the Jenin refugee camp.

1435 (2002) Israel
Calls on Israel to withdraw to positions of September 2000 and end its military activities in and around Ramallah, including the destruction of security and civilian infrastructure.

I believe that is far more than 14, the number Brad cites as warranting an invasion. For inquiring minds this came from a list that included other countries' violations such as Turkey, Morocco, Croatia, and Sudan.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama chose his vice presidential candidate yesterday and Al Jazeera English, though not regular Al Jazeera was all over this story. They broke into the regular news to cover it live. First: am I the only one who is completely grossed out by his--either Obama's or his fans--cooptation of César Chávez's "si se pude" or "yes we can" chanting? Obama's choice--Joseph Biden--has been a big supporter of the invasion and occupation of Iraq and a big-time supporter of the Zionist state. He couldn't give enough praise to his competitor John McCain yesterday either. And to boot: his son is about to be deployed to Iraq. Ha'aretz has some brief analysis of this suggesting that they are happy with the pick, which does not bode well. Not that it did before. What is nice is a piece Azmi Bishara has in Al Ahram this week on Obama (thanks Tam Tam :-* ).

In other news that Y-net story I posted yesterday was obviously erroneous. As soon as I returned home to Nablus from Al Quds I saw the reports on Al Jazeera (hardly covered on Al Jazeera English, but Al Jazeera 3aidi broke into their evening broadcast--what the English station did for Obama as you can see where priorities like...). Although I don't support the Free Gaza boat, I have a friend on it so I was worried until I saw that she had arrived safely and was indeed on one of the ships (there is a picture of her on Leila Hadad's blog). I still am puzzled by and appalled that the boats brought only hearing aid batteries (banned by the Zionist state because supposedly they could be used to make bombs--can't manure also be used to make bombs?) and balloons. I especially don't understand that last one. But why couldn't they have brought, say, anesthesia? I mean, if part of the point is to highlight the siege against Gaza that has gone on, really since the Israeli Terrorist Forces (ITF) pulled their settlements out to relocate them to the West Bank, then why not bring in anesthesia? This, too, is banned by the ITF a clear indication that those kind Israelis Obama and Biden love to cozy up to want Palestinians to feel pain. Bringing in a supply of anesthesia could highlight how bad the siege is and how cruel and inhuman the Israelis are. But balloons. That's great. I'm sure that's really helpful. And as much as I hate to say it, Y-net addresses this issue (thanks Tam Tam!).

One final note. Classes actually started today at An Najah University. I taught my first class this morning, a conversation class, and this afternoon I have my drama class. But I want to know one thing: after teaching in English departments in a few different countries now: why is it that the female/male ratio is so imbalanced? I actually thought I had a class full of only women this morning until two men walked in. It makes for an interesting dynamic to be sure. Just wondering.

Get more 2008 Summer Olympics content at Combat-hooligans.com

Had a bit of a chat with a local who was a former soldier in the special armed forces. These days he collects empty plastic bottles from bins! Infact quite a lot of older people do that! Quite sad really. Wasn't that hot in Zagreb today, only 27 degrees from the temp screen in the town square. Thankfully we had an air condition, Pity that one of the Swiss guys in the bunk above snored real loud(worse than me ha ha).

I'll be in Slovenia for 5 odd hours and I hear that Its very green and scenic. I just hope I can drop off my backpack somewhere whilst I roam the place.

I'm gonna goto ljubjiana(Slovenia) which is only 1.5 hours away for a few hours and then hope to catch a night train to Zurich which will get me there Sunday morning!

Gonna go check out Zagreb for a few hours before my train. Let's hope it gets better.

Interesting things about Zagreb:
- traffic! There are some speed racers around this place! Also there is a lack of car parking spaces, so people stop their car IN THE MIDDLE of the road to get something from the shops!!!
- hot!!!

The US mens' water polo team dominated Serbia, 10-5, in the semifinals to continue its magical run through the Beijing Olympic tournament.

Tony Azevedo scored three times, going off again after failing to score against Germany. He did the same thing in the Croatia game after being held scoreless in the Americans' 4-2 loss to Serbia in group play. 

The US will face Hungary in the gold-medal game and I, for one, am stoked to see this match-up. If you're going to win the gold, you may as well beat the best to get it.

I read post on the forum to be held on competition keyword SEOMAG. Winner is the one who should be the first to popular search engine Google on request SEOMAG, written without spaces. More on the SEOMAG competition and reward, which gets SEOMAG you can read at forum.

Infidelities, by Josip Novakovich, encompasses a collection of short stories, taking place within Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Yugoslavia, etc., stories that make us question exactly what the word infidelity actually means. Josip's stories also make us question the rewards and/or resulting repercussions of our choices.

Are we involved in infidelity if our thoughts are with another person, instead of on our spouse? Are we then demonstrating infidelity towards our personal faith, if we think of another religion which might bring us a sense of peace and solace, during a difficult situation, during war, during life events? What would you do in order to keep your child out of the army, during time of war? What is ethical and not ethical, in the medical field, when a man who is a draft dodger awaits a new heart, only to lose it to deceptive tactics, so a military general can receive it?

These, and many more questions arise when reading this compelling collection of life situations. The stories in Infidelities make us think of our own life situation/s, and how we might handle them, given the same set of circumstances. Would we do as the characters in Infidelities did?

Some characters choose to be humane, some choose to be lacking in goodness, others are fleeing genocide, and we see individuals of varying backgrounds and religious beliefs banding together in a state of togetherness. Most of the characters in the book are trying to escape emotional pain, trying to find some happiness within survival in landscapes of devastation and tragedy. Due to the fact that the book is a collection of stories, I can’t go into detail any further. You will just have to read the book yourself to understand the stories, characters, situations, etc., that are woven throughout Infidelities.

Josip Novakovich is brilliant in his insight and masterful in his story telling. He weaves through situations, events and family dynamics, often brutal in his clarity and assessment of humanity within adverse situations that humankind face. Each story is intense, thought-provoking, and a testament to a master author. Infidelities is no less than an exceptional and extraordinary masterpiece. Bravo to Josip Novakovich!

I personally own and have read this book.

~~~~~~

Jew Wishes…Peace to All.

A fost o experienta cel putin interesanta sa ma car toata excursia cu 2 animale de plus simpatice. La inceput nimeni nu credea ca eu chiar am de gand sa le scot in locuri publice si sa le fac poze. Sincer, nici eu nu eram asa convins ca o voi face. La inceput a fost mai greu dar spre final devenise chiar amuzant. Daca pana si Toma a acceptat sa pozeze, chiar am realizat ceva... :))

Oricum, a fost o incercare pentru mine sa imi adun curajul sa scot un animalut de plus si sa ma apuc sa ii fac poze in - sa zicem- Piata San Marco din Venetia. Trebuie sa treci peste teama de a fi pur si simplu penibil si sa o faci. E un sentiment placut pe care il ai dupa. Te elibereaza de niste prejudecati...

Ce a iesit, vedeti mai jos...Am pastrat pe cele care mi s-au parut cele mai reusite. Stiu ca puteam sa merg mai departe si sa fie mult mai reusite, dar cred ca pentru o prima data, merge... Mai trebuie sa primesc cateva din poze de la Toma din Venetia. *ordinea este aleatoare*

AM la un prim apus in campingul din Dubrovnik.

Poza de grup (AM & VP), rupti de oboseala, la o cafea inainte sa iesim din Romania.

VP la plimbare cu barca pe la cascadele Krka.

AM ia micul-dejun in Dubrovnik, un terci de ovaz. Miam!

AM in manastire in Dubrovnik cu Adriatica in fundal.

AM in parcul nationat Mljet, unde am facut baie in cea mai frumoasa apa.

Toma incredibil de fericit sa pozeze cu VP la Krka.

VP se relaxeaza in Sibenik la plaja.

Cu salupa prin parcul national Kornati.

Impreuna cu alti prieteni croati, intrun muzeu in Split.

La un pui cu gorgonzola in Split.

Pe inaltimi in parcul national Paklenica.

Ultimul apus in Croatia.

I had totally forgotten to mention the following great things about Vienna:
- food!!! Oh my.. It's a food haven! A whole lot of different things but two things I had stand out! Had a fallafel burger. This had grilled eggplant, homous and heaps of paprika in it! Wow it was fantastic!! The next thing might sound strange but it was a TUNA pizza!!!! That has to be the best dish for tuna! The pizza sizes are huge!!! I asked for a piece and saw the guy put in a quarter of a ridiculously large pizza in the oven to heat up! He then smirked and said it was one piece!! He cut it up in 3 pieces but they were still so damn big! Food here has been awesome. Lotta middle eastern dishes, been trying lil bits everywhere and was recommended a Lebanese restaurant but couldn't find it. Oh and if you want to buy water here, bad luck!! It seems to be only soda water!!! As a result I have had 4 cokes today, so hot and a lotta walking around is not good for thirst! Would love a chilled glass of water though....
- shopping!! Huge shops, different things galore! It looks like an awesome place for shopping, but fairly expensive here too!

My interesting things about Vienna or Wien as everyone in Europe calls it
- food see above!!! I have had upset stomach twice today! Well worth it though ha ha
- shopping as above. Pity I got absolutely no space in my backpack
- traffic lights. The green blinks before it goes to orange and then red to stop!
- buildings as always unique and beautiful
- amazingly clean

Oh forgotten to mention and can't be bothered to edit my post for Prague (or Praha as they call it in Europe) but it has the longest (and scariest!!!!) escalator in Europe! It goes for nearly 100 meters and since it was at a common metro, I regularly had to go through it. Being terrified of heights everytime I was on it I had visions of tumbling down on it! That thing I'd bloody scary and everyone would hug to the rails but I did see some locals walking on it!!

Had to post that about Prague because today in Vienna I noticed the escalator I was on going real slow and then going normal speed when someone was on it! Yes I get easily amused :)

Pic of trip so far and possible journey to go back to London! Gotta start planning all that - gotta be in Paris by the 1st...I wish I could check out more of western Europe...

Realized I forgot another thing - paprika national food in Hungary!!!! It's on everything!

Next post in Zagreb :)