Stop the bullets, kill the guns

What is the business of business?

"Today, the concept of business is to make money. Making money is the name of the business. And profit maximization is the mission of business. And I'm saying this is very narrow interpretation of human being. Human beings are much bigger than just making money. So I said, to be true to the human nature, we should include at least one more type of business, business to do good to people, without an expectation of making any personal gain out of it."

Mohammad Yunus

Change

By Changing Your Thinking,
You change your beliefs;

When you change your beliefs,
You change your expectations;

When you change your expectations,
You change your attitude;

When you change your attitude,
You change your behavior;

When you change your behavior,
You change your performance;

When you change your performance;
You Change Your Life!

- Author Unknown

Welcome to Belgrade

EASTERN EUROPE

Belgrade: A capital city springs to life in Serbia

The city's past is visible in bombed-out buildings left unrepaired, but the vibe is hip, not tragic, and travelers are trickling back.

By Michael Levitin, Special to The Los Angeles Times
September 18, 2007

More at http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-tr-belgrade23sep23?page=1

Divac`s farewell

another great guy from the golden generation of Yugoslav and Serbian basketball (Djordjevic, Paspalj, Bodiroga, Savic... to name a few...) has done his farewell to basketball and moved on...

Some of them become coaches, some managers, some even go to politics, but Vlade decided to simply continue what he was doing already - to help people in need... this time to dedicate all his time to this though...

His friends from all over the world promised to help, and came to Belgrade to prove it... On photos above you can see some of them - Chris Webber (claimed himself to be first Serbian black dude - Kristijan Veberovic :P), Glen Rice, Scott Pollard...

Thank you Vlade!

And thank god for modern technologies... How would I explain my kids what a great guy he is, if there was no video? :)

text below is from B92.net
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Divac celebrates end of professional career

23 September 2007 | 11:47 | Source: Beta

BELGRADE -- Vlade Divac has celebrated his official retirement from professional basketball in front of 10,000 fans in Belgrade.

Vlade Divac bids farewell to his fans (Tanjug)

“I wish to thank you for a huge and selfless support you have been giving me throughout my basketball career that began here in Serbia and now ends here as well,” Divac told the crowd yesterday from a concert stage placed outside the National Parliament building.
The former member of Serbia’s national basketball team and sixteen-year NBA veteran has launched the “You Can Too” campaign, set to last four months, aimed at raising funds and providing housing for refugees and displaced persons in Serbia.
“Today , the most important match of my life begins. With your help, the biggest and best team is looking to score a vital victory and help those deprived of their land, home, and friends who are now living in conditions unworthy of human beings,” said Divac.
The farewell ceremony was attended by his former national team fellow players Aleksandar Đorđević, Predrag Danilović, Zoran Savić and Žarko Paspalj.
Divac’s NBA co-players, including Chris Webber, Scott Pollard and Glen Rice came to support their colleague, along with Divac’s former coaches Dušan Ivković, Duško Vujošević and Gregg Popovich.
“Vlade always has friends by his side. I will do my best to help him raise the money for the cause and I hope he will win this game as well,” Aleksandar Đorđević said.
Webber also addressed the crowd, saying "good evening" in Serbian.
“Vlade Divac has a heart of gold apart from being a great player. He is the best man I have ever met,” Webber said.
The concert held in his honor featured performances of numerous bands and artists form Serbia and abroad, including Van Gogh, Aleksandra Kovač, Darko Rundek, Esma Redžepova, Šaban Bajramović, and special guests African artists Mori Cante and Raste.
A short movie was played from a huge screen in which a score of Divac’s friends and colleagues praised his efforts and career, including NBA stars Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Bobby Jackson, Yao Ming, coach Phil Jackson, rapper Snoop Dogg, Red Hot Chili Peppers, actor Billy Crystal and many others.
On Sunday, Divac travels to his hometown of Prijepolje to officially open the Vlade Divac Museum, an exhibition that chronicles a basketball career that began in the small southern town when he was a tall 12-year-old boy dwarfing his teachers, and eventually ended in the NBA.
The museum will display European jerseys and basketball-related equipment; practice gear and official NBA uniforms from the Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, and Sacramento Kings, medals won in international competitions, newspaper and magazine articles from all over the world; game footage, photos, letters from fans and children, and a special section dedicated to his humanitarian efforts.
“My goal for the museum is to show young people today that you don’t have to be born in a big city to become successful,” said Divac.
“Hard work, confidence, and respect are the keys to building a life and thriving professionally. I hope the museum illustrates this message and that the children in Prijepolje learn from it.”

Davis Cup: Serbia - Australia

Serbia is in the World Group of Davis Cup after 20 years!!!

What an atmosphere in Belgrade Arena these 3 days! 20.000 people, drummers, constant cheering and shouting... surprisingly, all in good manner (as we are not used to tennis, but rather football and basketball cheering)...

It was so cool to be in the Arena today when Djokovic won the match for 3:1 in wins and got us into the World Group... So cool to feel the eruption of happiness around me... awesome!

Check out some of the moments from the 2nd day... Will link couple more from today, as soon as anyone uploads them to youtube...

 

Belgrade 2.0: Serbian girls - hot or not?

as the writer of the original post wrote in his piece - this had to pop-up sooner or later :)

How many times have I heard praises over Serbian women from fellow aiesecers and friends from all over the world that have visited Serbia? Jeez, who counts...

Or even when I'm abroad - people asking me if it's true that we have so many beautiful girls, asking how the hell is that possible and generally being envious that I've been born there (lol!). Some guys even asked me to find them internships here, so that they can spend a nice summer over here (and perhaps get married hehe)...

Anyhow, all the guys here are fully aware of this fact, especially those that have traveled a bit... And wouldn't be happy if they had to move to another country (not because we think there aren't beautiful girls everywhere, but the percentage here is simply remarkable...). Except maybe to Argentina, since they are quite good with this ratio too, plus girls there are latinas :)

And sure you'll hear all the guys talking about this all the time... But when you hear/read traditionally jealous women :) praising this particular phenomenon (among other), then it really becomes news... the author of the text below linked 2 nice articles there, to prove this... And I`m adding a link to a nice gallery of every-day girls in Belgrade, so...

Enjoy!

http://www.pbase.com/pavlec/belgrade_girls&page=all

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
text below cross-posted from: Belgrade 2.0: Serbian girls - hot or not?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------

This subject had to come up sooner or later, you know.
But I was hoping that something else will trigger it other than your usual drooling foreign guys impressions you see on net or hear from various sources: “Dude, they have the most beautiful girls there, I swear!” or “Man, Serbia is heaven on earth as for the girls are concerned!” or stuff like that.

No, I had to wait for at least a couple of women to mention it in order to conclude that there just might be something in all these drooling guys’ claims. And here they are:

Maggie Alderson, of Sydney Morning Herald :

“The whole thing was like some kind of genetic experiment. It was clearly just the national body shape.”

and Rosmary on her blog couple of days ago:

“If Tyra Banks saw an entire town of women like these while scouting for her America’s Next Top Model show, the top of her head would pop off. It would be too much to choose from, overwhelming.”

National body shape? Too much to choose from? Something is clearly going on here. Is it even possible to determine in one nation or in one region, say, that the women are, even generally speaking, better looking than somewhere else? Or is it just another stereotype? Well, even if it is, at least it’s a good kind of stereotype. I think. And what about us guys? Nobody mentions us, I guess we have to conclude that we are average joes. Oh well.

Maybe it’s just the way girls dress and the time they invest in dressing up. I don’t know what to think anymore, seriously. You?

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My Personality Disorder :)

You May Be a Bit Antisocial...

Antisocial? That may be a bit of an understatement. You think rules are meant to be broken - and with gusto! Having no fear, you don't even think about consequences. But people love you anyway... you've got a boatload of charm.

What Personality Disorder Are You?

Pain

I wish I was able to hate...

Everything would be so much easier...

But I'm not...

Or if I had a remote...

To switch my self off forever...

But I don't have it...

I wish I could forget 2 best years of my life...

I can't... nor I want to...

So what can I do?

I can write a song...

Apparently...

And I can idle...

Like a zombie...

Forever...

Serbian Man Purse

Lots of friends from abroad have either been making fun of me or asking questions about my purse/handbag/european carryall/gay bag/whatever you call it...
for most of the people, it is either a gay thing, or metrosexual, or simply a girl item...
And it seems that it is a kind of a cultural shock for visitors in Serbia... it strucks them that such a "homophobic nation" is cool with "gay items"... :)

well, even if we often use a name "pederusa" (gay-bag) for it, I don`t think anyone really finds it gay... it`s simply useful! no need to fill your pockets with all the stuff you usually carry around: cell phone(s), credit cards, cigarettes, IDs, money, pen, papers, usb stick, condoms etc... although, it is indeed a risk that if you lose it - you lose all the stuff :), but that never happened to me... yet... :)

anyways, there`s a nice blog about it at B92.net VIP blog - author is a foreigner living in Belgrade... read the comments too - some are really funny!

Jess, enjoy it - this post is for you anyways! :D

Rapex

Pretty cool, huh? Imagine if you get bitten with this! :)

RAPEXTM is a new product that was developed to empower women to defend themselves against rapists. RAPEXTM is a device used by women to prevent rape and to identify the rapist. The RAPEXTM prototype was launched on 31 August 2005, at Kleinmond, Cape Province, South Africa.

more at www.rapestop.net

Temperature in Belgrade

Jeez... Officially, it was 39C yesterday... However, this is temperature outside of the city center, where they measure it...
Check out the temperature in Belgrade`s main street yesterday...



Edit - another photo from another source... again Belgrade downtown yesterday at noon...

As if gapingvoid widget is being done by my mood...

Watch this!

An amazing way of analyzing data of worlds` importance... Really an eye-opening presentation of how the world is developing and changing, as well as how today`s approach to reducing poverty is completely wrong!

More at www.ted.com

Interesting, there`s even a Serbian guy, Sasa Vucinic, that fought his way from owning the only independent media in Serbia in 1991 (www.b92.net) to starting a fund to help independent media in 17 countries of developing world and trying to rethink the fund-raising... Check him out at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/75

 

 

Back to blogging

I decided to get back to blogging... Having more time that I need to kill and keep my brain busy, I thought it`s time to start blogging again...

As usual, it will be partly about my life, partly about world issues and partly about issues in Serbia...

Hopefully, I`ll write an update about me tonight...

Cheers!

What`s up with me & how I feel...

Eurovision 2007 - WINNER - Marija Serifovic - Molitva

and then a huge welcome in Belgrade...

Americans are NOT stupid - WITH SUBTITLES

hahaha, gotta love this one!

back in Istanbul

so I`m back ;)

will be here for another 10 days or so to sum up my work and finish transition with my succesor...

last month was completely crazy... expect an update about it these days, as soon as I get some time to write (maybe even tonight).

Fresh blast in Kosovo

This is my homecity... :(

--------------------------------

Fresh blast in Kosovo

26 February 2007 | 11:35 | Source: AP

PRIŠTINA -- Explosion damaged several vehicles belonging to OSCE on Monday in Peć, a police official said. No one was hurt.
The blast occurred around 3:30 a.m. and was caused by an explosive device - possibly a hand grenade - that shattered windows or caused other light damage to seven vehicles in the parking lot of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
Investigators were not certain whether the OSCE was the target of the attack, which occurred in a residential area in the city of Peć, some 80 kilometers west of Kosovo's capital, Priština, said regional police spokesman Avni Gjevukaj.
Two other vehicles that did not belong to the organization were damaged in the blast. There was no immediate comment from the OSCE mission in Kosovo.
Tensions in Kosovo are running high amid negotiations between the ethnic Albanians and Serbs over the disputed province's status.
Three U.N. vehicles were bombed in Priština a week ago. In other recent violence, two people were killed in clashes between police and ethnic Albanians protesting the U.N. proposal on Kosovo's final status.

Red star - Partizan 2:4

Kosovar warns of war if self-rule is denied

By John Phillips
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
February 20, 2007

ROME -- Any attempt by the international community to deny Kosovo independence will set off "a new Balkan war," a senior Kosovar negotiator cautioned yesterday.
    Speaking as he prepared to take part in final talks between delegations from Kosovo and Serbia scheduled for today in Vienna, Austria, negotiator Ylber Hasa said Kosovars believe they already have made extensive compromises.

rest of the story at Washington Post

-----------------------------------------

I`m going home in a week... Hopefully not directly to war... :(

KLA active again!?

KLA claims responsibility for Priština blast

20 February 2007 | 09:59 -> 13:05 | Source: B92, FoNet, Beta, AP

PRIŠTINA -- Kosovo Liberation Army says it blew up three UN vehicles in Priština last night.

The scene of the explosion in Priština (FoNet)

The blast caused no injuries but raised tensions amid ongoing negotiations on Kosovo's future.
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) distributed a statement to the media by e-mail claiming to have set up the explosion. Kosovo Police Service is yet to determine the authenticity of the statement.
Kosovo Liberation Army , now a disbanded force that fought against Serb forces during the 1998-1999 conflict, said it had regrouped in order to "avenge the death of two protesters" during a recent demonstration in Priština, adding it would avenge "any future injustice" against its people.

more at b92.net.

Me tarzan, you monument!

I think I should create a label called "funny monuments in serbia" :)

-----------------

From The Times

February 17, 2007

Me Tarzan; you monument

BELGRADE A tiny Serbian hamlet on the border with Romania is planning to build a monument to Johnny Weissmuller, the late actor famed for his film role as Tarzan. Weissmuller, who won five Olympic swimming gold medals, was born in 1904 in the village of Medja, in the Banat region that straddles the two countries but which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Weissmuller, who became a Hollywood icon as Tarzan, died in 1984. (AFP)

World happiness

Comments?

Hillarious

modern morality

Slobodan Antonić writes in Politika (Serbian original here):

... My "favorite" is the argument that says, "This isn't evil; the sooner we realize it's actually appropriate, the better off we will be!" Because, you see, "that's not ours anyway," and "who has ever actually been there," and "only priests and romantics care" and "queues in front of foreign embassies are a much bigger problem" and "they are actually doing us a favor," etc.
But when a NGO elitist says these words, he is really talking about himself. His mouth says "that's not ours anyway," but his eyes are betraying his thoughts: "that's not mine, so I don't care." His mouth says "who has ever actually been there?" but his eyes are going "I have never been there, so why would I care?" His mouth says "only priests and romantics care," his eyes are saying "I hate priests anyway, one church more or less, all the same to me." While his mouth says "queues in front of foreign embassies are a much bigger problem," his eyes are saying "why should I have to wait in those queues because of that damn Kosovo?" He considers it one and the same to "be modern" and "think only of oneself and money," and is now trying to persuade the rest of us that we should also be "modern," so we would feel as good as he does.

The hypocrisy of NGO "modernists," says Antonić, is best tested by the following hypothetical scenario: would they be as willing to give up one of the parking spots reserved for their SUVs, as they are willing to cede Kosovo? Ah, well, that's different, you see...
This is quotable enough, but Antonić offers another great passage in the same article:

Someone once compared the seizure of Kosovo with rape. The rapists are big and strong, the poor girl could get a beating if she resists too much, and maybe it is really better for her to give in. But for crying out loud, how can anyone say on top of that, "Oh be smart! Maybe they are rapists, but they are rich, powerful, you can't risk ruining your future relations with the, so don't dare complain. Think of your future, think of becoming a part of their rich and beautiful society tomorrow. Cry a little, then come back and smile as if nothing happened."
Can it really be like that? As if nothing had happened? Are you serious about the smiling? What if the boys get a desire to have a little bit of fun again? And what could one possibly say about those who jeer at the unfortunate woman, "Come on, sister, don't be conservative, the boys are doing you a favor, you need to be modern, enjoy the sex, and especially when the Big Boss goes on top of you. Then you have to be particularly enthusiastic, groan and sigh and scream - Yes! Yes! More!"
Yes, Big Boss likes to be the ladies' man. But dear Serbia, you don't have to put on an act for him. Cry freely. And most importantly, remember them all, both those who took their turns with you and those who jeered and cheered. Because one day...

------------

link via http://grayfalcon.blogspot.com

Serbian village venerates Rocky

After the statue of Brus-Li in Mostar, another fighter for justice will get the deserved statue in Balkans :D

gotta love the spirit...

from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6353659.stm

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sylvester Stallone was made famous for playing Rocky Balboa

A tiny village in Serbia says it will construct a statue of the film character Rocky to ward off decades of bad luck.

An official from Zitiste, about 55k (33 miles) north of Belgrade, said the statue of Rocky was needed to give the village a more positive image.

Zitiste has suffered serious damage from floods and landslides, earning it a reputation for being jinxed.

Many of its residents have left the village in search of a better future.

The idea came from Bojan Marceta, a village resident, when he saw the latest Rocky film "Rocky Balboa".

"I felt as if Rocky has come from our village, he had to fight to win his place in society," he told B92 radio.

Zoran Babic of the local council said he and other officials agreed with the plan.

"This is the chance to give a better, more positive image to Zitiste," he said.

Mr Babic said villagers had already been in touch with officials in the US city of Philadelphia, where a Rocky Balboa monument has already been erected.

"We have also contacted a sculptor who has designed the statue, asking him whether he would help us," he told AFP news agency.

The film "Rocky", a story of a boxer who gets the chance to fight the reigning champ, won three Oscars for best picture, best director and best film editing.

Its star, Sylvester Stallone, has recently released "Rocky Balboa", in which the character comes out of retirement to fight once again.

Take it easy dude... we don`t want WW3...

Putin addressed a Security Forum in Munich accusing the US of trying to create a unipolar world... He was criticizing US for this or that before too, but never this strong... Is he negotiating a new "here`s more money to shut your mouth for a couple of years" deal or is he introducing the new Russia to the world?

--------------------------------------------

U.S. fuelling arms race: Putin

Vladimir Radyuhin

Russian President condemns indiscriminate use of force by America

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has ripped to pieces the concept of a unipolar world and blasted the United States for indiscriminate use of force, which provoked other countries to seek nuclear weapons.

Addressing a security forum in Munich, Germany, the Russian leader said, "The unipolar model of the world is not only unacceptable, but also unrealisable because in today's world, nobody has enough political or economic resources to enforce it".

Mr. Putin pointed out that the combined Gross Domestic Products of India and China based on purchasing power parity is already bigger than that of the U.S., while the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries have a larger GDP than the European Union. "There is no doubt that in the foreseeable future, the economic potential of these new centres of power will inevitably get converted into political clout and will strengthen multipolarity."

Attempts to impose the unipolar model by force have only generated more conflicts and more deaths.

String of conflicts

"We are witnessing an almost uncontained hyper use of force in international relations, which plunges the world into a string of conflicts," Mr. Putin told a gathering of 250 top officials and political leaders from around the world, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates.

"One state, the United States, has overstepped its national borders and is imposing its legal system on other states," Mr. Putin said. "This is very dangerous. Nobody feels secure anymore because nobody feels protected by international law. This policy fuels the arms race... encourages countries to acquire weapons of mass destruction.

"They keep teaching Russia democracy, but don't want to learn it themselves. Why do they resort to bombings and shellings all the time? Could it be because of a lack of political culture, respect for democracy and law?"

Recalling NATO promises to the former Soviet Union not to deploy military forces in Eastern Europe, Mr. Putin asked: "Where are your promises? Why is it necessary to move the NATO military infrastructure to Russian borders? What has that to do with combatting global threats?

"The unipolar world is destructive, not only for those who live in it, but also for its master, because it destroys him from within as it has nothing to do with democracy".

Kusturica awarded with France’s Order of the Knight of Arts and Literature of the first degree

Serbia’s Knight

As of Thursday, February 8, Serbia has another Knight, a highly esteemed movie director Emir Kusturica. French Minister of Culture Rennaud Donnadieu de Vabres has awarded world renowned Serbian director with France’s Order of the Knight of Arts and Literature of the first degree — Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

This is the highest French recognition for achievements in arts and culture, honoring those who have “significantly contributed to the enrichment of the French cultural inheritance.” The medal was given to Kusturica as an acknowledgement of his professional achievements in France.

Minister De Vabres said that with this recognition France wanted to express its affection and admiration to Kusturica and appreciation of his entire artistic opus that, along with movies, includes his music band Zabranjeno pusenje, documentary films and the magnificent ethno village he has built in Serbia.

Kusturica is a great artist who carries within all that Europe represents today — positive values, drama, tragedy. He is the artist of exquisite power and ingenious mind, the French Minister of Culture pointed out.

Before Kusturica, Serbian artist Vladimir Velickovic and writer Danilo Kis were also recipients of this decoration.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of culture and foreign ministries of France and Serbia as well as Serbian Ambassador to France Predrag Simic and Director of the Serbian Cultural Centre in Paris Zivadin Mitrovic.

Kusturica and Coppola Only

Born in Sarajevo, capital of former Yugoslav republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1954, Emir Kusturica graduated from the Film Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in 1978. Extravagantly brilliant, Kusturica almost immediately became one of the most creative cinema directors during the 1980s and 1990s, and the only director other than Francis Ford Coppola to have won the Cannes Palme d’Or twice.

Among his numerous awards is also the Best Director award at Cannes Film Festival in 1989 for Time of Gypsies, Golden Lion in Venice Film Festival in 1981 for his first movie Do You Remember Dolly Bell?, a Silver Bear at Berlin Film Festival in 1993 for Arizona Dream, and a Best European Union Film at César Awards in 2005 for Life is a Miracle.

From Emir to Nemanja

Although born of nominally Muslim parents, on Đurđevdan (St. George’s Day) 2005 Emir decided to correct the historical anomaly and return to his roots and the faith of his ancestors by being baptized into the Serbian Orthodox Church under the christened Serbian name of Nemanja, in Dormition Monastery near Herceg Novi.

While for Kusturica this represented an act of reclaiming his true origins and reaffirming his identity, among his critics and opponents it was equated with the final betrayal. Bosnian Croat Mile Stojic commented: “... it shall be written that Kusta was the first Orthodox Christian in modern history whose father’s name was Murat.”

Emir responded:

“My father was an atheist and he always described himself as a Serb. OK, maybe we were Muslim for 250 years, but we were Orthodox before that and deep down we were always Serbs, religion cannot change that. We only became Muslims to survive the Turks.”

Ethno village Serbian most imaginative director has built
on Tara Mountain, in the heart of Serbia.

From Paris and New York to Serbia’s Mecavnik

While filming a movie Life is a Miracle in Serbia, Emir noticed the beauty of the Mecavnik hill three thousand feet up on Tara Mountain, and decided to build a village there. Fiachra Gibbons of Guardian describes the visit to this unique place:

What started as a couple of salvaged traditional wooden houses 18 months ago, on a bluff above the spectacularly beautiful Mokra Gora valley in western Serbia, has mushroomed into a modern take on the great monastery-universities of the middle ages. The village is equipped with a library, Serbia’s most advanced cinema and, most incongruously of all, an underground basketball arena — a tribute to the three world championships won by the former Yugoslavia. For Küstendorf, as he calls the place, is also a hymn to Serbian cultural achievement and traditional living [...]

The focal point of Küstendorf, which is every bit as rustic, poetic and miraculous as his films, is Serbian Orthodox church dedicated to the first Serbian Archbishop and the father of Serbian nation, St. Sava. The church Kusturica built in the center of his village has been consecrated on St. Archangel’s Day in 2003 and dedicated to the great Serbian saint in January 2004, by the Bishop of Zica of Serbian Uzice Diocese, His Grace Hrizostom.

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from: http://byzantinesacredart.com/blog/2007/02/kusturica-knight.html

Russia fears chain reaction

from www.b92.net/eng

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Russia fears chain reaction

9 February 2007 | 11:59 | Source: AP

SEVILLE -- Granting independence to Kosovo could inspire other breakaway regions in Europe and former Soviet Union, Sergei Ivanov warns today.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov spoke before holding planned talks with his NATO counterparts, who have backed a plan drawn up by U.N. envoy Martti Ahtisaari proposing internationally supervised statehood for the separatist Serbian province.
Ivanov issued a strong warning Friday that  Kosovo independence could spark 'chain reaction' among separatist regions. Russia has long expressed reservations about Kosovo's separatist aspirations, and Ivanov's comments underscored differences between Russia and the West. The issue of Kosovo's status will be discussed next month at the U.N. Security Council.
"If we imagine a situation where Kosovo achieves independence, then other people, people living in regions that are not recognized, will ask us: "are we not as good as them?" Ivanov told reporters.
"This concerns obviously the post-Soviet space, but also regions in Europe," he said. "This can create a chain reaction ... we must be careful not to open Pandora's box", Ivanov said.
Ivanov spoke after a meeting with German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung, who restated Western support for Ahtisaari's recommendations and said NATO and Russia should work together to persuade the Serbs and Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority to "accept this proposal in the interest of a peaceful and stable development."
Jung also rejected Serb requests for a delay in talks on the plan. "I would wish that the Security Council can vote on this in March, and vote positively," he said.
Moscow has often warned that Kosovo's status will serve as precedent for other nations with similar cases, including several breakaway provinces in the ex-Soviet Union. The Kremlin has hinted that, were Kosovo to gain independence, two pro-Russian rebel regions in Georgia and a breakaway province in Moldova, which enjoy Moscow's tacit support, could follow suit.
Serbian officials also have warned that an independent Kosovo could also serve as a precedent for independence movements elsewhere, notably in Spain's Basque Country or Catalonia.

help refugee children

cross-posted from www.harjeetkumar.com.

----------------------------------------------------

Microsoft has recently launched its “Click for the Cause” initiative, in which Internet searches performed at http://click4thecause.live.com,
using Microsoft’s Live Search, result in a financial donation to ninemillion.org, a UN Refugee agency-led public and private sector partnership which benefits the 9.3 million refugee children in the world.
The campaign aligns Microsoft’s core competencies with the goal to help provide education programs for refugee youths and will run throughout March 2007.

Given below are some simple steps to make this your default search engine on Internet Explorer 7.

1. Open Internet Explorer and click on the drop down menu next to the search icon and click on “Find more providers”

   

2. In the create your own section copy and paste this link http://search.live.com/results.aspx?q=TEST&mkt=en-gb&FORM=MOHA5L

3. Specify a name for the search engine and click install.

   

4. To make this your default engine again click on the drop down menu next to the search icon, click change default and choose your new search engine.
5. Start searching and helping NineMillion.org at the same time!

GROBARI (Partizan - Unicaja)

I missed it again :(

Last first round match of Euroleague. Despite the loss in overtime, Partizan went through the Top 16... Something we`ve been waiting for for 9 years...
An absolute record of 8100 fans was registered at this match against Unicaja (7100 seats in the arena). For Top 16 matches, Partizan will most likely move to Belgrade Arena (23000 seats)... Watch this video and imagine 3x more fans...

Ana Ivanovic def. Maria Sharapova in Tokyo, Japan

My favorite tennis player is in finals of Tier 1 tournament again! and again she will meet in finals with Martina Hingis... Last time (in Montreal) Ana won... Let`s hope she wins again...
Video is the end of first set with Maria Sharapova...

Ahtisaari: independence for Kosovo

from http://belgrade.org.yu/blog

----------------------------------------------------

...we got Marti Ahtisaari in Belgrade today. Ahtisaari decided to come despite Koshtunica pretended he wasn’t there luckily, Boris Tadic was home so he opened the door and let the Finnish guy do his thing.

So, after his press conference in Media centre, everything is clear.

Apparently, the only things Kosovo will get are: justice department not controlled by outside forces**, their own police, an army free from external*** control and constraint, sovereign constitution, autonomous border control, Serbia’s property will become Kosovo property, they will choose their own coat of arms, national anthem, flag and will get the right to apply for membership in all international organizations without having to ask Serbia first.

Whew, and here i was, thinking they were going to get independence. Thanks to Sloba and Radicals some years ago and now Koshtunica, that will not happen. As Borat would say: Great success!

*oh, and please spread the news: we’re online again!

**as in: Serbia

***as in: Serbian

-----------------------------------------------------

from B92.net

-----------------------------------------------------

Tadić: Independence unacceptable

2 February 2007 | 14:51 -> 18:36 | Source: B92, FoNet, Beta

BELGRADE -- “I told Ahtisaari that Serbia and I, as its president, will never accept Kosovo’s independence”, president Tadić said.

President Boris Tadić

“Imposed independence for Kosovo would contravene with the basic principles of international law and would represent a very dangerous political and legal precedent”, the Serbian president said in his address.
Boris Tadić added that the Kosovo status proposal submitted by UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari does not specifically mention the word independence, but that it also leaves out the terms sovereignty and integrity, when it comes to Serbia’s jurisdiction over the province.
The president said that the proposal also dealt with a number of issues beside Kosovo’s status, such as decentralization, protection of the Serb Orthodox Church and its heritage in Kosovo, and international civilian and military presence there.
Tadić said he will ask all the parliamentary parties’ leaders to attend a meeting where he will present Ahtisaari’s blueprint.
Drašković: Ahtisaari overstepped mandate
Serbia’s outgoing foreign policy chief Vuk Drašković reacted to Ahtisaari’s proposal presented in Belgrade today by saying that the UN special envoy has “overstepped the mandate given to him by the UN secretary-general”.
“He turned the Kosovo status negotiations into a change of Serbia’s status, an internationally recognized state”.
The foreign ministry press release states that Serbia will point to this it its communication with the Contact Group, the UN Security Council, the EU and NATO.
Analyst: No mention of Kosovo army - good news
Military analyst Zoran Dragišić believes lack of any mention of Kosovo’s army or armed forces in Ahtisaari’s proposal is a positive development, as those represent “elements of statehood”.
“’Lightly armed forces’ are mentioned, but that refers to a kind of gendarmerie rather than an army, set to operate within the police force. That would not be unacceptable since even municipalities have police, which is not an element of statehood”, Dragišić says.
He added that Annex VIII of the proposal needed to be studied carefully, as, in his words, “the devil is often in the details”.
Dragišić thinks the existence of a Kosovo intelligence agency would be unacceptable for Serbia, since such agencies work as part of a country’s foreign policy, something a province cannot exercise.

-----------------------------------------------

read more:

International Reactions

Ahtisaari: UN Security Council to decide status

Halimi: Kosovo will reflect on south of Serbia

 

What do you think about this?

Americans in Iraq

driving a Hummer in Iraq...

http://fishki.net/comment.php?id=17064

No comment....

beginning of the end...

Things are getting more and more exciting...

Deadline for applications was last night, so now expecting a shortlist from AI...

People are getting pretty nervous about it and are asking millions of questions over MSN and e-mail...

And each question reminds me that I`m leaving soon...

Not that I`m not happy to be going home - I am! But I will miss this place... sooo much...

We`re all going to hell...

from http://indexed.blogspot.com

Abdi Ipekci arena, Partizan & Djordjevic

so I`ve been to Abdi Ipekci Arena in Istanbul, which is something like Mecca for all fans of Partizan Basketball Club... It`s a place where the finals of Euroleague 1992 happened, when Partizan won it`s only Euroleague title with Djordjevic`s triple in the last second...

Yeah, that`s the place from where he made that famous shot... He repeated winning 3-point shots several times later while playing for various clubs, but this one, along with the one against Croatia in Barcelona `97, are the the most remembered ones.

Yeah, some will say that there are so many players in the world that have decided many important matches etc... And I agree... But this one was special... Special because this team was very very young (21 years old in average) and special because Serbia (Yugoslavia at that time) was under sanctions and Partizan couldn`t play its home matches in Belgrade, but in Spain... And noone really believed in these guys... Yeah, they were talented and strong team, but who would think that they can win any game in such conditions?

And then Istanbul happened... And these guys went into a legend even before they became some of the best European and World players of all time... Do some of these names ring a bell - Djordjevic, Danilovic, Rebraca, Nakic, Stevanovic, Koprivica, Silobad, Loncar...

Djordjevic is one of the ambassadors of good will, one of the founders of humanitarian organization Group Seven, and the president of the Belgrade Marathon.

Djordjevic - 1992 - Partizan-Joventut - last second 3-point shot for Partizan`s Euroleague title:

Djordjevic - 1997 - Yugoslavia-Croatia - last second 3-point shot for a great win:

Djordjevic`s farewell exhibition match - 2005 - he repeated the 3-point shot! :)

I had that luck to be one of the 7000 people to get the ticket for this event... It was amazing! Can you imagine all these people at one place? Kukoc, Divac, Radja, Djordjevic, Stojko Vrankovic, Danilovic, Bodiroga, Velimir Perasovic, Paspalj, Rebraca, Stojakovic, Gurovic, Drobnjak, Ivo Nakic, Zoran Cutura, Panagiotis Giannakis, Jofresa, Rodrigo de la Fuente, Zan Tabak and Roberto Brunamonti!? Or coaches: Ivkovic, Maljkovic, Obradovic, Pesic? This was certainly one of the events I will remember all my life... and tell my kids about it ;)

Huh, and I just wanted to post a photo from Abdi Ipekci arena... Ah, emotions got me I guess...

it would be funny if it wasn`t sad...

Patient fixes hospital machine

A Bosnian hospital patient spent seven hours repairing hospital machinery so his operation could go ahead.

Doctors had told car mechanic Slobodan Mocevic, 56, his operation to remove a kidney stone was cancelled because of faulty equipment.

Mocevic asked to borrow a set of tools and then stripped down and repaired the Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy machine at the hospital in Kasindol.

He said: "I was in agony, and there was no way I could have waited any longer."

The device removes kidney stones by sending a sonic wave through a patient's body to break up the stone.

from http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2168776.html?menu=news.quirkies

you thought Borat is funny?

Unfortunately, this is in Serbian only... and it is really impossible to translate all the bullshit this dude is telling to people.... he`s a tarot cards reader and I expect someone to kill him soon...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFeNgr1AbUo&eurl=

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8121789377623097580&hl=en-GB

Note: cross-posted from http://belgrade.org.yu/ (great blog about every-day Belgrade, with lots of links and texts, as well as tourist info about our greatest city)

hahaha, what a chat!

so I had this chat tonight with one special person. That person was trying to convince me she is not such a good person I think she is... that she is a devil, that she is mean to everyone etc...

this is just the part of the chat... and I know that for most of the people it won`t be interesting since you don`t know who it is, but I had to document this somewhere :)

----------------------

Nino - peckopivo.nomadlife.org says:

wow, you can actually be nice to poeple?

Someone says:

yes definitelly

Someone says:

i am gd in acting , role playing and sales

Someone says:

doesn't mean that i am exactly the person i act , but i can make people feel themselves in the play for a certain time

Nino - peckopivo.nomadlife.org says:

nope.. dn`t trust you... you are just one nice little baby-girl... not more then that

Someone says:

hah

Someone says:

you dont know the devil inside me

Someone says:

but again

Someone says:

if you think that i am a baby girl - then this is again just another prf of how successful i am

Someone says:

with acting

Nino - peckopivo.nomadlife.org says:

I`ll continue to believe then

Nino - peckopivo.nomadlife.org says:

I love you like that

Someone says:

that's how sales work

Someone says:

su pply and demand meet at some certain point

Someone says:

adam smith calls it "invisible hand " and the optimum point

Someone says:

but these therminology finds its reflection in real life with 3 simple words

Someone says:

“Someone” is great

Someone says:

and somehow ( invisible hand ) everybody seems to accept it

Someone says:

which is quite surprising but expectable at some extend

Someone says:

i understand your feelings babe, and i su pport you for loving me

Someone says:

it's not your fault

--------------------

Want the best CSR traineeship of the century?

*this is an AIESEC traineeship, so if you`re not an AIESEC SN don`t bother bugging me...

So I`m leaving Istanbul soon... and looking for a good candidate to replace me here in Istanbul...

for those who don`t know - it`s a CSR Coordinator position at the regional office of Microsoft for Middle East and Africa... An awesome job I wish I could have back in Belgrade...

And yeah, if you`re in doubt whether you`re good enough or not - do apply... When I was applying for it, I thought it`s "reserved" for hotshots from AI or ex-MCPs... Well, it wasn`t and it`s not... I got it, so can you!

If you need more motivation, then go ahead and read archives of my posts since March last year... and check out my photos at http://nino.ic2003.org/Photo

If you have questions, shoot! Contacts are below...

-------------------------------------------------------------------

TN Code: TN-In-TR-IS-2007-1852

This is an ideal AIESEC Internship for anyone who is interested to better understand CSR from a multinational and business perspective. It will also give you a good idea about how public-private partnerships work and the role different players have in its execution. You will also be able to better understand the role of ICT in development globally and in the Middle East and Africa region (MEA). You will be a part of a dynamic multicultural office environment and be able to enjoy independence and set your own routine and working style.

You will report to the Regional CSR Manager and will be based out of Istanbul.

Job role:

The trainee will be working as a Regional Community Affairs Coordinator.He/She will engage with national and international NGOs to create projects focussing on IT skills for employment in Middle East and Africa through public private partnership.

Some of the tasks and responsibilities include:

• Review grants application from national & international NGOs across 35 countries to bridge the digital divide.
• Work closely with CSR managers in Subsidiaries to develop sustainable projects and programs.
• Lead the software donations program in the region and be the power user in the region of the global grants management system (Like AIESEC XP).
• Organize a regional CSR capacity building workshop to train CSR country managers (April 2007 in Jordan) and be part of the EMEA Microsoft CSR meeting to be held in 2007.
• Participate in strategic meetings and reviews with senior management of the company dealing with CSR at a global level.
• Strategize on how the AIESEC & Microsoft relationship can be strengthened in the region. Work closely with AIESEC-MS Global Coordinator in creating national and sub-regional partnerships between MS and AIESEC. Lead a team of AIESEC trainees in the region.
• Manage all communications in the region related to CSR, namely the Community affairs portal, newsletter and presentations.

Who should apply?

Anyone who has held leadership positions in AIESEC and has a passion for CSR, NGOs, development, ICT4D etc. You should in your AIESEC XP have demonstrated it through action based learning. (Organizing conferences, PBOXes, Raising internships, attending conferences, creating networks etc.)

Applications due: January 31st

Start date: Ideally February 15^th, but not later then February 22^nd.

Duration: 12 months (with extension possibility)

Work Place:

State of the art Regional HQ of Microsoft Middle East and Africa located in the heart of Istanbul overlooking the Bosphorus. You will be provided with a laptop, your own office space with a dedicated telephone line, meal coupons and a stipend of USD 700.

For more info, please contact current trainee Nikola Jovanovic at:

e-mail: b-nikolj(at)microsoft.com or nikola.jovanovic(at)gmail.com

msn: nikolajovanovic(at)hotmail.com

HOW TO APPLY: 1. Log into Insight XP and look at the TN form for the full job description 2 . Prepare your Microsoft Application Kit: Resume: A 2-page (maximum) resume with picture. Cover Letter: A ONE page cover letter. SN form: Copied directly from Insight. 3. Create one word file with all the required documents. Name your Microsoft Application kit as follows: Name-Country.doc ( i.e.: Mary-Canada.doc) 4. Send your file to gep-microsoft(at)ai.aiesec.org with the subject "Application for Traineeship - XXXX", where "XXXX" is the TN ID of the traineeship. 5. Fill in the Survey in the Global Microsoft Community at aiesec.net. Deadline to apply: January 30^th, 2007.

January update :)

long time since I wrote anything about myself actually...

so I`m still in Istanbul... enjoying my last month here since I`m leaving end of February... more about it in next posts... this one is about last couple of months...

well, job-wise last couple of months were freakin` hectic... beginning of October brought the hype around the 2007 Grant Cycle, which means hundreds of conference calls, trainings, days and nights of working with our Subsidiaries to develop acceptable projects with NGOs in the region, then reviewing those projects with the review board and finally making sure that there is no problem with fulfillment (meaning that cheques and software requested gets in hands of NGO applicants). Wow, I`ve just put more then 2 months of non-stop work in one sentence! haha, can`t believe that is actually possible :)

Anyways, that process isn`t really complicated, but it certainly takes time until you develop these projects with NGOs... Thing is that most of them take it as granted that they will get the funds regardless of what they submit for approval... It`s like Microsoft is a rich company and they will give us money no matter if we just wrote that project is about youth empowerment and nothing else. :) it`s really annoying sometimes, really... I do understand that not all NGOs are strong and that they don`t really know how to write a decent project, and that`s fine - we can teach them that too! But at least put some efforts in it... Luckily, there`s lots of them that are actually willing to learn and are soooo passionate about their jobs and about helping their people... Especially CSR managers from our Subs... Some of them are inspiring me continously with the amount of energy they are putting in this... Amazing...

So, the process was stressfull, but it really felt good when it was over... Not because it was over, but because I knew that projects are really good and that lots of underserved people in Middle East and Africa will be empowered and that all that work was not worthless!

Then December brought the hype around the Mid-year reviews (our fiscal year starts at July 1st)... Now this is the period of the year when everything is about numbers... and I hate it! It`s basically updating all the systems that we use for different things so that they are in the end combined in our Citizenship tool called Collage. This is supposedly a simple process since this system is fetching the data from all those different systems automatically and then generates reports... Yeah, simple if all those systems and tools are up to date... but they`re not, of course... :) and since our team (CSR managers in the region) is quite new and growing, we have so many new people onboard that don`t really know how to use these systems, so everything is being done half-manually and last minute... so when they update the tool, then I have to check the data and compare it to data that I have offline, which means generating tons of excel sheets, going through them and making corrections... one boooooooring thing, but has to be done... anyhow, results in the end were very very positive and we`re on a good way to fulfil the goal that we have set globally - to reach 250 million underserved people with technology and literacy until 2010. it`s really exciting to see how our work is touching people`s lives every day...

During these couple of months I barely had a private life... It was mostly working, coming home to order pizza and eventually watch a movie with roommates and then sleep or work again from home... Managed only to visit Belgrade couple of times and that`s all...

January brought Belgrade again... went home for new years and christmas and it was really good to be home for longer then 3 days :). And since it was January, it brought lots of drinking exercises (can`t really call them parties :))... Everyone should try to survive Serbia during winter.... seriously... so many Slava`s, then New Years and Christmas, then another New Years (Orthodox church uses Julian calendar) and generally family and friends gatherings... all include lots of heavy drinking and partying, with no excuses accepted... so if you survive that, you can survive anything... apart from drinking, it was really nice to start getting used to living home again, since I`m coming back soon... for good...

enough for now... will write more later about finishing my traineeship and my plans for the future...