pivceee

10 years later...

2008-12-15T14:09:00.000-08:00

http://peckopivo.nomadlife.org/2005/12/7-years.aspx

After some time...

2008-08-03T11:21:00.000-07:00

Several people asked me why I don't update my blog already... Facebook status updates are not enough for everyone, I guess :)

Anyway, if we forget a joke about Kostunica, it seems I haven't written anything for a full year or so... jeez, a year...

Can't promise I will be writing more often now, but I do promise I'll try... I think I need this small part of my world again - need it to focus... need it to concentrate... to reflect...

Dunno about other bloggers, but I used to use mine to actually be alone with my thoughts for some time... To both get away from a tough day, week or month, and to defrag my brain - analyze everything and everyone and store it in a proper part of the brains...

So, there you go - will write as usual, about my life, economy, social responsibility, about issues in Serbia, major world issues, fun, beautiful serbian women, Partizan Belgrade etc...

Comparison

2008-02-06T03:55:00.000-08:00

America:

"We have George Bush, Stevie Wonder, Bob Hope and Johnny Cash."

Serbia:

"We have Vojislav Koštunica, no wonder, no hope and no cash."

Stop the bullets, kill the guns

2007-11-18T03:00:00.000-08:00

What is the business of business?

2007-11-18T02:46:00.000-08:00

"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

2007-10-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-30T15:19:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

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

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

2007-09-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-09-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

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

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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 :)

2007-09-01T13:51:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-20T14:30:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-15T06:31:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-20T05:33:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-19T02:39:00.000-07:00

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...

2007-07-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

Watch this!

2007-07-15T17:24:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-15T03:38:00.000-07:00

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...

2007-07-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

Eurovision 2007 - WINNER - Marija Serifovic - Molitva

2007-05-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

and then a huge welcome in Belgrade...

Americans are NOT stupid - WITH SUBTITLES

2007-04-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

hahaha, gotta love this one!

back in Istanbul

2007-04-04T08:51:00.000-07:00

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

2007-02-26T04:06:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-25T02:50:00.000-08:00

Kosovar warns of war if self-rule is denied

2007-02-23T03:44:00.000-08:00

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!?

2007-02-20T06:13:00.000-08:00

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!

2007-02-17T04:59:00.000-08:00

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

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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

2007-02-16T09:16:00.000-08:00

Comments?

Hillarious

2007-02-15T05:33:00.000-08:00

modern morality

2007-02-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

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...

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link via http://grayfalcon.blogspot.com

Serbian village venerates Rocky

2007-02-12T08:03:00.000-08:00

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...

2007-02-10T12:17:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-10T04:35:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-09T05:20:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-08T03:44:00.000-08:00

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.

Open Internet Explorer and click on the drop down menu next to the search icon and click on “Find more providers”
In the create your own section copy and paste this link http://search.live.com/results.aspx?q=TEST&mkt=en-gb&FORM=MOHA5L
Specify a name for the search engine and click install.
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.
Start searching and helping NineMillion.org at the same time!

GROBARI (Partizan - Unicaja)

2007-02-03T08:24:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-03T05:50:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-02T14:07:00.000-08:00

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.

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

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

2007-01-31T05:05:00.000-08:00

driving a Hummer in Iraq...

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

No comment....

beginning of the end...

2007-01-31T04:22:00.000-08:00

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...

2007-01-30T06:51:00.000-08:00

from http://indexed.blogspot.com

Abdi Ipekci arena, Partizan & Djordjevic

2007-01-28T07:14:00.000-08:00

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...

2007-01-25T14:20:00.000-08:00

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?

2007-01-25T04:37:00.000-08:00

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!

2007-01-24T15:47:00.000-08:00

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?

2007-01-22T14:22:00.000-08:00

*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 :)

2007-01-22T10:47:00.000-08:00

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...

Crush Calculator

2006-12-24T04:50:00.000-08:00

Measure how much your beloved fits you :)

I got 99% :P

Crush Calculator

Welcome to Kosovo(a)

2006-12-21T14:43:00.000-08:00

So, what happens when leaders of a wannabe country are ex-terrorists educated by professional PR agencies from the West to show off as good guys?

Weapons seized, officials arrested in Kosovo

21 December 2006 | 14:19 | Source: Beta
PRIŠTINA -- Kosovo police (KPS) and KFOR confiscated a large amount of weapons in Glogovac last night.
KPS spokesman said that a significant amount of arms and ammunition was found in a van in the village of Štutica, Glogovac municipality, and confirmed that three people were arrested.
However, he did not disclose the identities of those placed in police custody. The media for its part speculates that a Kosovo government official is among those arrested last night.

Well, what happens is that they are commited to get Kosovo regardless of what Serbia or any other country thinks about it... Adn they smile in front of cameras, they visit Serbian enclaves and monasteries in Kosovo with foreign officials etc.. but they are also arming their fighters - poor stupid dudes that are willing to die for a stupid cause... and they are arming them even if UN (which is running Kosovo at the moment) doesn`t allow them to do so...

And in the end, the very same leaders stay untouched and some dude is arrested and will probably dissapear completely soon... Leaders will of course "condemn any illegal action regardless of who perpetrates it in the strongest terms and remains convinced that such people have no place in Kosovo’s government" and continue to use other dudes for the job...

The worst thing is that these poor dudes think that they are fighting for their "homeland" or "Great Albania" or even simply against "Evil Serbs", while they are actually fighting for the country that is supposed to serve those "leaders" as their own private land and a place where they can centralize their "business" of dealing drugs, firearms, lead prostituion etc...

I`m really trying not to write so much about Kosovo but recent moves and actions simply force me to do it... I can clearly see what is going to happen in Kosovo after final status is defined... One way or another, blood will be all over the place again...

And I hate that. And I don`t want to see that. Ever again.

Read the full story here and also check comments of dumbfucks from both sides (plus "peacefull foreigners").

Turkmen President Niyazov dies at 66

2006-12-21T06:47:00.000-08:00

so, another "personality cult" died...

Let`s see how the country will deal with this... I actually always wanted to go there and see how it looks like leaving over there, since what one knows about the country is not too good (like he forbid ballet, censored all cultural events, used wealth gained from natural resources to build golden statues of himself everywhere etc.). Unfortunately, never had a chance to do that... as I probably won`t have a chance to visit Cuba while Castro is still alive...

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan - Authoritarian President Saparmurat Niyazov, who has ruled energy-rich Turkmenistan for more than two decades, has died, Turkmen state television and officials said Thursday. He was 66.

Full story here

Seduction style

2006-12-20T02:03:00.000-08:00

hehehe, what can I say? :)

You seduce people by tapping into their dreams and desires.

And because of this sensitivity, you can be the ideal lover for anyone you seek.

You are a shapeshifter - bringing romance, adventure, spirituality to relationships.

It all depends on who your with, and what their vision of a perfect relationship is.

Your Seduction Style: Ideal Lover

What Is Your Seduction Style?

Montenegro

2006-12-19T02:52:00.000-08:00

The story continues... (am refering to this story)

Exactly the same system as in Kosovo and Southern Central Serbia. Macedonia too, I guess...

Ethnic Albanians demand release of terrorist suspects
18 December 2006 | 11:53 | Source: AP
PODGORICA -- Protests were held to free U.S. citizens accused of terrorist plots in Montenegro.

Relatives of two jailed U.S. citizens accused of plotting an ethnic Albanian insurgency in their native Montenegro rallied Sunday outside the U.S. Embassy here demanding freedom for the suspects.
"Help American citizens imprisoned without evidence" read a banner held by some of the several dozen protesters who claimed that the charges against cousins Rok and Kolja Dedvukaj were politically motivated.

hahahaha, no evidence... they were cought with guns and bombs in their car :)

Andrew the Arab

2006-12-16T15:58:00.000-08:00

Heard tonight and couldn`t believe my ears... and he confirmed it to me tonight...

My US mate Andrew was selected to be the first MCP of AIESEC in Oman... When I heard I was speechless (not in a bad way, just speechless, surprised), but when I thought about it, it just sounded right... sounded like something Andrew would do :)

Cheers mate and good luck! (and don`t forget to polish your shoes before you go... or bring enough money hehe)

Beogradski Sindikat - Oni su

2006-12-15T07:22:00.000-08:00

If I find a version with english subtitle, I`ll post it...
Basicly it`s a pre-elections warning to politicians in Serbia to let them know that this is their chance to finally get rid of the past times and move forward...
For those that don`t know - October 5th 2000 revolution was not as succesful as many think it was... Milosevic`s people along with new mafia and tycoons are still present in public life of Serbia and even running it in a way...

More about Beogradski Sindikat at Wikipedia

seriously sad

2006-12-13T01:55:00.000-08:00

This is one of the moments when I hate the whole NATO world...
This is not even comparable with genocides or massacres - they happen in one moment. And this... this is killing for decades... constantly...

If my child is born deffected, give me one good reason not to become terrorist and do my best to make them hurt as it hurts me?
UPDATE: were they helping Albanians in Kosovo while bombing? They live there now... along with lots of KFOR soldiers and UN stuff... they all suffer...

Depleted Uranium Missiles Found In Serbia
December 12, 2006 6:09 a.m. EST

Komfie Manalo - All Headline News Correspondent

Belgrade, Serbia (AHN) - Representatives from the directorate for the protection of the environment in Serbia has said that a total of 161 depleted uranium missiles have been recovered in the southern part of the country in the past weeks.

The states Beta news agency said the missiles were found in Reljan near Preservo after the 1999 NATO bombing campaign.

It was said that during the 78-day air strikes in the former Yugoslavia in 1991, NATO war planes dropped 31,000 missiles and bombs believed to contain depleted uranium, a kind of radioactive toxic material that has been linked to Gulf War syndrome and spiraling levels of cancer and birth defects in Iraq.

NATO has admitted 112 sites in Kosovo where it used depleted uranium. But it has not given Belgrade a complete list for the rest of Serbia.

Belgrade ordered a clean up operation in Reljan on October 1 and some 6.5 out of 12 hectares of contaminated grounds have been searched and cleared. A total of 2.4 cubic meters of contaminated soil has also been collected and removed.

Serbia has spent an estimated $450,000 for the clean up operation in the Reljan site.

seriously funny

2006-12-13T01:41:00.000-08:00

Can we do a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g correctly? :)

Man robs Austria bank, forgets card

Wednesday Dec 13 12:16 AEDT

A bank robber who was arrested because he left his account card at a branch where he had checked his balance just before holding it up was sentenced to four years in jail.

The knife-wielding robber was identified as a 32-year-old former policeman from Serbia after a clerk who witnessed the heist found the plastic card in the branch shortly afterwards, Austrian news agency APA said.

Police arrested the man a little later, after he tried to deposit some of his E14,260 ($A24,125) loot in his account to reduce his overdraft and reported his card as lost.

street food in serbia #1

2006-12-12T14:14:00.000-08:00

one of the things that are so special about Serbia is definitely street food. I was using the term "junk food" until a dude from New York told me (while eating something similar to the pic below) that "if this is junk food, then what the f**k is what we eat in NY?"... And since then, I`m calling it simply street food...

and it`s really awesome... one of the rules to find good street food when you go abroad is to check where the locals eat, because they know what`s made for tourists and what`s not... well, in Belgrade you almost cannot miss - we don`t have so many tourists :)

of course, there are some shitty places (like ones next to bus and train stations), but in general street food is great! Unless you`re vegeterian, that is... :)

I will be posting photos of Serbian street food as I find them or take photos when I move back to Belgrade... Will write descriptions too, just to tease you a bit more...

Prijatno!

This is world famous "Pljeskavica". A gourman one in this case. While ordering, you can choose toppings from usually 5-15 different kinds of salads or sauces.

Pljeskavica on Wikipedia

am not saying good bye...

2006-12-10T15:46:00.000-08:00

so Charlotte left... her 6 months traineeship is over and she went back to France...

one of the best persons I met in my life... and eventhough I promised to my self not to connect so much with other trainees (because I hate goodbyes and losing friends), she managed to get under my skin and we before I knew it we became really really close... started with ordering food together and watching a movie to relax after a hard day at work and ended up with some deep conversations and trust and understanding that we`ve built over time... she is the one I could turn to anytime to listen to me whining about anything and bitching about everything... to hug me everytime I`m down and miss Sandra and help me out with my countdowns `till my next trip to Belgrade, to hug me actually everyday I come back from work... in short to be there for me...

And even if I told her so, I think she will never know how much I appreciate that and how important it was for me...

so, I`m not saying goodbye... I know that people lose contact over time and tend to forget, but this was so special that I simply don`t want to and won`t do it...

and I know that we will be singing this song whenever we meet, and remember The days...

Once upon a time there was a tavern
Where we used to raise a glass or two
Remember how we laughed away the hours,
And dreamed of all the great things we would do

Those were the days my friend
We thought theyd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we chose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way

Then the busy years went rushing by us
We lost our starry notions on the way
If by chance Id see you in the tavern
Wed smile at one another and wed say

Those were the days...

Just tonight I stood before the tavern
Nothing seemed the way it used to be
In the glass I saw a strange reflection
Was that lonely woman really me?

Those were the days...

Through the door there came familiar laughter
I saw your face and heard you call my name
Oh my friends were older but no wiser
For in our hearts the dreams are still the same

Those were the days...

Download it here

See you soon mommy...

Been that in Belgrade to show you real places for going out and getting drunk :) or in Bretagne to see famous highways... ah, yeah, you don`t have tghem there :P

Love,
Daddy

couldn`t they wait?

2006-12-08T03:30:00.000-08:00

as suspected, "the Great Albania" project continues... however, I thought they will wait until they get Kosovo first and then continue...

anyhow, it will be interesting to see reactions from albanian side on this...

Montenegro accuses ethnic Albanians of plotting insurgency

8 December 2006 | 11:05 | Source: AP
PODGORICA -- Montenegrin authorities indicted 18 ethnic Albanians, including five living in the United States.

Full story here

greatest thought

2006-12-05T15:32:00.000-08:00

partners with bombers

2006-11-29T13:15:00.000-08:00

Serbia accepted into Partnership for Peace
29 November 2006 | 09:43 -> 17:21 | Source: B92
RIGA -- A decision was made at the NATO summit in Riga for allowing Serbia to unconditionally join the Partnership for Peace.

So we`re in... Yeah, this is not NATO partnership yet, but it is a road to NATO.. the very same NATO that bombed us `99... the very bombing that made us affraid to make babies because we`re not sure how the baby will look like (uranium bombs all over serbia - even NATO soldiers suffering in Kosovo)... jeez, do we forget easily or what?

So we`re in... Unconditionally as they say... Unconditionally my ass, if you ask me... they`ll ask for something really soon... Karla Del Ponte (main prosecutor at Hague Tribunal) already expressed dissatisfaction (some sources say she was throwing things in her office :)), so I expect her to ask for something special soon...

I just hope they won`t ask for Kosovo... if no other reason, then because Kostunica won`t give it... and even if he does, people won`t...

So let`s see what happens next... I expect them to ask for something within end of next week...

Only in Serbia

2006-11-28T14:52:00.000-08:00

I wonder what would happen in any other country after such public display of disrespect to the country where you live...

to clarify something - each and every minority in Serbia is allowed to celebrate their national days (and even encouraged in a way through local municipalities` budgets) and display their national flag along with Serbian one, but only if they register so called National Council of respective minority (this is to protect from funny guys asking for funds from municipalities to celebrate "National Penguins day" or whatever they claim they are - because that`s another thing you can do in Serbia - you can actually declare as whatever you want to be :D). While most of the minorities did this, Albanians didn`t, for the sole reason that they expect this part of Serbia (southern central Serbia) to be next to get independence, after Kosovo.

And this is what they did...

Preševo Albanians remove Serbian, display Albanian flag

28 November 2006 | 14:19 -> 17:07 | Source: B92, Beta
PREŠEVO, BUJANOVAC -- Albanians in Preševo removed the Serbian flag and instead displayed three Albanian flags.

Serbian flag was taken off the municipal building as part of the Albanian national holiday celebrations in the south of Serbia. Preševo municipal president Ragmi Mustafa told journalists that the display of Albanian flags instead of the Serbian should ”not be viewed as an incident”, adding that ”Albanians in Serbia have the right to their own symbols”.
...
The organizers played the Albanian national anthem, after which the gathering paid tribute to the dead members of the officially disbanded Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac Liberation Army (UCPMB).

Now you tell me if it`s OK that they use local government`s money to pay tribute to the dead members of a terrorist group???

Which country would allow this? Which country would ignore this?

Indeed, only Serbia!

Serbia in PFP again?

2006-11-28T14:34:00.000-08:00

NATO may induct Serbia into Partnership for Peace

28 November 2006 | 18:29 | Source: AP
RIGA -- NATO may invite Bosnia, Montenegro and Serbia to join the Partnership for Peace at the Riga summit.
"I expect Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro to be given a green light for the Partnership for Peace at this summit," Slovene Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said. "For Slovenia it is important for the PFP to be enlarged and for the Adriatic Three to be given a clear signal for membership in the near future," Slovenia's foreign minister Dimitrij Rupel said on Tuesday.

Full story here

hmmm, very interesting... and I honestly don`t know how to see this... on one side, it can mean that they are offering this to show good will and support Serbia`s way to EU... it can also mean that they are changing their ideas regarding Kosovo`s status and that we will actually keep it... but it can also mean that they are giving us cookies and taking Kosovo from our hands...

I guess we`ll know in next couple of weeks... whatever it is, I expect more moves by the west soon...

This is also a big wind in the back for Kostunica and his Government... right before the elections in January...

Kemalist youth want professor sacked

2006-11-28T04:56:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

A Kemalist youth organization appealed to YÖK demanding that a professor who criticized Atatürk be banned from the academic profession
ANKARA - Turkish Daily News
Secretary General of the Turkey Association of Youth (TGB) Osman Yılmaz has filed an appeal to the Higher Education Board (YÖK) for the dismissal of Professor Atilla Yayla, an instructor who criticized Kemalism in recent comments, from public duty and the academic profession.

There you go... However, I`m still waiting to see if there are any other brave groups in this country...

Full story

Forget about pope - this is real news!

2006-11-27T15:23:00.000-08:00

I know that to most of you this will sound weird, but for me this is much bigger news then Pope`s visit to Turkey and implications that will bring...

This is simply bigger then it looks like. Living in Turkey for some 9 months I have learned already that here you can do basicly whatever you want except for one thing - do not ever criticize Ataturk!!

For those who don`t know, Ataturk is a father of Turkish nation - a founder of modern Turkey. He was the one to rebel against the Sultan and create a country that we today know as Turkey. He reformed almost everything, from language to the political and education system... Sounds good? Yup, it truly is... Not the way he did it though... At least not in my point of view... Some will say that revolution is revolution and whatever happens during the revolution is serving the cause... And I`m not gonna argue... No matter what`s my opinion on the subject...

Now, I do make jokes about Ataturk all the time with fellow aiesecers, for I know they won`t get me serious... And I even tested water with a couple of colleagues in my office , teasing them about Ataturk`s place of birth and education (he was born in Thessaloniki, Greece - and we all know about constant conflict between these 2 countries) - and the reaction was not that pleasant at all... a bitter smile was a clear message not to mess with this...
And unbelievably, whole country is all about Ataturk... Statues everywhere, photos everywhere, his thoughts are quoted in any occasion, been that politics or TV ads... His Al Pacino-looking face is on all money bills and coins...
Ok, some would say, it`s not the only country that has "The Leader"... Sure, but those countries like Turkmenistan, Cuba, North Korea are "somewhat" different :)
and they have their "leaders" still alive and kickin`...

Turkey is too modern to have this kind of idols, especially when... ok, I said I won`t argue his greatness and I`ll stick to it...

So anyways, this news below is for me much bigger then Pope having balls to visit an islamic country after the whole buzz with his message... Pope will come and leave, but this might be a beginning of something... something that can help this country switch from Big to Great... Or will this be a switch from Big to endlesly miserable...

Students defend 'heretic' professor who criticized Atatürk

Monday, November 27, 2006

While prominent Turkish liberal Professor Atilla Yayla is under fire for criticizing Kemalism, young liberals stand up for his right to speak out
MUSTAFA AKYOL
ISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News

"The problems began when the "heretic" argued that the era of Mustafa Kemal was “a period of regression, not progress.” He also criticized the abundance of photos and statues of Mustafa Kemal all around Turkey and warned that Turkey couldn't continue like this in its EU-driven process of democratization and liberalization. “Europeans will ask us,” said Yayla, “why this man's photos and statues are everywhere.”

Read full story

Pope Turkiye`de

2006-11-26T11:46:00.000-08:00

ISTANBUL, Turkey - Some 20,000 Muslims held an anti-pope rally in Istanbul on Sunday in a peaceful protest against Pope Benedict’s visit to Turkey this week.

Benedict, due to begin his first official visit to a Muslim country next Tuesday, angered many Muslims in September with a speech they took as an insult to Islam. He later expressed regret but did not offer an apology.

Youths wearing headbands with Islamic scripts, beating drums and waving Turkish flags chanted “the pope made a mistake, our patience has run out.”

Can`t wait to see what happens when he comes... Stay tuned...

Rest of the story

Microsoft Citizenship Report 2006

2006-11-22T07:15:00.000-08:00

From Steve Ballmer`s MS internal intro letter:

Did you know, for example, that we recycle 141 tons of material every month? That employees volunteered more than 76,000 hours last year? That we donated more than $2.5 billion to communities in the past 20 years?

The data and the human stories in the Citizenship Report show how our creativity and our spirit of innovation are making a difference – through our contributions to communities, our responsible business practices and our product innovations. For instance, Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 System include many enhancements that will make positive impacts economically and socially – on children’s online safety, data protection and privacy, accessibility for people with disabilities, energy conservation, interoperability and consumer choice. Our products also build on a strong platform that creates opportunities for innovation around the world, creating new jobs and driving local economic growth.
Last week, we took our citizenship commitment one step further through our endorsement of the United Nations Global Compact, an international public-private initiative to promote responsible corporate citizenship and help realize a more sustainable and inclusive global economy. We’re proud to stand behind the ten principles of this compact, which support universal social issues ranging from human rights to protection of the environment.

Amazing, isn`t it?

Yeah, I know - MS could and should do more... And I agree with that... But let`s forget about that for a moment and just think about how this world would be a much better place if all companies were thinking like this...

Click on a link below and find me on the picture on 5th page (that`s from MS Global CSR Summit 2006) :)

Microsoft (MSFT) Citizenship Report 2006

Will write more these days about my job in Microsoft and projects that we do in Middle East and Africa...

Now they use submarines!?

2006-11-20T03:58:00.000-08:00

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - U.S. Coast Guards have seized a submarine carrying 3.5 tons of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean off Costa Rica and arrested three Colombians on board, the Costa Rican Coast Guard said Sunday.

Link

Interesting search

2006-11-17T01:26:00.000-08:00

Check http://www.msdewey.com/

It`s based on MS Live search...

Don`t ask her anything for a couple of minutes and see how pissed off she gets :)

Shines like gold!

2006-11-16T02:04:00.000-08:00

First time on the World Championship after 28 years and they won a bronze medal!

Bravo for telenor

2006-11-15T07:09:00.000-08:00

It`s not the best CSR action I`ve seen, but it`s a job well done and the media attention around it should show corporate sector in Serbia that CSR is an investment, not pure philantrophy...

Telenor Hands Out Free Tickets to Belgrade High Schoolers

Belgrade, Nov. 14, 2006

Telenor handed out 2,000 tickets to Belgrade high-school students for a friendly football match between the national teams of Serbia and Norway, on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 8.15 p.m. Tickets are valid for the east section of the stadium.

The Secretariat for Education of the City of Belgrade supported the action and recommended it to the principals.

“Our support reflects our belief that the Telenor action is valuable for the promotion of sports among Serbia’s young people,” said Vladimir Todic, head of the Secretariat.

Telenor provided 43 buses to pick up the students outside their schools and take them to the stadium. One bus will collect the protégées of all four Belgrade homes for children without parents in front of Mosa Pijade Home, 19 Ustanicka Street.

Read full press release

Europe, decide at once or leave us alone!

2006-11-15T05:59:00.000-08:00

First they tell us it`s not possible to join before 2014, then they tell us 2010 is fine, then they tell us they will slow down the process after accession of Bulgaria and Romania, then they tell us we`ll get in at 2009 if we let Kosovo to become independent, then they stop negotiations with us and finally this...

Grrrr, this really sucks...

And honestly, I wish they just leave us alone... I`m sick of Unions and stuff... Let Serbia be independent at once... Even if that means less wealth for us...
Just to finaly feel how is it to enjoy the benefits of what you do (instead of having to take care of other republics and keep feeding them)... To feel proud to be Serbian again (since this pride was heavily lost in last 50-60 years or was misinterpreted)...

Anyhow, the second news is that our economical reforms are quite good and that we are growing quickly... Not that we feel it that much because inflation is still quite high, but yeah, one can see impact of recent investments in Serbia... Belgrade is booming (was voted as SEE City of Future), Novi Sad is emerging as a big business center, Nis is still struggling but soon after the elections the improvement will be seen, Kragujevac is finally on a good way (after signing a strategic partnership between Zastava and Fiat), Indjija has become the best municipaity in the whole region etc...

First extradition, then candidacy in 2008

15 November 2006 | 13:02 | Source: Beta

BELGRADE -- The EU expects the next Serbian Government to extradite Ratko Mladić in a very timely manner.
If this is taken care of, Serbia will become a candidate-country for European Union membership in 2008, according to daily Blic.
Blic’s source adds that the EU will conditionally continue the discussions for signing the Stabilization and Association Agreement by the summer of 2007, if the new Serbian Government accepts the obligation of arresting Mladić with a definitive deadline for doing so.
The EU no longer believes in the Action Plan and is looking for a new date to be set, according to the daily. The source also says that Schengen visas could also be included in the package if all technical details are taken care of.
If this was to happen, Serbian citizens would be able to travel freely through the European Union without the need for visas, once Serbia becomes a candidate-country in 2008.

Serbia shows fastest growth

15 November 2006 | 08:48 | Source: B92

LONDON -- The EBRD stated that Serbia has shown the greatest amount of economic growth this year in Southeast Europe.

In the latest Transitional Report for Economic Trends in Southeast European countries, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development stated that Serbia had a 6.3 percent economic growth rate this year.
However, the region in total suffered a drop in economic productivity, from 6.9 to 4.7 percent, mainly because of Romania’s slumping economy.
In addition to Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria had good showings this year, with rates near six percent. The two countries will be joining the European Union in January.
The EBRD stated that industrial growth, mainly in the metal sector, a growth in exports, and larger domestic consumer demand linked to the expansion of crediting activity by banks, are responsible for the economic progress in the region.
Of all the former Communist countries, those of Southeast Europe have shown the most progress since last year, mainly because of the promise and perspective of joining the European Union many have received.
Still, the region is still very much behind Central Europe economically, a region which has show tremendous growth in recent years.

6 months

2006-11-12T14:30:00.000-08:00

UFO...

2006-11-12T00:26:00.000-08:00

From the website of Nick Pope, who used to run the UK UFO project 1991-1994. He started his website to "prove the truth", as he continued to do private researches...

Biography:

Nick Pope used to run the British Government's UFO project at the Ministry of Defence. Initially sceptical, his research and investigation into the UFO phenomenon and access to formerly classified government files on the subject soon convinced him that the phenomenon raised important defence and national security issues, especially when the witnesses were military pilots or where UFOs were tracked on radar. Nick also looked into other mysteries such as alien abductions, crop circles and ghosts. He now continues his research in a private capacity and is recognised as a leading authority on UFOs and the unexplained. He does extensive media work, lectures all around the world and has acted as consultant on numerous television documentaries.

I wish he finds them... Perhaps UK & US (and NATO in general) wouldn`t have to search for enemies anymore... At least not on our little friendly planet...

Pronto condoms

2006-11-08T07:47:00.000-08:00

One of those things you realize that they should be invented much before...

Awesome!

Quote:

The second video is a real prod at South Africa's Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang...she advocated the eating of beetroot and garlic as a cure for AIDS.

BBC Story

Official website

csr and religion?

2006-11-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

Honestly, before I read this text, I never thought of the connection between faith and CSR, regardless of how logical it is... This text I found in the BSR.org`s "Leading Perspective", which is a quarterly publication. Very very interesting...

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

Many in the corporate world would rather not bring religion into the boardroom. Fair enough, especially if the purpose is to misuse religion for selfish or inappropriate purposes. But if advocates of CSR are interested in finding new allies in the quest to encourage businesses to become more ethical and attentive to their responsibilities to a wide range of stakeholders, they should think anew about the role of faith in the workplace.

There are many reasons that leaders interested in CSR might reconsider the role of faith and business. First, if we look carefully at the so-called “big five” — the five main religious traditions and their offshoots (the three Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and Hinduism and Buddhism) — we quickly discover that each of these traditions and their holy teachings are very interested in the material world and how one takes care of it. Advocates of CSR might be pleasantly surprised to find that, for example, classic Jewish and Christian teachings accentuate a responsible tending of the garden (i.e. environmentalism), the decent treatment of workers (i.e. human rights) and attention
to the nature and purpose of work (i.e. goals other than maximization of shareholder returns).

Second, many adherents of these great traditions consciously or subconsciously ground their ethics — their understanding of right and wrong, good and evil, and beauty and falsehood — and their sense of life purpose in the teachings of their faith. If much of CSR is about going beyond the customs and dynamics of the marketplace, might not faith be a helpful resource to help business leaders and organizations think afresh about their duties to the broader community in which they live and work?

Finally, faith brings a different kind of vision. When one accepts the existence of a transcendent being or higher power, the result is that believers see the world differently. One sees beyond the immediate problem or pressure to meet quarterly returns. One’s sense of time is much more long term or, as theologians would say, eschatological, thinking of the eternal value of one’s work and how one does it. God is interested in what we do and how we do it; God values us doing creative, excellent work. But surely God is also interested in more than just earnings per share.

Of course, intentionally engaging the resources of faith to help business consider its wider responsibilities also brings certain risks that too often seem to accompany religion. Among these questions: What about different views, teachings and historic friction between different traditions? Can these be overcome? Is there more common ground than we think, and if so, how can that be tapped into and used in a business setting? Can faith help organizations rethink such important moral questions facing business today, such as economic development, sustainability, corruption, education and treatment of employees?

As I continue to study and conduct research into these questions, I conclude that faith is indeed a viable and valuable force that ought to be recognized as a legitimate resource for business leaders to draw upon. And while not without its challenges, I believe there are appropriate and respectful ways to draw on one’s faith in a pluralistic marketplace. Authentic faith might be precisely the new dimension needed for tomorrow’s global corporate leaders to succeed responsibly.

David W. Miller, Ph.D. is a former senior executive in international finance and partner in an investment banking firm. He now heads the Yale Center for Faith & Culture and teaches Business Ethics at Yale Divinity School and Yale School of Management, and advises CEOs on questions of values, ethics and faith in the workplace.

Tomahawk screen

2006-11-07T00:42:00.000-08:00

hahaha, check this out! One of the oldest and biggest newspapers of Serbia...

Text is about US getting ready to possibly attack North Korea... I didn`t even read it because when I saw the picture I thought it`s not worth... The picture is supposed to represent the control screen of Tomahawk rocket... Oh my god!!!!

Link - hope they change it soon :)

US presidential speeches tag cloud

2006-11-06T03:50:00.000-08:00

Very interesting Tag Cloud made by Chirag Mehta - it`s made out of 360 documents (1776-2006). You can even use the slider to change timeframe... pretty cool because you can see how US politics changed over time...

Picture and links are found at Svakodnevnica blog which I reccomend to all Serbian speakers...

"Saddam Hussein sentenced to death"

2006-11-05T06:15:00.000-08:00

cross-posted from nomadlife.org.

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

2 days before the US elections, although the two are obviously unconnected and only a crazed conspiracy theorist would suggest otherwise.....

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The Iraqi High Tribunal on Sunday sentenced a combative Saddam Hussein and two other defendants to death by hanging for a brutal crackdown in 1982 in the Shiite town of Dujail.....(link)

There is an automatic appeal process for the death sentence, and he still has other trials to face, so it will be a while before the sentence is carried out.....perhaps sometime in October 2008?

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

My comment:

heh, in my country they start big projects before the elections... or raise salaries, start building new roads etc...
and we hate them for that... jeez, just realized how underdeveloped nation we are...

prince pavle`s archive finally to be opened!!

2006-11-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

an intro for those who don`t know who Prince Pavle (Paul in english) Karadjordjevic is...

Born in 1893 as a member of the Royal Family of Karadjordjevic, he took over the regency in 1934, after the assasination of King Alexander in Marseille. Pavle ruled until March 1941 when something unimaginable happened - on March 25th in Vienna he signed a Tripartite Pact and joined Germany, Italy and Japan in Axis Powers!!!

Because of his decision, massive demonstrations happened in Belgrade and 2 days after his cousin Peter II Karadjordjevic overthrew his government and took over. 10 deys after, unsatsified Axis Powers, led by Germany, bombed Belgrade and invaded Yugoslavia.

Royal family left the country and Prince Paul was kept in house arrest by British in South Africa, until the end of the war. He died in Paris on September 11, 1976, without ever coming back to Yugoslavia.

Noone ever managed to unveil the secret of his decision to join the tripartite pact... However, by his last will his complete archive was given to Columbia University, but not to be opened until after 50 years of his death.

Anyways, some important historians pressured his only daughter, Jelisaveta (which is the only one with rights to break the 50 years veto) and she finally agreed to break it and gave them rights to open the archive.

So, microfilms are on their way to Belgrade and I`m looking forward to know the truth about what happened back then... And why he made a decision that simply destroyed all good that his family did for our people in the history.. and made me hate them all...

Some say that he was forced to do it because British (his family was close to the UK at that time) betrayed him and he wanted to save the people... Some say that he was an evil man anyways and that he actually wanted to do it... Some say that he was simply stupid because he believed Germany that Yugoslavia will remain independent (in addition, he was strongly against communism) etc...

Well, I guess we`ll know really soon... As a big history lover, am not just looking forward... Am freaking excited!!

happiness

2006-11-03T06:46:00.000-08:00

Part of an e-mail that I got through a list... Part of a chain letter, but a nice one, without promising you to become rich etc...

...just an inspiring text that reminds you about things...

I got it in Serbian and am translating it using all my english skills :)

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

...
Old age is like a bank account. You gain from it what you invested. My advice is to invest lots of happiness in the bank of memories!

Thank you for your part in my bank of memories. I`m still investing!

Remember 5 simple rules for happiness:

1. Free your mind of hate.
2. Free your mind of concerns.
3. Live a simple life.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

I`m not forwarding this expecting "some miracle" tomorrow, nor to complete the "7 people goal". My aim is that each and every one of you realize this very second just how happy you are. If I achieved this, then I don`t have to wait for tomorrow... A miracle happened already...

Real happiness is in small things - we just have to reach them and put them in the right place.

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

Starost je kao bankovni racun. Sa njega podizete ono sto ste tu ulozili. Moj savet vam je da ulozite mnogo srece u banku secanja!
Hvala vam za vas deo u banci secanja. Ja još uvek ulazem!!

Zapamtite pet jednostavnih pravila za srecu:
1. Oslobodite svoje srce mrznje.
2. Oslobodite svoj um od briga.
3. zivite jednostavno.
4. Pruzajte vise.
5. Ocekujte manje.
Ne prosledjujem vam ovo da bi mi se desilo "neko cudo" sutra, niti da bih ispunio cifru od 7 ljudi. Namera mi je da svako od vas, ove sekunde pomisli koliko je zaista sretan. Ako sam to uspeo, onda ne moram da cekam sutra... Desilo se cudo...
Sreca je u malim stvarima, treba samo da pruzimo ruku i postavimo ih na pravo mesto....

Future

2006-10-28T14:14:00.000-07:00

My future will be decided very soon...

Not much in my hands anymore. Too many variations, too many players, too many possibilities for different ending...
Of course, I will continue to fight for the best solution to win, but some things I simply cannot influence...

If I only had the crystal ball...

In Belgrade

2006-10-22T04:54:00.000-07:00

God, almost forgot how much I missed this city...

2006-10-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

In about 18 hours I will see her... My lady...

Wonderful - World's Strongest Dad

2006-10-19T05:50:00.000-07:00

From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly]

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay For their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a Wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and Pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back Mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike. Makes Taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.
This love story began in Winchester , Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick Was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him Brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him And his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. ``Put him in an Institution.''

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes Followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the Engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was Anything to help the boy communicate. ``No way,'' Dick says he was told. ``There's nothing going on in his brain.''

"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a Lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed Him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his Head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? ``Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the School organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, ``Dad, I want To do that.''

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described ``porker'' who never ran More than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he Tried. ``Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. ``I was sore For two weeks.''

That day changed Rick's life. ``Dad,'' he typed, ``when we were running, It felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly Shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

``No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a Single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few Years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then They found a way to get into the race Officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the Qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, ``Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he Was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick Tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud Getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you Think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? ``No way,'' he says. Dick does it purely for ``the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with A cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best Time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world Record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to Be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the Time.

``No question about it,'' Rick types. ``My dad is the Father of the Century.''

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a Mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries Was 95% clogged. ``If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' One doctor told him, ``you probably would've died 15 years ago.'' So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass. , always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

``The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, ``is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''

Wonderful - World's Strongest Dad

[

I love JAT Airways!

2006-10-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

And how can I not?

I was supposed to travel Belgrade by bus, which is 14-17 hours trip... and that`s only because I thought that if I buy a plane ticket in Belgrade it will be much cheaper (because of all those student discounts, euro<26, isic etc)...
So anyways, I had to move the date and leave on Saturday instead of Thursday, which screwed up my bus plan, so I had to buy a flight ticket... And that`s where the coolest system comes in place...

Sunday: Checking prces online - 250 EUR;
Monday: I`m calling to reserve the ticket and the lady tells me it`s 230EUR and no student discounts whatsoever;
Tuesday: Calling to re-schedule and lady tells me that`s fine and the new price is 196 EUR;
Wednesday: Happy me going to the agency to buy the ticket, and the nice lady hands it, takes 200 EUR from my hand and returns 35 - new price again, now 165 EUR!!!

I will never understand how this worked out (since JAT is well known for never changing the prices and especially not lowering them :)), but I do hope this will continue...

Hand-made condoms!?!?!?

2006-10-11T14:25:00.000-07:00

when you are coming from a small eastern european country, and especially from one that is not perceived so well in the world like Serbia is (so basically that little that people usually know about us is crap), then you are not surprised about different steretypes and prejudices people might have about you or your people.

- Some of them think that Serbs still live in communism (most of them don`t know that even when we were a communist country, we were in far better situation then other countries from the "eastern bloc");

- Some of them think that Serbia is still completely destroyed from bombing and that we still (!?) have occasional gunfights in Belgrade (I wonder whom did we try to shoot at in Belgrade - unless they think about WW2);

- Some of them think that we hate everything and everyone, especially muslims (a guy from the dorm where I live here in Istanbul actually asked me why I came to Turkey if we hate Muslims so much that we hunted them in Bosnia and Kosovo!!! - I laughed and told him to watch not to turn his back to me, or else... :));

- At the airport in San Francisco they checked me thoroughly and even used those little papers (which are used to determine trails of gun-powder in your luggage - usually by rubbing your suitcase) on my hands!!! - it`s ok if they think that we are a terrorist threat to the US, but do they really think we make bombs with bare hands? we have technology, dude! :D

anyways, I could go on listing all the stupid things I heard about my country and my people, but I guess you get the idea already... What this post is really about is what I heard last night from one german trainee here in Istanbul...

So, her friend was traveliing Eastern Europe and he told her about this weird thing Serbs have - old ladies in the streets are selling "hand-made, self-knitted" CONDOMS! And not only that he heard about it - he actually saw it! Well, WOW! I was trying whole last night to imagine how "hand-made, self-knitted" (whatever this means) condom looks like, and no luck... (can you imagine coming to an old lady in the street, taking off your underwear for measuring, then choosing the model from the catalogue etc. :D)

But good to know that my country is not only famous by Milosevic, Karadzic and Mladic, but condoms too... Durex, beware of the Serbian Grand-moms!

Libya to buy 1.2 million laptops for school kids

2006-10-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK - The government of Libya has reached an agreement with an American nonprofit group to provide inexpensive laptop computers for all of the nation's 1.2 million schoolchildren, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

With the project scheduled to be completed by June 2008, Libya could become the first nation in which all school-age children are connected to the Internet through educational computers, Nicholas Negroponte, chairman of the One Laptop per Child project, told the newspaper.

The computers will run Linux and have wireless access... We`ll finally be able to see if Linux solution is good enough to remove Microsoft from one whole market... I doubt, but let us see...

Full story here

Take the TiG survey

2006-10-10T02:24:00.000-07:00

Guca Film - Trailer

2006-10-03T04:46:00.000-07:00

From thisisthelife.com:
"Forget Glastonbury, Reading, Burning Man and Cochella: the wildest music festival on earth is a cacophonic and crazy brass band festival that takes place every summer in the tiny Serbian town of Guca (pronounced “Gucha”) in the western region of Dragacevo. What began as a small competition for the Dragacevo Assembly of Trumpet Players back in 1961 now attracts nearly half a million people every year. Given Guca’s population is 3000 – it’s some party. For an entire week the sound of thousands of blaring trumpets rends the air, playing everything from traditional Serbian folk and gypsy music to songs by the likes of Goran Bregovic. Grilled meat washed down with potent plum brandy keeps you and the delirious crowd going, and don’t be surprised to see Bregovic or legendary filmmaker Emir Kusturica turn up with his band. "

Also, a documentary about it has just been released. I found only this short teaser on google video, so go to www.gucafilm.com and click on Trailer to see the long and much better one.

Simpsons, Futurama etc.

2006-09-27T00:34:00.000-07:00

No need to search for torrents or through Limewire etc... Just go to http://dailyepisodes.com and enjoy!

test

2006-09-25T07:30:00.000-07:00

Test categories

New template

2006-09-25T00:37:00.000-07:00

Still working on installing this new template with AJAX thingy, so bear with me...
Also, any comments and feedback are appreciated...

and yeah, pull the string and let me know if it works...

Politikin Zabavnik

2006-09-21T05:57:00.000-07:00

Just found out that I can read online the best magazine ever... Magazine that suits anyone from 7 to 77... Unbelievably relaxing, yet educational paper...
It`s in Serbian, so no use for most of you, but I know that readers from ex-YU countries will know how to respect this info :)

http://www.politikin-zabavnik.co.yu

Click on Arhiva and enjoy!

10 weirdest monuments of the world

2006-09-20T02:48:00.000-07:00

Melbourne, Australia

Manhattan, USA

Los Angeles, USA

Paris, France

Erevan, Armenia

Oxford, UK

Monaco

Oslo, Norway

Bratislava, Slovakia

Turin, Italy

WB World Development Report 2007

2006-09-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

World Bank urges boost for young

Developing countries must invest in young people, promoting education and health and developing essential skills, a major World Bank report says.
The World Development Report says there are now a record 1.3 billion people aged 12-24 living around the world.

Those numbers could create problems in many nations if societies do not adapt, World Bank officials warn.

Although the number of young in primary education is rising, the report says some 130 million cannot read or write.

Young people are thought to make up about half the world's unemployed, the report says.

It also estimates that about 100 million new jobs need to be created in the Middle East and across North Africa before 2020 to cope with the numbers of young people seeking work.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5351524.stm

MC Blogging

2006-09-19T07:05:00.000-07:00

MC of AIESEC in Serbia started blogging...
http://www.aiesec.org.yu/blog

Uhhhhhhhh

2006-09-19T06:57:00.000-07:00

My friends sent me this pic today... My favourite pizza... I hate them... and I miss home...

Photos

2006-09-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

-------------------------------------------------------------------
*Update: Apparently, the link was wrong :) Now it should be OK...
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Since flickr allows only 200 photos with free subscription and I`m not willing to pay any money to them (at least not yet :P), I created my own gallery with all my photos at http://www.ic2003.org/~nino/Photo.

In a couple of days I`ll add some interesting plug-ins onto it, like saving photos to your phone, comments, counters etc...

Have fun while admiring my looks (just don`t fall in love with me, for I`m taken already) :P

pivceee

10 years later...

After some time...

Comparison

Stop the bullets, kill the guns

What is the business of business?

Change

Welcome to Belgrade

Belgrade: A capital city springs to life in Serbia

Divac`s farewell

Davis Cup: Serbia - Australia

Belgrade 2.0: Serbian girls - hot or not?

My Personality Disorder :)

Pain

Serbian Man Purse

Rapex

Temperature in Belgrade

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

Watch this!

Back to blogging

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

Eurovision 2007 - WINNER - Marija Serifovic - Molitva

Americans are NOT stupid - WITH SUBTITLES

back in Istanbul

Fresh blast in Kosovo

Red star - Partizan 2:4

Kosovar warns of war if self-rule is denied

KLA active again!?

Me tarzan, you monument!

Me Tarzan; you monument

World happiness

Hillarious

modern morality

Serbian village venerates Rocky

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

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

Serbia’s Knight

Kusturica and Coppola Only

From Emir to Nemanja

From Paris and New York to Serbia’s Mecavnik

Russia fears chain reaction

help refugee children

GROBARI (Partizan - Unicaja)

Ana Ivanovic def. Maria Sharapova in Tokyo, Japan

Ahtisaari: independence for Kosovo

Americans in Iraq

beginning of the end...

We`re all going to hell...

Abdi Ipekci arena, Partizan & Djordjevic

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

you thought Borat is funny?

hahaha, what a chat!

Want the best CSR traineeship of the century?

January update :)

Crush Calculator

Welcome to Kosovo(a)

Turkmen President Niyazov dies at 66

Seduction style

Montenegro

Andrew the Arab

Beogradski Sindikat - Oni su

seriously sad

seriously funny

Man robs Austria bank, forgets card

street food in serbia #1

am not saying good bye...

couldn`t they wait?

greatest thought

partners with bombers

Only in Serbia

Serbia in PFP again?

Kemalist youth want professor sacked

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Forget about pope - this is real news!

Students defend 'heretic' professor who criticized Atatürk

Monday, November 27, 2006

Pope Turkiye`de

Microsoft Citizenship Report 2006

Now they use submarines!?

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