Marin Šarić: “When people think about logistics, they think about routing, they think about package deliveries, they might think about some ships or freight crossing companies,” he concludes. “But I think what people need really to understand is that we are moving towards this mobile world, where every every year, in every country, there are more and more people who are working on the go, and Optimoroute is in the middle of it all.”
Cedric Villani visited Croatia lecturing at the University of Zagreb about Mathematics and Art
Cedric Villani, distinguished French mathematician, visited Croatia in 2017 (on the photo with Petra Ivatovic, 2nd grade of the XVth Gymnasium in Zagreb). On 3rd April he delivered two lectures, one for high school students in the city of Zagreb, dealing with Math and Bats, and another at the University of Zagreb, dealing with Mathematics and Art. In several of his previous lectures he mentioned the work of Croatian mathematician Danilo Blanuša in the context of achievements of John Nash in the study of isometric embeddings of hyperbolic spaces (important in the relativity theory) into Euclidean spaces. His appearance in Croatia has raised unprecedented interest.
Miro Gavran's seventh Festival in Prague 5-10th April 2017
The festival was initiated in 2003 at the Theater of Jan Palarik in Trnava, Slovakia, where it ran four times until 2009 before relocating in 2013 to Theater LUDOWY in Krakow, Poland. As of 2016, GavranFest takes place in Prague, Czech Republic. Gavran is the only living writer in Europe who has a theater festival dedicated to him, that continuously operates outside his homeland. His books and plays have been translated from Croatian into as many as 38 languages throughout the world.
Maksim Mrvica and the worldwide echo of Croatian Rhapsody composed by Tonci Huljic
Maksim Mrvica is a distinguished Croatian pianist born in the city of Šibenik on the Adriatic coast. He studied piano at the Academy of Music in Zagreb. One of Maksim’s greatest hits is Croatian Rhapsody , composed by Tonči Huljić. It is very popular among numerous musicians throughout the world, especially in Asia, playing not only piano, but some old exotic instruments, for example in China and Indonesia. We also introduce a few of his interesting interviews.
Ana Vidovic in Zagreb on 28th March 2017, in LA on 29th April and in Tokyo on 14th June 2017
Ana Vidovic comes from the small town of Karlovac near Zagreb, Croatia, and started playing guitar at the age of 5, and by 7 had given her first public performance. At the age of 11 she was performing internationally, and at 13 became the youngest student to attend the prestigious National Musical Academy in Zagreb where she studied with Professor Istvan Romer. Ana’s reputation in Europe led to an invitation to study with Manuel Barrueco at the Peabody Conservatory where she graduated in 2005. In 2017 she has a series of concerts in Croatia, USA and Japan. In November 2016 she has been interviewed by Lisker Music Foundation, which presented “On a Side Note” – a casual conversation with Ana.
Days of the Croatian Language celebrated 11-17th March each year
Days of the Croatian Language (in Croatian, Dani hrvatskoga jezika) is an annual week-long cultural event established by Matica hrvatska (Matrix Croatica) which celebrates the Croatian language. It is held from March 11 to March 17. It was first organized upon Croatian independence in 1991. In 1997 the Croatian Parliament (Sabor) declared that this week would officially commemorate the Declaration on the Status and Name of the Croatian Standard Language published exactly thirty years earlier, in 1967. We provide an interesting article about Croatian language by Armenian scholar dr. Artur Bagdasarov, living in Moscow, who is an expert in Croatian language and author of a dozen of books and dictionaries.
Rudjer Boskovic distinguished Croatian scientist from 18th ct has a monument in Milano in Italy
Rudjer Boskovic, distinguished Croatian scientist, diplomat and poet (18th ct.), born in the city of Dubrovnik (Ragusa), is the founder of the astronomical observatory in Brera near Milan. Due to this, Ivan Mestrovic’s monument of Boskovic has been transported from Croatia to Italy and placed in Milano in 2017. In 1773, a charter granted by Louis XV made Rudjer Boskovic a French subject. With his theory of forces he was a forerunner of modern physics for almost two centuries. He was the discoverer of the principle of determinism, 56 earlier than Pierre-Simon Laplace.
Miro Gavran's novel Forgotten Son published in Tokyo in Japanese
Miro Gavran’s novel Zaboravljeni sin (Forgotten Son) has been translated from Croatian into Japanese by Ikuko Yamamoto and published in Tokyo by reputed Kindabungeisha Publishing House. It already had nine Croatian editions, as well as in German, English and Castillian, while in 2002 it has been placed on the IBBY HONOUR LIST in Basle, Switzerland. Miro Gavran is a global phenomenon: his books have been translated into 38 languages worldwide.
Dario Saric the new Philadelphia basketball King
Dario Šarić, born in 1994, is Croatian basketball player playing for Philadelphia 76ers. He had a decisive role in great win against very strong New York Knicks in March 2017. His offensive play is full of wit, good ideas and precision, and in defense he is equally good. He was born in the city of Šibenik, Croatia, as well as legendary basketball player Dražen Petrović. Dario represents the Croatian national basketball team.
Croatia to Play in United States for First Time on May 27, 2017
The Croatian national football team will play for the first time in the United States in May. Croatia will play a friendly against Mexico on 27 May 2017 in Los Angeles at the Memorial Coliseum, the Croatian Football Federation announced. The match, which will kick-off at 16:30 local time, will be the first match in North America for Croatia. The national team have already played in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and South America.
Ping Pong Parkinson Hosted by Westchester Table Tennis Center
The Westchester Table Tennis Center seeks to raise awareness for Parkinson’s disease and improve health of those diagnosed by hosting a Parkinson’s Night every Wednesday at 7:30 pm, starting on March 1st, as part of the ‘Ping Pong Parkinson’ campaign. Will Shortz, owner of the center, crossword editor of the New York Times, as well as puzzlemaster for NPR, and Nenad Bach (left), a Croatian American recording artist, composer, performer, producer, and peace activist, are both avid ping pong players. They have joined hands to use ping pong to combat the scourge of Parkinson’s disease.
Marko Veselica 1936-2017 Croatian economist and politician passed away – article by Ante Glibota
Marko Veselica was distinguished Croatian economist and legendary human rights activist who spent 11 years in communist prisons in 1970s and 80s. We provide an article of his close colleague and friend Academician Ante Glibota, vicepresident of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and Humanity in Paris , written in Croatian language. We also provide the titles of some of Veselica’s relevant books and studies.
Igor Rudan young Croatian scientist a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in Scotland
 Igor Rudan, PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Zagreb, Croatia, and employed at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, is a joint Director of the Centre for Global Health Research and World Health Organization’s (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Population Health Research and Training at the University of Edinburgh. He serves as a consultant of the WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, Save the Children and other organizations active in global health. He is also one of the Editors-in-Chief of the Journal of Global Health. His main interest is improving the levels of health and development everywhere in the world.
1138 years since the international recognition of Croatia and 25 years since its diplomatic recognition
In the 9th century, more specifically, in 879 AD, Croatia obtained its first international recognition when Pope John VIII sent his letters to Croatian prince Branimir (on the photo is a monument from 9th ct bearing his name). Croatia never lost its state continuity, even when it was a part of other empires, kingdoms and states. For example, Croatian Deit is one of the oldest in Europe, and in this sense, Croatia is one of the oldest states in Europe. Its diplomatic recognition was realized in 1992. The Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Japan organized a nice celebration, in which Yoko Nishii participated with her pianist program that included Croatian and Japanese composers.
Jean Lunt Marinovic has published One Day in May – Bleiburg 1945
The author’s mission in ‘One Day in May – Bleiburg 1945’ is to provide an up-to-date narrative of events known as the ‘Bleiburg Tragedy’. Written in the English language, this 314 page book focuses on the negotiations at the Bleiburg castle, includes maps and photographs, and provides answers to important questions using numerous sources, including British, American and Croatian. The author, Jean Lunt Marinovic, is of British background, has published over 100 articles in the Croatian-Australian media and has been active in the Croatian community since the 1980s.
Croatian Scholarship Fund CSF in Northern California USA organizing Gala Dinner Dance April 29th 2017
For the past 25 years Croatian Scholarship Fund (CSF) has been providing financial assistance to the financially deserving Croatian university students in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Without this assistance, many of these bright young men and women would not be able to obtain university education. This is made possible because individuals, families, and organizations have supported CSF’s mission by generous donations or have sponsored one or more students. On the photo Marijana Pavić, president of the CSF. The CSF was established in 1989 in Northern California. On April 29th 2017, it is organizing Gala Dinner Dance in Sacramento, CA, sponsored by the Croatian-American Cultural Center.
Bill Belichick Croatian American, wins 5th Super Bowl with New England Patriots
Congratulations to Croatian Americans Bill Belichick and Rob Ninkovich, and the New England Patriots on their amazing come-from-behind 5th Super Bowl victory against the Atlanta Falcons in Superbowl 51, played in Houston Texas. Belichick has a total of 7 Super Bowl wins including 2 as defensive coordinator with the New York Giants and linebacker Rob Ninkovich has Super Bowl two wins with the Patriots.
Miro Gavran's comedy premiere בעלה של אשתי in Tel Aviv in Israel on Feb 3 2017
Premiere of Miro Gavran’s comedy “My Wife’s Husband” (בעלה של אשתי) in National Theatre Habima in Tel Aviv, Israel in Hebrew will be on February 3rd, 2017. The director is Roy Segev, the main roles are performed by Ami Smolarchik, Pini Kidron and Shiffi Aloni, scene designer is Zeev Levi, costume designer is Aviah Bash, composer Ben Nun and light design was done by Yogev Mazuz. Miro Gavran’s work has been translated into 38 languages and his plays were seen by more than three million theatre viewers.
Vukovar Water Tower Restoration Project Fundraising Report
On September 30, 2016, the Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce and the Sounds of Croatia Radio Program in Toronto launched the Vukovar Water Tower Restoration Project Fundraising Campaign. Through the fundraising efforts of the Chamber and the Sounds of Croatia and, thanks to the overwhelming support of the Croatian-Canadian community living primarily in Toronto and surrounding areas in Ontario, we were honoured to present the City of Vukovar with a donation of C$205,000 (approximately 1,100,000 kunas).
Nenad Bach International Newsletter No. 47 Life is Beautiful, Vukovar, micro:bit
We have seen a lot of change since my last newsletter was published. A new year, new challenges, and the passing of dear friends. March 17, I will be performing with Neno Belan and Olja Desic in Osijek to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Poduzetnik magazine. April 22, I will be in Dubuque for a private performance at the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival. On April 28, I will be in Washington, D.C. to give a performance and discuss how to be a catalyst for world peace, for Hrvatska Ura.