Ivana Masic was born and raised in White Plains, New York. She graduated from Manhattanville College with a Masters in Art and Education & a BFA double major in Business Management and Fine Art. She proudly teaches High School Art at Valhalla High School in NY. Ivana collaborates often with various artists, musicians, producers, directors, writers, educators & healers. Notably, Ivana also acted as art director for the NY based company called The Last Automat Press and designed over 30 book covers.
Croatian young students double winners of the 2016 Middle European Mathematical Olympiad (MEMO)
Participating at he the 2016 Middle European Mathematical Olympiad organized in Austria, Croatian team of young mathematicians won both in the individual and team competition. Each competition lasts five hours. The problems are of the “olympic” type, typically divided into four areas: algebra, combinatorics, geometry and number theory. In the individual competition, the students solve one problem from each area. The team competition consists of eight problems, two from each area. Each of the ten participating countries (Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland) has six competitiors, and out of 60 competitors, about half of them are awarded with gold, silver and bronze medals. On the photo Patrik Papac from Dubrovnik, gold medal.
Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic won Croatia's first ever gold medal in Olympic sailing in Rio 2016
Šime Fantela and Igor Marenić are the current European and World champions in sailing. Should it come as a surprise if they won gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rio? Definitely no, but this was Croatia’s first gold in Olympic sailing. This medal, as well as the silver medal by Tonči Stipanović (Laser category), is among others a consequence of the fact that Croatia is not only a Middle-European country, but also a Mediterranean country, situated along the coast which many consider as the most beautiful in the world, interspersed with more than a thosand islands.
Sara Kolak of Croatia wins gold in javelin throw at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio
Young Croatian javelin thrower Sara Kolak (21) is probably the greatest surprise of the athelitc part of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, winning her gold medal which nobody has expected. This is the second Croatian gold in athletics, after Sandra Perkovic won her olympic gold in discus throw in Rio. Also, Sara was the youngest girl in the finals. This is one of the greatest achievements in the history of Croatian sports.
Damir Martin Croatian rower winning silver medal of golden glitter at 2016 Olympic Games in men's single sculls
Probably the most dramatic event in rowing at the Olympic Games in Rio was held in the finals of men’s single sculls. Croatian rower Damir Martin finished simulateneously with Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand. However, photo-finish showed that the difference was a portion of a centimeter, so that Damir Martin was decorated with silver medal. It is a huge success of Croatian sports. Both competitors finished with the same result of 6:41:34, i.e. with equal within one hundredth of the second. According to the current FISA rule, this result is then a dead heat, and both competitors should have been decorated with gold medals. However, the Olympic Committee in Rio did not respect the FISA rule.
Sandra Perković won olympic gold medal in discus throw at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio
Sandra Perković is one of the most dominant figures in contemporary world athletics, in the discipline of discus throw. In Rio de Janeiro she won her second consecutive title of Olympic Champion. She thus became one of only two women in the history of discus throw to have two gold olympic medals. The year 2016 was the most successful for Croatia till now. With 5 gold medals, Croatia won 17th place among 198 countries. Furthermore, it is 7th among 27 countries of European Union.
Sinkovic brothers win gold medals for Croatia in Double Sculls at 2016 Olympics in Rio
Brothers Valent and Martin Sinković won their only missing trophey – Olympic gold in Rio in 2016. They belong to most dominant contemporary figures in Double Sculls in the world: they were the double world champions and the double European champions in this sport, as well as the current European champions. For the last two years, they did not lose any international competition (they won 29 races in a row!). They have an outstanding trainer, Nikola Bralić: in 2015, he was proclaimed the best rowing trainer in the world. On the photo, on the left of Martin is Manuela, his wife.
MEETING G2.2 10-12 October 2016 in Zagreb invitation to Croatia and its diaspora for new business opportunities
The aim is to connect Croatians abroad with people and business opportunities in Croatia via practical online and offline knowledge-sharing, matchmaking and networking forums. The vision is to secure a future where possibilities, opportunities and dreams of doing business with or in the homeland will drive a new era of Croatian economic development, growth and productivity. On the photo Josip Hrgetić, director of the Forum Center in Zagreb and Project director of G2.2 conference to be held at the Forum Centre in Zagreb from 10th to 12th October 2016.
Croatia – Spain 72 : 70 in basketball match at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio
Dario Šarić’s powerful block at the end of a difficult basketball game agains Spain at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, secured the 72 : 70 win for Croatian team. Among Croatian players, especially successful was Bojan Bogdanović with his 26 points. The Spanish team is considered as one of the major candidates for the highest position at the Olympics, along with the American team. We recall that at the 1992 Olympic Games held in Barcelona, Croatia won the sensational silver medal in basketball.
Josip Glasnovic wins Croatia's first gold of the 2016 Olympics
Croatian army officer Josip Glasnovic won Croatia’s first gold of the 2016 Olympics in the trap-shooting, beating Italy’s Giovanni Pellielo in a four-shot sudden death shootoff. Edward Ling of Great Britain took home bronze. Glasnovic, a 33-year-old who also competed in Beijing in 2008, hit a perfect 15 of 15 in the semi-final but missed two in the final. He then fired four of four in the sudden death round. Glasnovic succeeds Giovanni Cernogoraz who won gold for Croatia in London 4 years ago in the same event.
Croatian American Community Announces "40 Under 40" Program for USA
On August 1, 2016, the National Federation of Croatian Americans Cultural Foundation (NFCA) announced a nationwide search for nominations for Croatian Americans who are rising stars and notable within their profession. The NFCA Cultural Foundation collaborating with the Croatian Fraternal Union (CFU) and Association of Croatian American Professionals (ACAP), will work together, to find, nominate and then select “40 Under 40” winners who will be announced in late October.
The Magic of a Christmas in Croatia
We often recall Christmas with our Croatian grandparents; the celebration of the birth of Christ throughout the holiday season, the special customs and the aromas of special foods. All of Europe has focused on Zagreb during the Advent season as, Zagreb has won the title as the City with the “Best Christmas Market” in all of Europe. Join us for this exciting and fun tour of Croatia and neighboring Slovenia where we will enjoy the spirit of the Christmas season as celebrated in the city squares and festive Advent markets. You’ll be back in time for Christmas, perhaps with a few unique and memorable gifts for your friends and families!
Natasha and Volodimir Balyk distinguished Russian-Ukrainian music duo living in Croatia
Nataša and Volodimir Balyk, better known as Duo Balyk , is a music family of Russian and Ukrainian provenance, both of them excellent musicians playing domra , a sort of mandolin, and bajan , a sort of button accordion, respectively. They live in Croatia since the 1990s, in the town of Lovran, and are performing throughout Croatia, as well as all over Europe. Their repertoire is enormous, ranging from classical pieces to traditional, folk and jazz music. Both educated at the Moscow Conservatory, they are lecturing in Croatia at the Music School of Mate Ronjgov in the town of Krk, as well as in the town of Rab, in respective departments for guitar & mandolin (Nataša), and Accordion (Volodimir).
Yoko Nishii Japanese pianist has a series of concerts throughout Croatia in Sep 2016
Yoko Nishii is known as a leading promoter of the music of Dora Pejačević, after having published the complete pianist works of the first Croatian woman composer in Tokyo in the Spring of 2016. Yoko-san is preparing her new concert tour in Croatia for September 2016, starting in the town of Rovinj on the Sep 8th. Having studied piano in Japan, Yoko-san continued her specialisation in Croatian town of Lovran. She is fluent in Croatian language, and in the past years visited as a pianist numerous Croatian towns. This time, by the courtesy of Mr. Vjeko Martinko, she will also be hosted among others by Hotel Villa Astra in Lovran, where she will meet her numerous friends.
Ante Gugo: In the Eyes of the STORM
Croatian war reporter’s, journalist’s and writer’s Ante Gugo’s best-selling non-fiction book in Croatia “Storm Which We Could Not Avoid” first released in 2015 in the Croatian language, twenty years after Croatia’s August 1995 swift and skillful Operation Storm liberated Krajina part of Croatia’s territory occupied and ethnically cleansed by Serb forces in early 1990’s, has now been translated into the English language and its title is “In the Eye of the Storm”. According to Dr. Slobodan Lang, “Storm” was humanitarian operation that prevented genocide. Congratulations on the occasion of Victory Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders on 5th August.
Nenad Bach's exciting summer 2016 in Croatia and in the USA
Nenad Bach, a world renowned musician and composer, has collaborated with a number of famous musicians, did what he promised to the city Šibenik, founded in 1066 AD – a unique ambient sound greeting for King Krešimir’s city on its 950th birthday. At 9:50 every day, Bach and his students had a promenade through the streets of Šibenik, drumming and chanting 900, 900, 900 – 50. Also, Nenad has been interviewed this summer for the TV show from Nashville, Waking Up in America , hosted by Tatiana Tajči Cameron, distinguished Croatian spiritual singer.
Brenda Brkusic won her 5th and 6th Emmy Awards at the Television Academy's LA Area Emmy Awards
Croatian American Brenda Brkusic (left) won her 5th and 6th Emmy Awards at the Television Academy’s LA Area Emmy Awards held on July 23, 2016. She was recognized as Executive Producer of “Variety Studio: Actors on Actors” and “China’s Challenges: Can China Be Harmonious?” Last year she took home an Emmy for Producing “Mia: A Dancer’s Journey” a film about Croatian-born ballerina Mia Corak Slavenska.
Steve Gadd to Headline the 10th Croatia Drum Camp in Groznjan August 1-10, 2016
Steve Gadd, Clapton’s favorite drummer with whom he recorded eleven albums – along with seven with Chick Corea, seven with Paul Simon, eight with George Benson, eight with Al Di Meola, four with Al Jarreau, two with Paul McCartney as well as one with James Brown, Patti Austin, B.B. King and Charles Mingus – was announced as Headliner at this year’s 10th Annual Croatia Drum Camp in Groznjan, (left), often labeled a ‘Leading Drum & Percussion Summer Camp in Europe.This ten-day-event, dedicated to the Art of drumming and promoting drummers as musical artists, includes a series of drum-clinics, seminars, masterclasses, concerts and VIP appearances from music industry executives.
Ljiljana Fruk and Marina Prijatelj of Croatian Choco Concept connecting Chocolates, Chemistry and Art
; Ljiljana Fruk and Marina Prijatelj believe that the main driving force in both science and art is the creativity. Artists create new realities, their imagination can run wild and they have a licence to experiment and push the boundaries. Scientists are not unlike artists, they just add a bit more of the analytical approach to exploration. They like to do both. Dr. Ljiljana Fruk on the photo, born in Krapina, Croatia, is lecturing Chemistry at the University of Cambridge.
Air-Pannonia Croatian aircraft company directed by Miroslav and Jasna Vlasic
The Air Pannonia company is a result of the long-standing experience in aviation. The Osijek airport LDOS in Croatia is the base airport for training. The Vlašić family has spent their entire lives in aviation industry, and they founded their first company, Air Tractor d.o.o. in 1993. They own the EASA ATO certificate. Aside from ATO, they also have certificate for the pilots’ English language proficiency, and also a valid flight simulator certificate. It is less known that the same company is also a successful aircraft maintenance company, as well as a CAMO organization. Airplane maintenance is performed throughout the entire territory of neighboring countries, EU and Turkey, where the company managed part of maintenance for general aviation. Air-Pannonia is directed by Miroslav and Jasna Vlašić; Zrinka, their daughter, is on the photo.