tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54537848976130673092024-03-13T22:06:38.880+01:00Croatian CrescentMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.comBlogger237125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-32392360724917142532017-02-10T17:27:00.001+01:002017-02-10T17:29:04.244+01:00Van Kroatië naar JapanDit blog is al in geen tijden meer bijgewerkt. Inmiddels heb ik een ander publicatieplatform gevonden, namelijk Blendle. Klik hier als je mijn artikel wilt lezen over herbivore mannen en seksloze tieners in Japan. Het enige wat je nodig hebt is een e-mailadres. Als je je voor het eerst aanmeldt bij Blendle, krijg je €2,50 tegoed en kun je mijn stuk dus gratis lezen.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-64819437688333549522009-11-22T22:14:00.002+01:002009-11-22T22:27:25.591+01:00Schimmig KroatiëEen paar maanden geleden verscheen het boek De poppenspeler en de duivelin van de Vlaamse schrijver Johan de Boose. Ik heb het nog niet helemaal uit, dus ik kan er geen afgerond oordeel over geven. Vooralsnog sluit ik me aan bij de recensie van David Jan Godfroid op diens Belgradoblog. Ook ik heb moeite met de filosofische en literaire dwarsverbanden die De Boose voortdurend legt, want hoewel Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-13497289655187471822009-11-19T08:25:00.001+01:002009-11-19T12:06:30.153+01:00Melancholie"Als gevolg van het mislukken van het debat over de grondwet zal de overheid in Bosnië en Herzegovina nog machtelozer blijven dan hij (sic) al is. Maffia-achtige nationalisten, dubieuze religieuze leiders en door tycoons omgekochte politici krijgen daarmee nog meer speelruimte om machteloze, arme, aan willekeur overgeleverde mensen nog verder te manipuleren. De EU en Carl Bildt hebben daarmee Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-43643172176218145362009-11-18T17:19:00.005+01:002009-11-18T17:49:04.165+01:00VukovarVandaag is het achttien jaar geleden dat Vukovar in handen viel van het Servische leger, hoewel dat officieel nog het Joegoslavische Volksleger heette. Ook vorig jaar en het jaar daarvoor besteedde ik daar aandacht aan. Dit is alweer de derde maal dat ik de kaarsen langs de Vukovarstraat in Zagreb fotografeerde.Al is de ceremonie elk jaar min of meer dezelfde, de duizenden kaarsen blijven een Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-39680013202823632842009-11-14T13:07:00.004+01:002009-11-14T13:58:40.831+01:00Babies and birdsLately I don't have much time to write posts for my blog, but I want to take away the impression that Croatian Crescent is dead. The easiest and fastest thing to do is to refer to other sources with interesting stories, and that's precisely what I am going to do.Babies first. The Economist writes about alarming demographic trends in several Balkan countries. I have earlier paid some attention (Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-1250635395796394992009-10-06T08:48:00.001+02:002009-10-06T10:09:51.956+02:00IronyA few months ago asbestos was found in Lisinksi. Lisinski is Zagreb's one and only concert hall, so performances will have to be relocated for as long as the removal of asbestos will last. The famous Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, for example, will now (today) play in Dom sportova (House of Sports), an indoor sporting arena. This concrete bunker seems a weird choice for a renowned orchestra that Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-33202759001258281312009-09-30T09:40:00.006+02:002009-09-30T11:10:16.024+02:00Hongarije (2)Quinque Ecclesiae, Quinque Basilicae, Fünfkirchen. Van de oorspronkelijke vijf kerken die Pécs zijn naam gaven is weinig meer over, dus er moeten andere redenen zijn geweest om Pécs uit te roepen tot European Capital of Culture in 2010. Samen met Istanbul en Essen welteverstaan. Het motto van Pécs is "De grenzeloze stad". Aardig voor wie uit de Europese Unie komt, maar voor Kroaten - buren nota Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-31739695296614895312009-09-25T18:12:00.006+02:002009-09-27T17:14:44.168+02:00Hongarije (1)Deze week was ik twee keer in Hongarije. De eerste keer per auto bij het Balatonmeer en de tweede keer in Pecs, een uur of vier treinen vanaf Zagreb. Hoewel (continentaal) Kroatië met geen enkel land zo'n lange gedeelde geschiedenis (1102-1918) heeft als met Hongarije, stellen de Kroatisch-Hongaarse verhoudingen niet veel voor. Wenen is in alle opzichten het voorbeeld voor Zagreb, Duits en Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-65371965761559226682009-09-13T10:30:00.004+02:002009-09-13T11:45:18.195+02:00Voetbal"De Engelsen missen iets," zei de Kroatische bondscoach Slaven Bilić aan de vooravond van de WK-kwalificatiewedstrijd Engeland-Kroatië. Wat dat "iets" is, zullen we nooit weten, want Engeland vernederde Kroatië met 5-1. "Het grootste voetbalverlies uit onze geschiedenis," zei een wanhopige commentator. Schrale troost dat die geschiedenis pas in 1993 begon. De ironie is nu dat als Kroatië nog naarMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-24828045135916613472009-09-11T15:55:00.005+02:002009-09-13T11:46:34.457+02:00DeblokadaAsk any Croat what "deblokada" means and you'll get the same answer: "Deblokada would be the end of Slovenia's criminal obstruction of Croatia's EU negotiations". The word has dominated the headlines for a long time: Deblokade now! Soon deblokada! Soon deblokada? - and many other versions. Today Slovenia and Croatia agreed, finally, on a deblokada. Prime ministers Pahor (Slovenia) and Kosor (Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-58005204519640513332009-09-05T13:01:00.004+02:002009-09-05T14:11:50.248+02:00Croatian wineAnthony Rose, a British wine journalist, focuses in today's The Independent on Croatian wine. His conclusion: "[S]cratch beneath the surface and it becomes clear that Croatia has a diverse indigenous wine culture whose dry whites and reds, as well as its sparkling and sweet wines, have the potential to add significantly to the wine styles we enjoy in the UK." Surface, in this case, refers to Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-29912848997770365922009-09-05T10:08:00.005+02:002009-09-05T11:57:58.703+02:00Tweederangs EuropeanenDe site Presseurop biedt vertalingen van krantenartikelen in diverse talen van de Europese Unie. Die stukken komen niet alleen uit de bekende Europese kranten (Le Monde, The Daily Telegraph, enzovoort; de bronnen die steevast door Welingelichte kringen worden geraadpleegd) maar ook uit kranten die in Nederland door bijna niemand gelezen worden, maar wel in Hongarije, IJsland of Roemenië. Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-28920030906368125642009-09-04T14:40:00.007+02:002009-09-04T16:10:51.284+02:0036 hours in ZagrebAlex Crevar, a New York Times correspondent, spent 36 hours in Zagreb and wrote an article about his impressions and experiences."The Croatian capital is in the midst of an identity crisis. Geographically, Croatia is indisputably part of the Balkan Peninsula, but call a chic Zagrebian Balkan and prepare to get an earful. While Zagreb’s vibe is indeed more Vienna than, say, Belgrade, it can also Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-71478606934462854892009-09-03T13:11:00.005+02:002009-09-03T15:01:56.878+02:00Future ExpressVorige week zag ik een aflevering van Future Express, een programma dat met vertraging door BVN wordt uitgezonden. De aflevering "Zagreb-Mostar Express" (Aflevering 3 - Ontwaken in een nieuwe droom - Bosnië) ging over voormalig Joegoslavië, de oorlog van toen, de jongeren van nu en hun dromen over morgen. De aflevering is hier te bekijken.Strikt genomen rijdt de trein van Zagreb naar Ploče, beideMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-41290148470536832482009-08-27T13:36:00.002+02:002009-08-27T15:30:49.607+02:00Ivo Sanader "has AIDS"Serbian tabloid Kurir, a paper with a questionable reputation I must add, claims to know why Croatian prime minister Ivo Sanader quit his job without giving any explanation. Sanader "has AIDS". Kurir does not mention any sources, but refers to the treatment Sanader underwent in hospital, beginning August. Sanader, while cruising the Adriatic, urgently had go to a hospital, where he was Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-8839359291470620722009-08-12T14:57:00.006+02:002009-08-12T16:18:45.508+02:00Capital of boredomU2 gave two concerts this week in Zagreb. It was the biggest event in a decade as famous artists usually shun Zagreb. Tens of thousands of tourists came to Zagreb. It was unusual to see the streets teeming with foreigners, because Zagreb is not a tourist destination and many Croats spend the summer on the coast.After two tumultuous days, Zagreb is as it always is in summer. Hot, empty, boring. Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-24980667195639494972009-07-26T10:19:00.005+02:002009-08-12T16:20:25.271+02:00Scorching heatAfter vacation in cooler parts of Europe, Croatia welcomed me with a heatwave. Last week temperatures rose as high as 39 in some parts of the country. This week will be hot too, with 36 degrees expected on Thursday.When back in Zagreb, first thing I did was getting an electric fan in nearby Getro (my apartment is not air conditioned). It was made in Croatia and packed in a simple, white carton Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-52267369138082096052009-07-04T08:45:00.000+02:002009-07-04T08:45:00.903+02:00Croatian Crescent's summer vacationThis is my 100th post on this blog. Time for a beer and a break. I'm going on vacation for two weeks.I have never had more visitors than the last two days, but almost none of them showed interest for the advertisements on this weblog. I can't even fill up my rent-a-car tank with the money that Google Adsense owes me.The Croatian Tourist Organization wants us spend our holidays in Croatia. With Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-63893172166776593272009-07-02T19:18:00.004+02:002009-07-02T20:14:16.845+02:00Sanader's reasons for stepping downOne and a half day after Croatian prime minister Sanader resigned we know as little about his reason as at the very beginning. Croatian society is taken hostage by Sanader's refusal to say why he stepped down. He said it was for "personal reasons", but immediately added that "thank God" he is not ill. So what is he? Tired? I guess so. But name me one prime minister or president who is not tired. Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-56285100700845485762009-07-01T19:39:00.005+02:002009-07-01T19:52:37.297+02:00Jadranka Kosor, Croatia's new faceThis is the new face of Croatia. Or old face, because Jadranka Kosor was always by Sanader's side. This is the bio of his most faithful supporter, from the website of the Croatian government.* Date of birth: 1st July 1953 in PakracEducation* Graduated at the Faculty of Law in Zagreb * Elementary School and High School completed in LipikProfessional career* 1991-1995 As a journalist of Croatian Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-17662403059735747942009-07-01T15:46:00.004+02:002009-07-02T20:15:55.396+02:00Sanader's resignationAn overview of the reactions and consequences after Croatian prime minister Sanader announced his resignation today. Sanader also stepped down as president of the ruling HDZ party. He won a second term in office less than two years ago.Main opposition leader Zoran Milanović (SDP) said that Croatia needs new elections. Ljubo Jurčić, a foremost economist and half-hearted SPD member, thinks that Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-9272073835647422462009-07-01T14:39:00.006+02:002009-07-01T15:43:49.500+02:00Prime minister Ivo Sanader steps downUpdate: Asked for the reason of his resignation, Sanader stated that "I can't say that my resignation is not related to those problems", referring to the Slovenian blockade of Croatia's negotiations with the European Union.I turned on the TV to watch the tennis match between Roger Federer and Ivo Karlović on HRT2. Match of the year, the commentator told us yesterday. Instead, the news of the day Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-20117262778871312242009-06-28T11:41:00.000+02:002009-06-28T11:41:01.535+02:00FlagsStatesmen who visit Zagreb and are being driven from the airport to the center always take the Ulica hrvatske bratske zajednice, the Croatian Brotherhood Society Street or something. Croats have a talent for abbreviating lengthy names of streets and squares, but unfortunately there seems to be no alternative for Ulica hrvatke bratske zajednice. Any suggestions? Traditionally, at the end (or Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-16848808847636069552009-06-27T16:56:00.006+02:002009-06-28T14:33:07.366+02:00Buy one, get moreEnough about politics, it's time for a culinary event: cleaning fish. Don't read or scroll down if you can't stand bloody pictures.First a general observation. Buy one, get two. Buy two, get three. Supermarkets in Western Europe try to attract customers that way, but it is unheard of in Croatia. Only recently supermarkets started to discount certain products. In pubs it is not uncommon to see on Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5453784897613067309.post-80571895807124634352009-06-27T15:19:00.002+02:002009-06-27T16:35:00.797+02:00Air spaceWhen Chinese president Hu Jintao left Croatia, his presidential plane was escorted by two Croatian fighter jets. These two jets seems to have violated Slovenian air space. Hardly surprising, I thought. You almost need a helicopter to take off from Zagreb airport if you don't want to enter Slovenian air space, as Zagreb is very close to the Slovenian border.Some Slovenes are very angry about the Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228691649230977391noreply@blogger.com0