Sunday, July 17, 2005

Municipal Tourism Office Medulin

Municipal Tourism Office Medulin

Medulin is one of the most developed tourist district’s, but unfortunately, till now they had old and ugly web site. Now the launched brand new and good looking, with lots of information's for tourists: including beaches, photos, accommodation, sport and destinations: Medulin, Pomer, Banjole, Pjescana Uvala, Vinkuran and Premantura which contains one of the most beautiful natural parks in Croatia.
By the way, Premantura recently was on the target of construction entrepreneurs who wanted to deteriorate this beautiful coast:

(check more on medulin’s web site by your self) to be able to build some hotels and apartments. Recently there was elections, and municipal governance has changed, Younger people has arrived, so let’s hope that their level of consciouness is opposite of their ages: what means higher, and that they will know how to recognize priorities in rural development….
Municipal Tourism Office Medulin -->

Thursday, July 14, 2005

False accusations for pedophilia in Pula

False accusations for pedophilia in Pula?

Today’s newspapers has brought the news that accusation for pedophilia in case of children refuge in Pula was false, so seams that there is not case at all. I’m happy that things finished this way, because public opinion was rampantly going in direction of deprecation of employees in this activity. In effect it is good that things has resolved so quickly, this has eased a lot a life of accused people. But, and often there is one but, remains suspect that something has really happen. And in fact, according to my private sources which knows in first hand some of involved persons, there is at least one person for which this accusations are true. This fact, for me puts even more suspect in the fairness of our law and jurisdiction.

Power and responsability of media

However, seams that most of the named persons in that case are really innocent, and that some emotional and professional damage to them is done.
In last time I noticed that I’ve written more about medias and their attitude, than about situation itself. In our regional newspaper (“Glas Istre”) the first page is dedicated to this case today, but in Croatian biggest newspaper “Jutarnji list”, there is nothing more than little article somewhere in the middle of papers, while when scandal has emerged, they dedicated it first page!

Our wicked mind

This also reflects our wicked way of thinking: we always give more weight and attention to bad things than to good ones. And this is one of the reasons why we have the problem to see our life as joy - as we get older we see it more as sorrow. Our mind have to be purified properly if we want to sense real life joy, not only sensual pleasures, which are far below experiencing every moment in full.

Light side - Dark side

Have somebody watched “Star wars: Revenge of the sith”? What was the power of sith lord Darth Sidious, that bounded Anakin Skywalker in the darkness? it was not his battle skill, it was his power to recognize our inner fears and bondages: bondages with people, with concepts (philosophy, religion, science), with things(houses, cars, possessions). He used Anakin’s fear of loosing his wife (as he lost his mother) to turn him to the dark side. Dark side means surrender to the fear, anger, will to dominate… Dark side makes us do bad things: that harms other, that brings pain and suffering, that breaks balance. Fear makes us sometimes lie, desire make us sometime cheat to achieve object of our desire. And we consider it as normal, we always have excuses for our little lies. This is all dark side because dark side means shadowing the clarity: falsity that shadows the truth (we cannot see in dark). Thus our selves become unable to see clearly(what is truth and what untruth): this is the price of the dark side. When we lie to others, we will lie to our selves also; the dark side has no friends, dark can overcome light only by complete annihilation of all existing, because every being has a light of consciousness-awareness inside, everyone is enemy of dark side: in fact it will destroy even its “servants”.

Our real self

Everybody, knowing it or not, strive to self realization, strive to become light and not dark, regardless how one can be seduced by desires, power, fear… his deepest wish is to become one with the light, to be fully aware of its own existence - of itself. Thus, there is no bad man in his core. Even the most cruel terrorist deep within has same longing as we are. Think about worst thing that may happen to you: Isn’t this loss of self consciousness? Think for a while what is use of anything other then? In that state You don’t have wife and children, You don’t possess any good or wealth, in that case Your body and senses are of no use. So, the mythical battle of good and bad, dark and light happens right within our selves. It represents our rise from complete self oblivion to fully awareness of our being.

Fear and happiness

As long as we have fear (fear for our children’s, fear of losing job, fear of nature, fear of terrorist) we will not be able to experience bliss or even happiness, because our attention will be always drawn away by potential threats, and thus we are unable of sensing or seeing good things that in the same moment coexists with the potential threat. So every moment has good and bad (dark and light side) potential, and what we experience depends on which side we will turn our attention. All depends on color of our glasses (our way to see things). But while we are bound by the dark side, we are not able to sense real happiness: only worries and fears: So Darth Vader, regardless of his great powers was not happy, and one of our highest duties is to be happy, since this precious gift of life was given to us.

Monday, July 11, 2005

Pedophilic scandals in Croatia

• Well, this is an topic that I must write about for several reasons:
• It concerns society and education
• It concern children’s with special needs
Most recent case happened to be in Pula (Istria), my hometown.
Recently many cases of pedophilia went out, maybe most exposed cases was of catholic priest’s (at least here in Croatia), but seams that such an awful sexual deviation is running rampant all over the world. Is such wide dispersion a new phenomenon, or it was always like this, only we didn’t know it?
I know that events I’m talking about are shadowed by London Bombing, but this is a regional blog, and for our region this is maybe even more important topic.
Recently two cases went out: one in caritas home in Brezovica, and other in refuge for children’s with problematic behavior in Pula. I will not go in details what has happened, but it is enough to say that some were accused for sexual violations over minors, and others for covering up the crime. It is interesting to note how organizations and institutions which should protect children’s, are often abusing their position (we can only ask our selves how many other public functions are abused for personal profit also?). And more, it has came up that many cases where known to institutions before public scandal, it is to be asked why they did not reacted before? Do we have to wait for journalists to discover what is happening around us? So we can easily come to conclusion that it is difficult to trust one’s honesty, the institutions are not performing their tasks, there are composed of corruptible people afraid for their own positions and welfare more than for fulfilling their mission.

So is any remedy here?

Yes, but people’s mind, preferences and priorities has to change. As long as we look at this world 99% materialistic, thing will not change. People that are performing such and other evil acts are nothing than a product of our civilization, out way to think, our medias and frustrations produced by everyday life.

The other part of the coin

So media has made a big rush around this two cases, many people were publicly accused and thus extruded in front of friends, relatives and community but not all of them are guilty. How will they wash their name? For a lifetime a scarf will remain. So this is the other part of the coin, where innocents are accused, and again the media here bear a great responsibility to find right balance: but borders are often overpasses, and big damage is done. I here especially refer to the case from Pula, where name of the principal Aleksandar Tašić is one of the most exposed, but it seams that he does not bear the guilt. My wife knows him from the childhood, and she knows him as very good and honest person. She can be wrong, but the charges can be wrong also. In the meanwhile, his name was spotted as also the name of many educators, which may not be guilty at also. They are described almost as insensitive animals. Some of them can be like this, but others (majority) not for shore. Who will provide them job tomorrow, if they loose this one because of bad name acquired in this situation?
Here I remember Jesus word’s: “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged”. This is second commandment, and first is also very interesting in this context: “Do not swear oaths at all. Just say Yes or No.”. So I’ve already talked too much…. Let’s say only good bye!

Friday, July 01, 2005

Announcement: 10th Smrikva Bowl Finals


Event Place: Štinjan (Pula) – Croatia – Istria
Event time: 02 july 2005 at 9:00
Entrance: free
“Smrikva Bowl” is biggest European tennis tournament for boys and girls under 10. It is organized by tennis club “Smrikve”, based in little place near Pula, called Štinjan. You can check Smrikve’s website, and Last Year’s tournament and photos! Very nice, as You can see from the photos, the children’s are having much fun, and stellar treatment!
For last three years, also, US vs. Europe was organized: Best players from US’s “Little Mo” tennis tournament (Andy Roddick won Little Mo in 1992) and best players from “Smrikva Bowl” compete for Little Mo/Smrikva Bowl championship, which is very exciting, because we are watching future champions!
Imagine that whole families with children’s have came from 3 continents to participate at this prestigious tournament, to gain new experience, find new friends … The children’s from US are willing to travel for more than 20 hours to get to the tournament, so it must be something special.
With 95 participants from 21 countries, it is one of the biggest sport events in our town, with tourist importance also: it gathers more than 400 people (children’s, parents, trainers…), and most of them decide to spend some holidays here also. Manny participants and parents will gladly remember this tournament, they will spread the word about Istrian beauties, and perhaps some of them will return to visit this place as big tennis stars. So, the positive impacts on our community are multiple, and it is pity that this great work, which would not be possible without support of number of enthusiasts and volunteers, is not better supported by our official district or tourist board.
So I highly recommend it to everyone interested in tennis, you will have the possibility to see future Wimbledon winner, the best boys and girls from Europe and US, are already there, they wait only for You… Enjoy!
ps.
We will know the finalist’s this evening, but probably I will not publish this, only final results….