Author: billkralovec

Arrest of Karadzic

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Protest , originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

We happened to be downtown today at the same time the protest march was coming around. Above is the front of the group that was marching through the streets of Belgrade. Our taxi was diverted by police and I snapped this photo through the window. There were many policemen all decked out in riot gear, but it was quite civilized and peaceful. We were on our way to dinner to Pizza Hut which is downtown, but we decided it best to get back to our neighborhood of Senjak to find something to eat.

The protesters are against the arrest of Radovan Karadzic. He was the first President of the Republic Srpska. The Republic Srpska is the Serbian half of the nation of Bosnia & Herzogovina. Mr. Karadzic has been a fugitive from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia since 1995. He is the 44th Serb to be brought to the ICTY. He is charged with 10 counts of various war crimes from his time leading the war effort in Bosnia from 1992-95.

Radovan sounds like a character in a Dostoevsky novel! He has lived a full life to say the least. I can see why many Serbs admire him, he is steeped in “Serbdom.” His father was a Chetnik fighter in WWII and after the war was imprisoned by the Tito’s Communist party. Karadzic is a psychologist by training, even spending a year at Columbia University in New York. He is a published poet and has won awards for his works. He was imprisoned for a year himself by the Yugoslav Communist government on charges of fraud and embezzlement while working at a hospital in Belgrade.

He next got into politics and founded the Serbian Democratic Party of Bosnia. This was during the chaotic time of the breakup of Yugoslavia and the downfall of communism in Eastern Europe. His Bosnian Serb party promoted a union of Bosnia with Serbia and they organized a vote for an independent government. A day later Bosnia went independent from Yugoslavia and that is when the violence started. Karadzic assumed the Head of State powers of the Republica Srpska. Like in the USA, the President is also Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and head of the Security Council. Karadzic is being charged by the ICTY for being the leader of the armed forces that carried out the Siege of Sarajevo, the Srebenica Massacre, and kidnapping UN personnel. In his defense, he is claiming that he acted as any normal president would in a time of war.

He was captured Monday on a public bus in Belgrade. He had been running an alternative medicine clinic under an assumed name. He was a guru of “Human Quantum Energy” and claimed that his methods helped sexual disorders among other ailments. He looks like Saddam Hussein looked when he was captured in December of 2003. Below is the front page of the Blic newspaper of Belgrade and it shows how long his hair and beard are.

Arrival to Belgrade

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We made it to Belgrade and we are in our new home! The flights went very well without delays. The kids were well behaved, especially Owen and Oliver. They had their own personal movies on the flight that they loved. Ocean was a bit of work as she would only sleep on me and that was after a lot of bouncing and fidgeting. Goran and Gordana Z. were at the airport to greet us with the school van. We lost one piece of luggage out of the 13. We flew Northwest Airlines over the Atlantic and then the Serbian national line JAT to Belgrade. We were not impressed with the Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris, it was a bit shoddy. The only thing nice about it was the Concord placed in the middle of the airport.

Our home is much bigger than it looked in the photos. We are in a very nice neighborhood of Belgrade called Senjak. Gordana prepared the house with food and bedding etc. so we are settled in quite nicely. The school really set us up well!!!!

Lots of work to be done around the house. I wish my brother Andy and Dad were here with their handyman abilities and tool kits! I just didn’t get that construction gene they have. I’ll start blogging photos of the settling in as soon as I can.

A big thank you to my parents and brothers for a wonderful summer! My Dad and Andy dropped us off at the airport and Shelly came over with my nephews to say a goodbye to our children. It was very sad to leave my mother – we love you! We were surprised at the airport by my Aunt Darlene, my mom’s sister! She came up and fed Ocean and had dinner with us before our flight.

Kralovec Flight Plans: July 21 – 22, 2008

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We leave tomorrow for Belgrade, Serbia. We have been working hard on packing, cleaning, and getting ready to go. Still a few more things to do tomorrow morning before we leave in the afternoon. We fly out tomorrow evening. The tickets cost $1,429.43 each for the adults. We are flying Northwest Airlines out of Austin Straubel Airport in Green Bay Wisconsin at 6:00 PM. Our connecting flight is through Detroit on Air France. We leave Detroit at 9:30 PM and land in Paris at 11:35 AM the next day. On Tuesday then we fly from Paris to Belgrade landing in Serbia at 3:20 PM local time. The flight from Paris to Belgrade is 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Yearly Physical & Blood/Urine Test Results

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On July 11 2008 I went to Dr. Vickie Marie Cloutier at the Iron County Community Hospital for my yearly physical and testing. Overall I continue to be in good health with some concerns on my cholesterol.

My cholesterol levels were high however. I had a total cholesterol level of 226 which is in the range (200-240) of borderline risk. My past results are 215 in December of 2005 and 199 in July of 2007. The risk of having high levels of cholesterol in my blood is for heart and blood vessel disease. As this level increases, the possiblity of clogging the arteries which would result in a heart attack or stroke.

My bad cholesterol or low density lipoprotein (LDL) level was 166 and this puts me in the high (160-189) range. My previous results were 148 (Dec 05) and 146 (July 07). Deposits of cholesterol form in the arteries when these levels are high.

My good cholesterol (HDL) level was 41. Previously I had 40 (Dec 05) and 33 (July 07). The good cholesterol takes away the deposits in the arteries.

My triglyceride level was 95. Previously I had 133 (Dec 05) and 123 (July 07). Normal levels are 35-160 so these are fine.

I should get those levels down a bit. I need to eat less fatty foods, exercise more, and I really think, eat less in general. I have a healthy appetite and love food, but as I get older, I should eat less. I am much less active than before, especially with three young children and a busy career.

The rest of the test was fine with two exceptions. The urinalysis, HIV, Hep B, and GGTP were all normal. In the hemotology, the two results that were abnormal were as follows:

RDW 11.4  low (11.5-16.5 normal) RDW refers to the Red Blood Cell distribution width. The red blood cells need to be within this width to properly carry oxygen.

Mono % 14.3 high  (1.7 – 9.3) The monocytes or white blood cell count was high but I think this reflects the strep throat infection I had in late June.

Bill & Nadia’s Hot Date: “Run Your Bass Off”

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Bill & Nadia Warm Up, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Sunday Nadia and I ran the 28th annual “Run Your Bass Off” 10 kilometer road race in Crystal Falls, Michigan. The race is part of the Bass Festival held at Runkle Lake. We were unsure of going when we got up Sunday morning as it was 50 degrees F and drizzling. We powered through however and got the kids up and packed and drove the 15 miles to the other side of Iron County. We dropped the boys off with our good friend’s the Bonetti family and dropped Ocean of at my aunt Ione’s home in Crystal Falls. It was great! We felt like we were on a date with no kids. As you can see, I was a bit more excited about running in the cool weather than Nadia.

Most of the 279 present were running the shorter “Half Bass” or 5 kilometer run/walk. Crystal Falls should be renamed Crystal Hills as there were killer hills throughout the race. There were some nice scenic spots as we ran by the Paint River. Nadia and I ran together as it was a rare opportunity for us to do something together sans offspring. Nadia started off slow but then got her second wind and we passed some runners. There was a large hill however at the 4 mile mark that took the wind out of her sails and she slowed a bit. In the last 2 miles she recovered and we finished strong together at 1 hour and 2 minutes. We didn’t win but that wasn’t the point. We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly and got out and did some exercise.

My favorite meal: Pizza Rolls

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Every time I come home to Caspian for a visit my mother makes my favorite meal. She calls them pizza rolls, and they are an Italian dough and meat cinnamon roll shape covered in a red sauce. It is a simple recipe and the only work is in preparing and shaping the dough.

To the right is how the dough is laid out and the meat placed. It is then carefully rolled and cut into small slices.

My mother got the recipe from her mother who got it from Mrs. Stiffe, a neighbor in their Italian neighborhood of Caspian. I’ve eaten these since I was a kid and always eat too many of them.

Below my Dad and Mom enjoy the pizza rolls in the foreground. My brother and his family came from Iron Mountain to enjoy the rolls and spend some time with us. We went up to the baseball field and played with the kids after the meal.

Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups of flour
  • 6 eggs (2 eggs per 1 cup of flour
  • 1/2 tablespoon of salt
  • 1 large cup of tomato sauce
  • 1 large cup of pizza sauce
  • 1 can water per each can

Meat: 1 – 1 & 1/2 pounds of hamburger (add 1/4 – 1/2 ground pork), salt, pepper, garlic salt, onion (mix well together)

Instructions: Mix flour & salt – add eggs (dough will be soft and sticky) add a little milk if too dry. Put oil on hands and over dough. Divide in half – roll on floured bread 1/4 ” thick. Spread on meat – roll like a jelly roll-cut 1″ slices – place 1″ apart in cake pan. Mix sauces and water – pour over slices – cover – bake 350° F for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Andy’s tip – mix the meat the night before to make it easier and it gives the pork a chance to give more flavor to the beef.

Lake Superior Pilgrimage – Family Journal July 13-14, 2008

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Ontanogan City Park, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Sunday we drove up to Ontonogan for our annual trip to one of the Great Lakes. My town of Caspian is located an hour from Lake Superior and Lake Michigan and every summer we try to at least spend a day at the beach. We usually go with my brother’s family and our good friends the Bonettis. This year Jim couldn’t make it, but we went up with Mark, his wife Danell, and children Brandl and Lauren.

We wanted also to explore the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. It was about 90 miles away from Caspian. We stayed at the Superior Shores Resort located on the Lake about 6 miles outside of the park. The annual trip is also a celebration of “Yooper Culture” and we try to stay in locally owned motels and eat in local restaraunts.

Lake Superior is one of my favorite places in the world. It has the largest surface area of any freshwater lake in the world (82,178 km square). It’s average depth is 149 meters. It is the Lake that took down the ss Edmond Fitzgerald in 1975, memorilized in that famous song by Gordon Lightfoot. British poet Rupert Brooke had noted in 1913, “These monstrous lakes, which ape the oceans, are not proper to fresh water or salt. They have souls, and they are wicked ones.” It is also a very cold lake, with an average temperature of 40 degrees F. The lake is huge and cold and beautiful. (I like that Hemmingway-esque description)

The weather was cold on Sunday, we we loved it. After we settled in to the motel, we went for a hike at the Lake of the Clouds inside the park. We made it down to the lake in back. In the evening we went to the Kontecka Supper Club in near by White Pine. This is a dying little town near the park. There used to be a big copper mine, but when it shut down in the late 80’s, so did most of the town. The club feeds local wild bears and it was great the kids had a chance to watch the big black bears come in. I do not like this artificial feeding, but it has helped the club survive. Many tourists go there to watch the bears and have a bite to eat.

The next day we made a short stop at Bonanza Falls after lounging at the motel and a pancake breakfast at Syl’s Cafe in Ontonogan. There was a bad smell downtown Ontonogan from the big paper mill. The mill makes corrugated cardboard and employs around 300 people. We then drove just east of town and there is a nice public beach on the lake. It was a nice sunny day and we really enjoyed a day at the beach. I took the photo of Owen above.

We came home and then I took the kids up to the weight room as my brother needed to watch the football players. You can click on our flickr photos to see more photos from the trip. I would like to that Mark and Danell for being such wonderful company!

Family Journal: July 11-12, 2008

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There was no time to blog on Friday or Saturday. Friday morning we went up to the Ice Lake hospital and met with Dr. Naseem Rizkalla. He is a very nice gentleman from Jordon who has been practicing in the US for over 20 years. At Nadia’s physical Thursday, Dr. Cloutier referred her to Dr. Rizkalla for her diastisis. Dr. Rizkalla agreed to see us free of charge since the insurance would have taken a few days to authorize. He quickly examined Nadia and did concur with Dr. Cloutier that surgery would be necessary. Nadia’s abdominal muscles are stretched from three preganncies (especially Owen’s) and there is a bulge. Since we are leaving so soon (July 21) he did not want to do the procedure now. It will be painful and Nadia is still nursing. She will have to wait for a better time. It is not a matter of life or death and she can continue to do all the activities that she normally does as there is no threat for a hernia according to Dr. Rizkalla. I also went to get my blood test for the William Russell life insurance in case I cannot be insured locally. More on that later, but I did can say I did not have TB.

In the afternoon we went to Iron Mountain to meet with our friend and real estate agent, Monica Maule. She works for Stephens GMAC and is trying to sell our house in a really bad market. We then went shopping at Dunham’s Sports for running shoes, shorts, etc. After that was done, we went to my brother’s house. Jimmer and I took the boys for a hike above the hills of Iron Mountain. There are still lots of wood ticks around the woods as we found dozens of them on us. Nadia absolutely freaks outs about wood ticks! My sister-in-law Michelle prepared her famous north side lasagna and we stuffed our faces.

Saturday was spent packing. We have 8 boxes to send to New Jersey to ship to Serbia.

In between packing, I played football and soccer with the kids and took all three up to Community Center to play in the park. The boys helped Grandpa in the garage in the morning too. He can still box at age 75!

In the evening, we went up to the Gaastra Field and watched my brother Andy play soccer. Every Saturday evening at 6:00 PM, people get together to play soccer there. I got into the game for awhile and it felt good to run around a bit.

This morning we are getting ready to do the Run Your Bass Off 10KM in Crystal Falls Michigan. It was 53 degrees F when I woke up with the wind howling! We will then spend the night in a motel on the shores of Lake Superior near the Porcupine Mountains wilderness area.

Family Journal: Thursday July 10, 2008

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Ocean Eating, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

It was a tough day yesterday for Nadia. We are both tired of the housework and child care that is usually taken care of by our domestic help in Venezuela. We had two girls come in Monday – Friday to assist us with the house and children while we were working. We never had to wash/dry/iron clothes, clean the house, cook lunch or breakfast and clean up afterwards. Other things such as cleaning the car, mowing the lawn, etc. were taken care of by the school’s maintenance department. Much time goes into these kinds of things and it takes away from the “quality” time of spending time with our children doing enjoyable activities or stimulating our intellects.

Nadia had a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon for her physical for her new job. The doctor recommended immediate surgery on her diastisis. This is a spreading of the stomach muscles in women after pregnancy. She feels a loose area there and the doctor was impressed that Nadia had been walking around with it for so long. We are sorting through the insurance and choice of doctor this morning. I need to find our more about the procedure, but it would require an overnight stay in the hospital. I understand they will either sew or insert mesh into the stomach muscles to hold it together better. Entry would be through the belly button. More posts later on this.

In better news, Ocean is growing so fast! She is getting even chubbier. The video above shows her eating and she does have a healthy appetite when she is in the mood. She is crawling everywhere and we had to put her in the crib so she doesn’t destroy the house.

We are also packing boxes to be shipped to the International Schools Services ware house in New Jersey. Our school is having a second shipment of cargo from the USA to Serbia go out in mid-October. They are very generous in the amount of shipping we get and we appreciate it, especially with a big family.

Family Journal: Wednesday July 9, 2008

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Uncle Dan, Mom, & Aunt Darlene, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

We had a nice visit yesterday from my Uncle Dan and Aunt Darlene. The three Heikkila siblings are shown above. My mother is in the middle. The other surviving sister Ione could not make it, but she came up earlier in the summer. I haven’t seen Dan and Darlene in a while and it was good to sit and talk with them. My uncle Dan donated his kidney to his sister/my mother years ago and has always been kind to my family. Both Dan and Darlene are enjoying their retirement and live in Green Bay, Wisconsin. We spent many of a family vacation when I was growing up staying at their homes. I have lots of good memories of the fun times I had with all of my cousins.

Of course on the way home they needed to stop for a Riverside Pizza. The Riverside Bar and Restaurant is a landmark in Iron River. They make a unique pizza that is sliced in little squares instead of the normal big pie pieces. the sauce, cheese and other toppings are delicious as well as the thin crust. A one-of-a-kind pizza that I don’t understand why they never tried to spread it. All tourists and former residents have to eat one during their visit.

In the afternoon I went for a physical at the Iron County Community Hospital. I need to get a physical and TB test for my new school. I got a booster vaccine of DTP (diptheria, tetanus, pertussis). I was four years late with the last booster shot received in 1994.