Nachricht Nummer : 354 Übertragungszeit : 3 min 55 sec Nachricht von : WAM@ZAMIR-ZG.comlink.de (Wam) Betrifft : Zagreb Diary on 23 December, 1993 Kopienempfänger : /APC/YUGO/ANTIWAR, /CL/EUROPA/BALKAN Erstellungsdatum : 31.12.1993 21:36:00 W+1 Zagreb Diary 23 December, 1993 Dobar dan, Yesterday evening I met Greorg, a guy from East-Berlin, who was part of the first Mennonites working group at the refugee center on Brac last year in September, if I remember well. He has been back a lot of time since then with relief transport and just delivered help with a small convoy to Nascisce. He stayed behind since he didn't liked to spend the Christmas days in Berlin, East and West Berlin is totally gone since they opened the wall, everybody is lost, is his feeling. He had heard from the workcamps in Pakrac and like to come there, to see if he could make himself useful there and try to support the project from Berlin (he is just building up workshop for Vietnamese unemployed (their were a lot of student and guest workers from Vietnam in East Germany when the wall came down and a lot of them stayed) in Germany and they have to produce something what is useful in this area). We talked till deep in the evening and I am surprised that police agent who control us only asks for his car papers. Really very early we had to be out of bed, so around the time that all workers from Croatia are slowly movement towards their working spot, at least those in Zagreb and other big cities, although this was also the moment that we started this summer in Pakrac, 6 o'clock Vesna J. had to be at the state printer in order to start with the preparation for printing ARKzin there. It sounds still funny but the only independent monthly from Croatia, known for it criticism against the government and the so-called freedom of press is printed at the biggest state printer in the country. Can we be proud of ourselves or are we bought, that is the question, we shall see, it sounds still funny. The two main reason was the it was at the first the cheapest solution (twice more for half the price), secondly the only reliable solution, other printers have so much to do that they switch their promises at the moment you arrive and you have to wait a day or even longer more. And it safes us transport, since the state printer is in the same building as the state distribution center, which takes care that ARKzin lays tomorrow, the day before Christmas in all the Kiosk in Zagreb (and Monday in the rest of the country). Of course the one who had to pick us up was at least half an hour late and also knew a shorter way, which was at least 5 more Kilometres, if you asked me, so by the time we were arriving the morning crew was already working for a hour. In this printer and on this graphical department they print almost 75% of what you see in Croatia, especially all the magazine and newspaper. But walking through the printing rooms we saw also the brand-new promotion calendar of one of the first HV brigades, a Croatian book who to learn English, the magazine of Croatian Red Cross, a poster of HV and naked women on pin-ups of course, what do you think. And in each room, I checked it, of course, the Croatian flag and the Croatian symbol, which is not really neccessary since flag and symbol you can find on half the printing work they make. In a huge room with at least 100 of this old fashion light tables and over 30 people working, majority women, we had to glue to A4 print outs into A3 and put the photo's and other illustrations at the right places (every thing what we can yet do on the computer). Here they hardly use computers yet, that will take a while, but most people in this room are good craftsmen. During the gluing one after the other worker pass by and tries to see and read what we are producing. Especially the fact that David is filming the whole thing is making it a little special of course. But every time when we have to wait a while and stand not directly near to the table, somebody comes and read the pages we are working on. All with a face, he that is interesting, I am going to buy that paper (or steal at the printer). It is a full continue operation as we say in Netherlands, three shifts during day and night. So when we go down for our breakfast in the bar annex restaurant, where the quality, at least the look from it, hasn't become any better since this thing was opened under Tito's time, a little better as in most factory restaurants in the former East European Socialist countries, but never the less East European food with a West European sauce, just enough sauce to cover the food, but too less to taste it really. Which is maybe a characteristic of the whole former federal republic (in the south the West European sauce is mixed with some Turkish species and further to the East the sauce get a little thinner, but never the less). In the restaurant, the workers from the printer, the Soldier friends of the young female part of the printer staff, the editors from almost all Croatian magazines and the core of the Croatian journalistic staff. Since nobody really knows if the other is end the end or just at the beginning of his shift the beer and loza are all over the place, some times camouflaged with some coffee. When we walk away from the building after finishing the first part of the operation, making the newspaper ready for printing (we otherwise had to wait 5 hours inside the building before the could start with printing), Vjelko point at the top of the building and ask me if I know what it is. I honestly only can see the shape of some giant elephant, as I have seen more standing on high building and hospitals, so I answer him that. Of course it is no elephant but an anti aircraft gun, I could have known it. Mir from somewhere in Hrvatska, Wam P.S. In the evening Jojo from Amsterdam arrived, he brought for me this present from Jan, a brand new laptop (a Toshiba T1850, a little commercial, who knows), so I am back on line. ------------------------------------------------------ "Zagreb Diary" can be found on a lot of different electronic networks, it is copyright free and can be ported to any network or other means of communication you like, but please drop my a line, you can reach by sending a message to wam@zamir-zg.comlink.de . Zagreb Diary is dedicated to Tyche, Pjort and Rik, so that they found out what there father have been doing all that time in Zagreb. Financial support for Grassroot relief work in Croatia or BiH can be send to Kollektief Rampenplan (atn. Lylette, Postbox 780, 6130 AN Sittard, Netherlands, tel:. +31-46-524803 and fax: +31-46-516460 or to Zagrebacka Banka, Zagreb, accountnr.: 2440291594, to Kat, Pieter Jan Herman Fredrik, Brace Domany 6 6fl nr3 (postbox 33), 41000 Zagreb. Please notify me if you send or have send any donations. Old numbers can be found by sending a message's with as subject "FILES" to pakrac.info@ZAMIR-ZG.comlink.de, to order a file send a message with subject "SEND " to same address. ## CrossPoint v2.93 ##