Oversight

It's human to forgive a plumber who floods the bathroom, a forward who misses a penalty kick and even a sloppy clerk but things are different when doctors mess up. A Belgrade daily said a court in Zajecar recently sentenced Dobrica Cakic (30) for the murder of Stevan Zivanovic (35) last August. Cakic confessed the killing and got 14 years in jail in a legally clean case.

But, public attention was drawn to the fact that the doctor on duty at the Zajecar medical center found that Zivanovic died of natural causes. Zivanovic family members noticed bullet wounds on the back and chest of the corpse. A pathologist found that Zivanovic was killed by gunfire and investigators had an easy job because the murderer confessed. How the doctor failed to notice the wounds caused by bullets from an automatic rifle wasn't explained.

 

Right Enough

Having predicted early elections, the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) in Valjevo started publishing special editions of their Greater Serbia magazine dealing with local problems. But they ran into problems. While they were distributing free copies in the local market, two young policemen banned them from the site. A party activist asked what right they had to do that since the magazine is a registered newspaper, one of the policemen said he was "right enough".

Radenko Radic, local SRS board chairman issued a statement saying the Radicals would not react but just want to express disgust over what the Serbian authorities are doing to their own people including what the policemen did. Radic also sent 300 copies of Greater Serbia magazine (the number they were going to pass out for free) to the Serbian police chief.

 

Dikulja

Banja Luka seems to have adopted a new currency and it's not the expected most frequent legal tender used over the war years (the German mark) but a new currency the dikulja. This isn't the name of a cow or other farm animal but an abbreviation for all three currencies in Bosnia: the dinar, the kuna and ljiljan. the way the dikulja joke is being told shows a thaw is coming to melt the ice that froze all allusions to anything the three nations have in common. If thinking or humor goes the same way, there could be hope for the Bosnian people.

 

Poll

A poll by Belgrade's Partner research agency covering 500 adults in Serbia (without Kosovo)

Should Yugoslavia cooperate with the international war crimes tribunal in the Hague?

Don't know 18.2%

Yes, hand over the indicted 33.6%

No, try them itself 34.6%

It shouldn't try them or cooperate with the tribunal 13.6%

What will economic and political conditions be like in 1996?

Don't know 8.6%

More difficult 34.2%

The same as in 1995 21.0%

Easier 36.2%

 

Do you want to see a radical privatization of social property?

No feelings 21.2%

Yes 41.6%

No 37.2%

How often do you go to Church?

Don't/ don't believe in God 17.8%

Rarely (once a year) 32.4%

Only on religious holidays (Easter, Christmas) 35.8%

Almost every week 14.0%

Do you celebrate patron Saint day?

Yes 77.0%

No 23.0%

 

The poll was conducted on November 14-17 1995.