Changing to meet the needs of fraternalists.
"Joining Hands To Touch Lives-Fraternalism for the Family and Our Nation''
ESTNIK SPJST Herald Official Publication Of The Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas, Founded 1897 HUMANITY
BENEVOLENCE
BROTHERHOOD
Postmaster: Please Send Form 3579 to: SPJST Home Office, P. 0. Box 100,, Temple, Texas 76503 ISSN-07458800 VOLUME 87 NUMBER 2
HERITAGE AND CULTURE
spjst.com
The Flowering of Kromeriz
WEB NEWS AND NOTES FROM ALL OVER
By Jeffrey Brown
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The Old Town of Kromeriz, a national historical heritage site, embodies the changes the town has seen through many centuries of Moravia's history. The cobbled streets and the Baroque architecture found around nearly every corner gracefully link the present with the past. Many structures are refreshingly
"The cobbled streets and the Baroque architecture gracefully link the present with the past."
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He's One of Ours! You never know where you're going to find one of our SPJST members. In this case, it's Ltjg. Joseph Carr Ruzicka, USN, at 15,000 feet. Joe, who is the son of Phil and Margie Ruzicka of Warsaw, Texas is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and currently stationed in the NAS (Naval Air Station) Oceania in Norfolk, Virginia with the "Grim Reapers" squadron, flying F-14 Tomcats. The Ruzickas are members of Lodge 25, Ennis. This self-portrait is another one of the winning photos submitted in our recent "We're All Members" photography contest. For sending in this shot, Phil Ruzicka, who sent in the photo, receives our thanks and a set of SPJST dominoes. Watch for other winning photos in coming weeks.
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COMING SOON! The 1999 SPJST Lodge Officers' Workshop and Lodge Recognition and Incentive Banquet
(Continued on page 13.) (Author Jeffrey Brown is a native Texan and graduate of Texas A&M University working at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. He is also one of the authors of a self-guided Czech study course currently available on compact disc. See page 13 for details.)
(EDITOR'S NOTE: In anticipation of the SPJST establishing a presence on the World Wide Web, the Vestnik brings you spjst.com , a column devoted to communicating i nformation about the Internet and the various points of interest on the World Wide Web. Your input is always welcome! E-Mail: bvan. icek@vvm.corn)
: W hat is the Internet? • The short answer: It's a lot of • computer networks all con• nected together. In 1969, the
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well-preserved, while others bear witness to the neglect of time. Kromeriz, lying on the River Morava between Olomouc and Zlin in the Czech Republic, became one of Moravia's power centers as the seat of the bishops and archbishops of Olomouc from the 12th century until the 19th century. Its most celebrated moments came in 1848-1849 when parliamentary deputies sought refuge there from the revolutionary fervor of Vienna and drafted the short-lived, liberal "Kremsier Constitution," so called after the German name for the town. During the Thirty Years' War, Kromeriz was almost completely destroyed by the Swedes. Restoration on a large scale began under the direction of Prince-Bishop Karl Eusebius von Liechtenstein-Kastelcorn in the late 17th century. The prince-bishop's influence in shaping the current appear-
January 13, 1999
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Advanced Research Projects Agency, a part of the U.S. government's Department The of Defense, set up Internet the first parts of is the the network that would become information the Internet. The highv.fay original network the linked military future. sites, defense contractors and universities and was called ARPAnet. What makes the Internet interesting today? All sorts of computers on the Internet deliver useful business and personal services such as electronic mail, business research and the retrieval of information from re-mote — and until now — largely inaccessible sources. The Internet is the As a highcustomer information way of the future. service A lot of travelers tool, the are already out there. Many of Internet is
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our SPJST members are already
exploring the Internet. It's easy to see why the Internet is emerging as such a powerful communication and marketing tool. Everything that we do with traditional print media can be translated to the Internet. Moreover, as a customer service tool, the Internet is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Because of this round-the-clock service, members and prospective members will, in the not too distant future, get our SPJST message — or ask questions — no matter what time it is.
(Continued on page 3.)