Serbia, land of the...

The news from Serbia is too good to be true for a change, and you deserve to hear it hear.

After learning the heartwarming news that the Serbs are erecting a bronze of their best friend Bill Clinton in their capital, Pristina, I was bowled over to hear that another American icon will be bringing salvation to the beleaguered nation.

Rocky Balboa is going to rise triumphant in a small town whose name has become synonymous with bad luck. Zitiste, victim of floods, landslides, unemployment and what one news source reports as "diseases on farms"(?) has put its faith in the American boxer. Villager Bojan Marceta, who proposed the idea, explained "I felt as if Rocky had come from our village and had to fight to win his place in society." Gotta love the scrappy guy.

No word from Stallone, but it's too bad the village didn't get the idea when the Philadelphia Museum of Art was trying to foist their relic of the hero's glory days off its steps. I've tried to hunt down info on Boris Staparac, the sculptor, but he doesn't appear on any source that I have in English, except in relation to Rocky.

The village, after the first flush of victory, may find that getting in the news can be a dicey proposition at best. One news source reported that the piece was installed during a music festival, but others assert that Rocky raised his fists during the town's annual chicken fest... And it's fascinating just perusing the headlines from around the world. The NYT says, "Odd News Springs from Serbia", while the striaghtforward Independent from South Africa heads their account "Rocky Makes a Home in Serbia". But the all American 21st century Tampa Bay's (FL) 10.com puts it all in perspective- "Rocky to Help Boost Self-Esteem."

More as news develops...