Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 2003 (15. évfolyam, 4-49. szám)
2003-08-15 / 31. szám
AMERICAN Hungarian Journal Romany Holocaust Remembrance in Auschwitz AUSCHWITZ - László Teleki, the state secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for Romany issues, attended a gathering remembering the Romany Holocaust at the Auschwitz- Birkenau death camp in Poland. In his address, Teleki called on all of humankind to work together so that genocide such as was committed during the Holocaust can never again take place. At the same time, he said, it was the responsibility of posterity to remember all fellow humans murdered in the death camps. Teleki underlined that all individuals were responsible for halting racism, and that no political force had the right to rely on hatred. Nazi forces deported approximately 23,000 Gypsies to Auschwitz-Birkenau, and about 21,000 of them died there. On me night of August 2nd to 3rd in 1944, nearly 3,000 Romany men, women, and children were murdered in a single night. Messages from Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller and other Polish leaders were read aloud. They stressed that no matter how much time goes by we must never cease to mourn intensively. A memorial to the Roma was set up in the former camp ten years ago, and representatives of the Romany organizations of Europe pay homage to their memory each year on this date. Balaton Fish and Wine Festival Opens President Ferenc Madl opened a two-day fish and wine festival in Csopak at Lake Balaton on Saturday. Richard Korzenszky, prior of the Tihany Abbey, said grace, after which World Gastronomy Association President Robert Ceybert told the several hundred festival participants who prepared the specialties served on the first day. Wines were introduced and offered for tasting by the most famous wine-growers from the Csopak, Füred and Badacsony regions. EU Customer Service to Be Set Up (MTI) - The information service and home page (www.eukk.hu ) of the Hungarian European Union Communications Public Foundation will be transformed into an EU customer service. The new customer service, due to begin this autumn, will help social groups and citizens interested in accession and its practical aspects as an advisory partner. The foundation intends to increase its activity as it expects that the demand for accessionrelated information will sharply rise in the coming months. WORLD NEWS Japan’s PM Vows Not to Go Nuclear at A-Bomb Anniversary TOKYO (AFP) Reaffirming his country’s non-nuclear policy, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi denied on Saturday that Japan would go nuclear as Nagasaki marked the 58th anniversary of US atomic-bomb devastation. “Our country will never change the position,” he told the main memorial service in Nagasaki, pointing to Japan’s 35-year-old policy banning the production, possession and presence of nuclear weapons on its territory. But, at the same gathering, Koizumi was urged by Nagasaki mayor Itcho Ito to write the non-nuclear pledge into a law. In a so-called peace declaration, Ito cited concerns at home and abroad “over the possibility of Japan’s remilitarisation and nuclear armament”. He added, “The government must uphold the principle of an exclusively defensive posture, and the three non-nuclear principles must be passed into law, thus showing sincerity of Japan’s intentions.” An estimated 74,000 people perished when a plutonium-239 bomb flattened Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, three days after another bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, the world’s first nuclear target, killing an estimated 200,000. The Nagasaki mayor condemned the US-led war on Iraq and Washington’s threat to use nuclear weapons. Noting that the US brought its “nuclear posture review” last year, Ito said that Washington had recommended the development of mini-nuclear weapons, resumption of nuclear explosions for test purposes and openly proposed the use of nuclear weapons under certain circumstances. “Nuclear tests by India and Pakistan and the disclosure by North Korea that it too possesses nuclear weapons has heightened tensions,” he said. He also urged US President George W Bush and other leaders of nuclear powers to visit a museum in Nagasaki displaying atomic-bomb mementos to realize the horrors of these instruments of destruction. At a similar memorial service in Hiroshima on Wednesday, the city’s mayor, Tadatoshi Akiba, said that the United States worshipped nuclear weapons as “God” and blamed it for jeopardizing the global nuclear non-proliferation regime. Debate on Japan’s nuclear armament, a topic long considered a taboo, has heated up since deputy chief cabinet secretary Shinzo Abe said in May last year that it was “not necessarily unconstitutional” for Japan to use small, tactical nuclear weapons. His boss, chief cabinet secretary Yasuo Fukuda, added fuel by saying that Japan’s non-nuclear principles could be “reviewed” but not during his term. The nuclear debate reached its peak when US Vice President Dick Cheney said in mid-March that the idea of a nuclear-armed North Korea would „probably set off an arms race in that part of the world,,. “And others, perhaps Japan, for example, may be forced to consider whether or not they want to readdress the nuclear question,” he said. Mars Ready for Close-Up, Best View in 60,000 Years WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mars is getting ready for its closeup, with the red planet coming as near to Earth this month as it has in almost 60,000 years. Its closest pass will come on Aug. 27 at 5:51 a.m. EDT, when Mars will be less than 34.65 million miles away. The last time it came nearer was around Sept. 12 in 57,617 B.C. when Mars came about 25,000 miles closer, at a distance of 34.62 million miles from Earth. “If Neanderthals had telescopes, they would have seen it a little bit better than we will on August 27,” said astronomer Geoff Chester of the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington. To backyard observers, Mars will be the brightest natural object in the sky except for the sun and the moon, Chester said in a telephone interview. Even though it will be close, it will not look much bigger than it usually does. “People are kind of all thinking that all you’ve got to do is go outside and you’re going to see this big red blob that’s half the size of the moon,” Chester said. “That’s not the case.” What people will most likely see is a brilliant pinkish object dominating the southern sky. At that point, Mars will be the brightest thing in the heavens. Venus would have shone bright if it had been visible, but it will be hidden behind the sun when Mars comes closest to Earth. Mars will appear to be about the same size as a middling-sized crater on the moon, Chester said. To get an idea of how big Mars will seem at its closest, the typical thumb held at arms’ length covers about one degree of the sky, August 15, 2003 © AMERIKAI Afagyar Hírlap or 3,600 arc seconds. The moon is about half a degree of the sky, or 1,800 arc seconds. Mars at its closest will appear to be 25.11 arc seconds -- only about one more arc second than its usual 24. Mars will get even closer to Earth on Aug. 28,2287 -- but still not as close as it did in the Neanderthals’ time. “It is a marvelous opportunity to get people interested in astronomy and what you can see from your own backyard,” said Stephen Maran, an astronomer and spokesman for the American Astronomical Society. “We hope that more and more people will get used to looking at the sky so they will be interested in efforts to cut down on light pollution.” As Earth’s next-door planetary neighbor, Mars has always been a subject of fascination. Recent NASA (news - web sites) probes have sent back images suggesting water once flowed on or near the martian surface -- an exciting prospect for those curious about whether Earth-type life ever existed on Mars, since water is seen as a prerequisite for life on other planets. On Monday, NASA selected the low-cost Phoenix probe as the first so-called Scout mission to Mars. Phoenix is expected to land on Mars in late 2008, in terrain suspected of harboring large quantities of ice within 1 foot (0.348 meter) of the surface, and then will analyze subsurface material, NASA said in a statement. News Provider: ELIA RA VASZ Recall Election Prospects A recall election of Governor Gray Davis has been scheduled for October 7, 2003. The ballot will consist of two parts. First: should Gray Davis be recalled? We encourage a vote of YES. Second: list of 200-300 names to replace Gray Davis. We encourage a vote for Republican Richard Riordan, the former mayor of Los Angeles. (We understand Mr. Riordan withdrew when Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he is running - so I guess that leaves us with Arnold as our best bet to vote for - The Editor) Hungarian Dreams Come True: Adam Horvath was the Star of Elizabeth de Charay’s Gala Concert A proud and faithful audience had gathered on August 3rd in the auditorium of New York’s Hungarian Reformed Church (82nd Street East) to celebrate another milestone in the spectacular 19- year-old history of Elizabeth de Charay’s “Hungarian Theatre & Arts” (sponsored by the New York State Council on the Arts) But, alas, also to praise the memory of famed author and Hungarian politician, MP László Varga, who passed away recently: he was the original founder of the theatre. It sounded quite symbolic when Adam Horvath, the sensationally gifted young Hungarian basso who has won critical acclaim in Hungary, Germany, Austria and San Francisco, singing opera and musicals, gave an unforgettable rendition of the highlights of “The Man from La Mancha”... for Elizabeth’s struggle over the years meant, in fact, realizing the “Impossible Dream” of establishing a New York Center for great European drama, comedy, music and art... Adam Horvath’s hapless knight could compete with Broadway’s leading performers and Elizabeth, the actress, was a touching and enchanting Dulcinea. There were tearful moments when candles were lit on stage in front of a portrait of László Varga, but there was so much more. Young and extremely versatile Szilvia Kovács, usually excelling in satire and parody, proved her dramatic passion in a ballad by Arany. Gabor Ajtay, simply the best recital artist in Hungarian, was one of the highlights of this marvelously structured program, interpreting several poems. Enthusiastic Judith Kerekes played with so much heart and sentiment... And last, but not least, Elizabeth de Charay, the actress and director, reminded her Hungarian-American audience of her everlasting and not quite fulfilled dream: to find a permanent home for New York’s Hungarian Theatre which has been a bridge between European and American culture and art for 19 years. This dream should continue and become reality... for many years to come! There were encores by Adam Horvath and no one felt like going home! Bravo! GERTY ÁGOSTON English Page
