Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 2008 (20. évfolyam, 3-51. szám)
2008-07-04 / 27. szám
Hungarian American Coalition Honors Victims of Communism Worldwide Washington Ceremony Pays Tribute to Congressman Tom Lantos Washington, D.C. - On June 12, the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation hosted a historic event attended by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and many other distinguished participants from Capitol Hill and Washington’s diplomatic corps. The wreathlaying ceremony at the Victims of Communism Memorial featured speakers: Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI); Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH); Rep. Steve King (R-IA); Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV); Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA), Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY); Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and former Rep. Don Ritter (R-PA). Each speaker recalled the terrible human cost of decades of communist rule in Europe and Asia, and paid tribute to Congressman Lantos’ unwavering opposition to totalitarianism. California Congressman Tom Lantos, who passed away on February 11, 2008, was awarded the Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom posthumously during the ceremony. The Medal is given to individuals who have demonstrated a lifelong commitment to freedom and democracy and opposition to Communism and tyranny. Previous Medal of Freedom recipients include: Vytautas Landsbergis, Lech Walesa; Vaclav Havel; Viktor Orbán; Elena Bonner; Pope John Paul II; William F. Buckley, Jr.; Sen. Henry “Scoop” Jackson; Sen. Joseph Lieberman; Janos Horvath; and Tran Van Ba. Edith K. Lauer, HAC Chair Emeritus and Board Member of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, presented the award to Congressman Lantos’ wife, Annette Lantos. In presenting the award, Ms. Lauer made the following remarks: “István Széchenyi, a 19th century Hungarian statesman/visionary wrote: »Man values his freedpm most when he is no longer free, or, when he has gained it through endless sacrifice.« Congressman Tom Lantos truly valued his freedom. He referred to himself as »an American by choice.« His fervent patriotism for his adopted country can only be truly understood by those of us who found the warm welcome and true promise of America after escaping the tragedy in our own homeland... After his election to Congress in 1980, Tom Lantos founded the Human Rights Caucus, to provide a public platform for Congressional examination of human rights violations across the globe. The significance of those Caucus hearings cannot be overstated: for those who suffered Soviet oppression and feared for their life, this was often the only hope for survival or eventual change... He repeatedly called for the respect of the human rights of the millions of ethnic Hungarians living as historic minorities in neighboring countries, in Romania, Slovakia, and Serbia... In 2006, on the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Revolution, he proudly recalled the Revolution as »the quintessential rise of human spirit against tyranny.«” Ms. Lauer ended her tribute with these words: “Today, when the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation awards the Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom posthumously to Congressman Tom Lantos, we honor a man whose lifelong commitment to freedom and human rights and passionate opposition to oppression all over the world can certainly be stated to have hastened the ultimate fall of Communism. For that and much more, we remember Tom Lantos with our deepest respect and gratitude.” The ceremony marks the first anniversary of the dedication of the Victims of Communism Memorial. During the 2007 event, Tom Lantos joined President George W. Bush and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher as dedication speakers before an international crowd of nearly one thousand. Dr. Lee Edwards, Chairman of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, who led the effort to establish the Memorial, reaffirmed his and the Foundation’s commitment to continue working toward the creation of a virtual Global Museum of Communism, and eventually a bricks-and-mortar museum to “honor the more than 100 million people who died under Communism.” Following the ceremony, Ambassadors of formerly Communist countries were joined by leaders of numerous American-based ethnic groups in laying wreaths at the Victims of Communism Memorial. Attendees then walked to the nearby Georgetown University Law Center to preview the online Global Museum on Communism, to be launched in January 2009. In addition to educating current and future generations about the history, philosophy and legacy of Communism, the Global Museum will also monitor human rights violations and other crimes of Communist regimes in China, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos and North Korea. The Hungarian American Coalition is proud to be a major partner in this significant program. The Hungarian American Coalition is a nationwide non-profit organization that promotes public understanding and awareness of Hungarian American issues. Hungarian American Coalition 1120 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 280, Washington, D.C. 20036, U.S.A. Phone: (202) 296-9505, Fax (202) 775-5175, E-mail: hac@hacusa.org Július 4, 2008 03 Attention JAZZ lovers! The JAZZ on Melrose programs at the Duna Csárda Restaurant have been transferred from Monday nights to Wednesday nights! No Cover, No Minimum. Various outstanding pianists, Drummer Steve Hideg, Bassist/ Vocalist Tom Pedrini. 5820 Melrose Avenue * (323) 962-6434 Every year, according to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), over half a million Americans suffer a stroke. A stroke (also called a “brain attack”) occurs when one of the blood vessels that carry oxygen to the brain either becomes clogged or bursts. (Read about “Vascular System: Arteries and Veins”) When this happens, the nerve cells in the affected part of the brain can’t function. As a result, whatever body part those nerve cells control will be impaired as well. That's why stroke affects different people in different ways, sometimes causing problems with speech, for example, sometimes problems with movement, sometimes problems with memory, or sometimes there are several impairments in combination. Risk factors There are a number of risk factors that can put someone at a higher risk of having a stroke. The National Institute on Aging says men are at a higher risk than women; African-Americans also face a higher risk; and our risk increases, as we get older. Other risk factors include: High blood pressure - The American Heart Association considers this the most important risk factor for stroke. The only way to find out for sure if you have high blood pressure is to have it checked by a healthcare professional. (Read about “High Blood Pressure”) Personal medical history that includes heart disease and/or diabetes. (Read about “Coronary Heart Disease” “Diabetes”) Family history of stroke. (Read about “Family Health History”) Smoking - According to the American Heart Association, smokers can reduce their risk of stroke by quitting, even if they’ve been longtime smokers. (Read about “Quit Smoking”) Atrial fibrillation (AF) - The American Heart Association says AF is a type of heart rhythm problem that increases the risk of stroke. (Read about AF in “Arrhythmia”) Patent foramen ovale (PFO) which is an opening between the two upper chambers of our heart that fails to completely close and seal after we are born. (Read about “Patent Foramen Ovale”) Warning signs Stroke warning signs may be temporary. They may go away after a few hours. They may even go away in a few minutes. But regardless of how long the symptoms last, AANS says it’s essential that anyone experiencing the symptoms of stroke seek immediate medical help. The main symptoms include: Sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body Sudden dimness or loss of vision, especially if this happens in just one eye Sudden severe headache with no apparent cause (Read about “Headaches”) Loss of speech, problems talking, or problems understanding speech (Read about “Aphasia”) Unexplained dizziness or falls, especially if some of the other symptoms are present The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says other symptoms that are less common, but still important, are sudden nausea, vomiting, brief loss of consciousness or decreased consciousness, such as fainting and convulsions. There is also what is called a “silent stroke,” in which there may be no noticeable symptoms. SILENT STROKES Routine brain scans in a group of middle-aged people showed that 10 percent of them had suffered a stroke without knowing it, raising their risk for further strokes and memory loss, U.S. researchers said. People with atrial fibrillation, the most common type of irregular heart beat in people over 65, had more than twice the rate of these silent strokes, they said. Silent cerebral infarctions or SCIs are brain injuries caused by a blood clot that interrupts blood flow to the brain. “The findings reinforce the need for early detection and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors in midlife,” Dr. Sudha Seshadri of Boston University School of Medicine and colleagues wrote in the journal Stroke. “This is especially true since SCIs have been associated with an increased risk of incident stroke and cognitive impairment.” The researchers based their findings on routine magnetic resonance imaging or MRI scans from about 2,000 people with an average age of 62. They were the children of participants in the long-running Framingham study - a study of the health and habits of nearly an entire town in Massachusetts. People in this so-called Framingham Offspring Study had medical exams every four to eight years. Brain scans of these people found that 10.7 percent had a stroke even though they showed no stroke symptoms. Of these, 84 percent had only a single lesion in the brain. The researchers then looked back to their medical records to see if these people had a risk profile that might predict a stroke. What they found was that atrial fibrillation more than doubled the risk of silent stroke. In atrial fibrillation, the heart’s two upper chambers do not pump effectively enough to empty properly, leaving blood to pool and raising the risk of blood clots. Other factors that increased the risk of silent stroke included high levels of blood homocysteine, a sulfur-containing amino acid found in the blood; carotid artery disease; high blood pressure and especially high systolic blood pressure - the top number in the blood pressure reading. About two-thirds of people over the age of 65 have high blood pressure, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. AMERICAN Hungarian Journal AMERIKAI agyar Hírlap
