Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 2001 (13. évfolyam, 2-43. szám)
2001-07-27 / 28. szám
AMERICAN Hungarian Journal MEDITATIONS by Dr. Bela Bonis Pastor (562) 430-0876 First Hungarian Reformed Church, Hawthorne Keeping score and getting even - that’s what enemies do. Time after time Tutsis and then the Hutus have waited their turn to get even with each other in Rwanda. In the last outbreak of violence, loyalty to tribe even outweighed allegiance to religious vows for some clergy. Sacred rites in Jerusalem separate rather than unite. Each side believes it a sign of weakness to permit any violence to occur without a retaliatory response. So the body count increases, and the body of peace is more of a mirage with each passing day. In such a world as this, what do we make of "the ethics of the kingdom?" You know the words: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. Forgive." Maybe the first thing to say about these teachings is that they are largely ignored. We catch glimpses, however, of how Jesus’ teachings could provide a new way for us to live together: in the U.S. Marshall Plan’s assistance to former enemies following WW II; in the recent work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa; in the World Bank’s partiál forgiveness of the debts of poor nations at the urging of church coalitions. The second thing to say about the section from Luke (6:27-38) is that it is a dangerous text. It became a word preached to slaves and others in abusive relationships in order to keep them in their place. And what about the positive relationships in your lives? There, too, it’s all about keeping score. Someone gives you a gift, you give one in return. Someone invites you to his house for dinner, you reciprocate. What Jesus calls on his disciples to do is "keep score no more.” In fact, three times Jesus asks, "What credit is it to you if you love someone who loves you, if you do good to someone who does good to you, if you lend to someone who will later lend something to you?" The Greek word translated as "credit" is chans, which most often is translated as "grace." So we would paraphrase these verses to ask, "What grace is that of ours to love just those who love us, or do good to those who do good to us, or lend to those who can lend us something back in return?" Just think of Joseph in whom we see a foreshadowing of Jesus (Genesis 45:3-11,15) who also became the bread of life for his wayward brothers in Egypt when famine struck their land back in Juda. A career of several stages By Beáta Pál Emese Danks has been Malév’s dynamic Communications Director since April 1, following the departure of Margit Kocsi. However, there was a time when she envisaged her professional life would be more centered around a stage, rather titan an office. Before Malév she tasted life in both the private and State-run sectors, in Hungary and abroad, but she started her career on the stage of the Hungarian National Opera as a child ballerina. "An airline company means liberty for me and I love working with the Malév team," she said. "In addition to this, I also speak several languages, love travelling without borders and being measured by challenges." Danks, 34, was a student of the Hungarian National Academy of Ballet 1976-84 and an active performing artist from the age of 10. The inspiration came from her aunt who was also a ballerina and took her to several premieres. She performed in Verdi’s Aida as the "small Moor," but is most proud of her role as the main mouse in Tchaikovsky’s Christmas story The Nutcracker. "Dancing has been a beneficial training because it gave me selfconfidence in my every-day work,” she said. "You send messages and communicate with your body and in my position this is very important." Danks’ ballet hopes were dashed by a car accident when her knee was injured so badly that she could not even move for six months. She llien realized that the world of the tutu could not offer a decent future. Her parents sent her to Germany to learn the language and she also picked-up French as an exchange student. "I also realized soon after this, once seeing the lives of actresses, that I could not have a family and career if I stayed in showbusiness, so I applied to the College of International Commerce," Danks said. At the end of college she met her husband, Jeremy, and they went abroad. In 1987, when marketing was still in its infancy and there was not yet a national image center in Hungary, Danks worked at tire Hungarian National Tourist Board’s office in Frankfurt, developing and implementing plans and overseeing the customer service desk. The first time the smell of kerosene hit her was in Frankfurt, where she ran tire VIP Club for Pan American World Airways. She later followed her husband to San Francisco, where she helped out in the Hungarian-Atnerican Chamber of Commerce, however this did not fill her time enough so she started a course in yet another new field - color and image consultancy. "This course helped me to shape my own style," she said. Soon after Danks returned to Hungary, she decided that public relations was the job she wanted to do. She also worked for a television magazine, Tele Magazin, where she learned about print media, and m December 1996 journalist György Baló asked her to join Iris Television’s team, a Central European Media Enterprises investment, which was a defining experience for her as a PR manager. Immediately prior to Malév, between April 2000 and 2001, she worked for Hungarian National Television (MTV) as head of the press department. Getting a job with the national airline was like rekindling an old dream after her involvement with Pan Am. "Malév’s stabilization-reorganization program has been accepted, so we can save the company," Danks said. "It is very important for me to be at the cradle of the reborn Malév and send these messages out through the company’s communications system, essential in this day and age. We have to restore both the people’s and workers’ faith in the company and we need to communicate this. Malév will be a modem and attractive airline very soon." Danks chose the public relations field when it was not popular in Hungary, although the field is on its way to becoming more wellrespected. "There is a need for public relations in Hungary, but unfortunately companies have not discovered its importance yet. PR is not just to reach marketing targets, but also to build an environment for the company in which it can operate more effectively. This includes reaching various groups, such as trade unions, company owners, partner organizations and Government organizations," Danks said. Socialist PM Hopeful Slams Fidesz Policies By Horatio Clegg (Budapest Sun) Péter Medgyessy, the Socialist Party’s candidate for prime minister in next year’s elections, says that his party would restore confidence in the stock exchange and end what he termed the "damaging uncertainty" surrounding private pension funds. . Speaking to the Hungarian International Press Association, Medgyessy also criticized the Orbán Government for its control over the State media and slammed its supposed pro-family policies. "I had it checked. In 1998 State expenditure per family amounted to 2.2% of GDP. And in this year, it comes to 2.2% of GDP, exactly, while in the meantime the richer families are getting a greater proportion of this support. Where the income level is so low, this is unacceptable," he said. The former Finance Minister said tire Socialist-Free Democrat coalition of 1994-98 created today’s healthy economy. "In 1995 the economy was a disaster. The Government had to take responsibility for the situation. It was not a question of left or right," he said This Socialist Government privatized much of the economy, while the center-right Fidesz regime has intervened in prices and interfered with the Budapest Stock Exchange. "You see the result!" he said, referring to the miserable performance of the BSE over the past two years. "When we come to power we shall, I promise, respect market laws and rebuild investor confidence." The Government, which has capped payments into private pension funds and talked recently of returning hundreds of thousands of people to the State system, had "shattered" confidence in private insurance, he said. Medgyessy, who was Finance Minister when the private pension system was introduced in 1996-98, said the Fidesz Government was "brave" to attempt reform of the public sy stem, a task he had taken on. But breaking promises to private providers was "incomprehensible", he said. But wliile the economy was generally healthy, the opposition and "other minor institutions like the International Monetary Fund" had spotted signs of overspending and Government policy, or lack of it, on agriculture and healthcare had been a disaster, he said. Medgyessy also expressed concern about tire development of a two-tier economy. He then revealed more Socialist-sounding promises to boost education levels for low-income youth and job creation policies for those with only basic educational levels. But there were no figures. Scientists: Monster Hurricanes Could Hit the United States More powerful hurricanes could blast the East Coast MIAMI, Florida (CNN) - Weather researchers think the evidence is now clear: A major shift in the climate has taken place that has brought about an increase in major hurricanes. The period of heightened activity could last for decades, and unleash a catastrophic storm on the United States, according to meteorologists. Since the climate shift began six years ago, when the Atlantic Ocean began looking like a hurricane freeway, the number of hurricanes that have formed in the Atlantic basin has doubled, said scientists at the U.S. Hurricane Research Division. The number of major hurricanes, which produce winds in excess of 110 miles an hour, has also increased during the period by 250 percent, they said. The increased activity will continue for the next ten to 40 years, which could mean trouble for the United States. "Most seasons we are going to get a hurricane hit the U.S. and probably more than half the time we will have a major hurricane hitting the U.S. as well," said hurricane meteorologist Chris Landsea. Already hurricanes have increased in number and intensity. Since 1995,the Caribbean has been pounded by deadly storms like Mitch, Lenny, Marilyn, Luis and Georges. Spared the brunt of the storms, the United States has simply been lucky so far, the scientists warned. "With the increased number, if it starts pounding the U.S., as we feel like it is going to happen, there's bound to be a major city impacted and we could be talking about a real disaster of epic proportions on our hands," said hurricane meteorologist Stanly Goldenberg. A hurricane causing $50 billion in damage and hundreds to thousands of deaths is quite possible in the next ten or 20 years, according to Landsea. "I think at this point the U.S. is so developed and there's so many people along the' coast that just about anywhere is a major disaster ready to happen." Scientists say the Earth's climate goes through cycles, but they don't know why. Right now, Atlantic water temperatures are slightly warmer than usual, by just half a degree Fahrenheit. And in general, there is less wind sheer. The current conditions resemble those in 1900 when Galveston, Texas, was nearly obliterated, and the time between the 1920s and 1960s when hurricanes repeatedly slammed into Florida and the disastrous Yankee Clipper hit New York. The period from 1965 to 1995 saw opposite conditions, cooler water and more wind shear, neither of which fosters hurricane development. Times have changed. From Florida to New England, everywhere along the East Coast is now at increased risk of a major hurricane, the scientists said. The finest Hungarian cakes and pastries at the CSARDAS Hungarian Restaurant Our new pastry chef just arrived from Budapest! Napoleon * Dobos * Chestnut Puree * Rigó Jancsi Party Cakes for Special Occasions! (323) 962-6434 2001. július 27 . AMERIKAI Ufagyar Ifírlap 11
