William Penn Life, 2000 (35. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2000-03-01 / 3. szám
Group urges Hungarian Americans to stand up and be counted during census The census being conducted by the U.S. government beginning in the year 2000 offers a number of opportunities to Hungarian Americans. So says AMOSz, the National Federation for Hungarian Americans (Amerikai Magyarok Országos Szövetsége). In a news release from AMOSz, the organization said: "It is crucial to the future of all of us that all Hungarian Americans, those born in the U.S. as well as Hungarian immigrants, fill out the census form and fill in 'Hungarian American' for the ancestry question." By doing so, it will be known how many people of Hungarian ancestry there are in the U.S. and exactly where they can be found. "This will mean from wire service reports A team of U.N. experts arrived in Hungary Feb. 28 to examine the effects of a cyanide spill which poisoned the Tisza and Szamos rivers. Environnmentalists have called the spill Europe's worst river disaster in a decade. The spill occurred Jan. 30 when a containment dam at a gold mine in Baia Mare, Romania, broke, dumping about 100 tons of cyanide and heavy metals into local streams. The streams carried the poisons to the Tisza River which then carried the contaminated waters through Hungary to the Danube River in Yugoslavia. News reports from Hungary said that 60 tons of poisoned fish had been drawn from Hungarian waters. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said damage surveys will be completed by summer. He also said the government is focusing its efforts on aiding families who earned their benefits in federal, state and local funding programs," AMOSz said. "We need to know our numbers to know our political strength." The organizations also suggests a way Hungarian Americans can help ensure an accurate count of their fellow Hungarians: by taking a job with the census. The Census Bureau will be hiring about 500,000 people to work out of 520 offices across the nation. Pay rates range from $8.25 to $18.50 per hour, depending on the type of work and the location. U.S. citizenship is not required. For more information, call 1-800-325-7733, or see the internet at www.census.gov/jobs2000. livelihood from fishing and tourism along the affected waterways. He promised the government would raise the funds to redress the damages, taking money from the central budget's reserve fund, if necessary. Meanwhile, the Romanian government, which co-owned the gold mine along with the Australia-based Esmeralda Exploration Ltd., has said it will not compensate Hungary or any other nation for damages caused by the spill. , . Water suppliers were recently given the go-ahead to draw waters from the affected rivers, but water quality alerts remained in effect at the end of February. Hungarian ecological experts estimate it may take 10 years to rehabilitate the rivers. The greatest long-term concern will be over the amount of lead and cadmium that spilled into the rivers, which pose a greater health threat than the cyanide. Don’t miss th Seats still available for the WPA’s tour of Hungary this summer Save $ 100 if you reserve your seat by April I If you've ever thought about visiting Hungary, but have yet to make the trip, then come with us to the Land of the Magyars this year. The WP A is sponsoring two spectacular excursions to Hungary. The first runs from June 29 to July 11, the second from Sept. 20 to Oct. 4. Book your reservations between now and April 1 and receive a $100 per person early booking discount from Fugazy International Travel. Both trips will include visits to Godollo, Eger, Miskolc, the Tokaj wine region, Debrecen, the Hortobágy, Kecskemet, Kalocsa, Lake Balaton, Herend, and, of course, Budapest. The September tour will also include a two-night stay in Vienna plus visits to Sopron, Fertőd, Sárvár, Győr and Pannonhalma. Prices are $2,799 per person for the summer tour (12-days/ 11-nights) and $2,999 per person for the fall tour (14- days/13-nights). Both prices are based on double occupancy. But, remember, make your reservations by April 1 and save $100 off either tour. So, what are you waiting for? A written invitation? Well, here it is. Call Fugazy International Travel today toll-free at 1-800- 828-4488 for more information and reservations. Assessment begins as Hungary recovers from cyanide contamination of rivers Willi» PfM Life, March 2000 13
