William Penn Life, 2014 (49. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2014-06-01 / 6. szám

(V*l TiboTs Take with Tibor Check, Jr.

Tying up more loose ends

EVERY SO OFTEN, it becomes necessary to close the book on various thoughts, insights and reflections related to my experiences as a Hungarian American. Often times, these ideas are too limited in nature to justify an entire story; other times, these notions are trivial and merit only a few lines of discussion. In any case, here are a few brief observations on various subjects.

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Back in my April 2013 Take, I discussed Cardinal Mindszenty's visit to America. My apa1 attended several gatherings honoring the cardinal at various locations in the Youngstown, Ohio, area. I provided a photograph of my father kneeling before Mindszenty during a reception held after a concelebrated mass at St. Stephen of Hungary Church. Without researching it, I stated this monumental event took place in 1972.

It was not until recently, that I found out that the famous visit actually took place in 1974. Cardinal Mindszenty died one year later in Vienna, Austria.

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On Easter Sunday this year, a television crew from DTV Debrecen Television in Hungary made a stop at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church in Cleveland. The film crew was wrapping up a two-week fact-finding tour throughout North America. Their purpose was to return to some of the American-Hungarian communities that Cardinal Mindszenty visited in 1974. DTV was looking for persons to interview who had personal contact with the cardinal. They also wanted to learn how his legacy within the American-Hungarian community has evolved since 1974.

Széles Tamás of DTV interviewed the eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ference Goda and my apa. Ironically, the television crew did not make it to Youngstown.

Széles said the crew tried to stop at the same churches Mindszenty visited 40 years prior. The crew filmed in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto and Cleveland.

This documentary is slated to air on Hungarian television this August.

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DTV also visited St. Emeric Church in Cleveland on Easter. I wonder if any congregation members mentioned to the interviewer how the church was recently reopened after a forced closing by the Cleveland Diocese. Only papal intervention by then-Pope Benedict saved the church from permanent closure. (See Tibor's Take March 2010.) ******************************************************************

We take many things for granted: the air we breathe, the electricity that helps light our homes, the telephones we use to talk with each other. Not too long ago, the Internet and cellular phones were inventions available only to a privileged few. Now, those wonders of modern technology are used daily by nearly all of us without us ever giving them a second thought.

Unfortunately, modern conveniences and inanimate objects are not the only things we take for granted. Too often, we treat people the same way.

Sometimes a strong, dedicated, hardworking individual, who volunteers wherever and whenever needed, is overlooked or overshadowed by other details of importance. He is there when friends and family call. He is

Point to Ponder....

It is with all due respect to the inventors of the ballpoint pen, László and György Bíró, that I offer the following observation.

We take ballpoint pens for granted. We assume the pen in our hand will dispense ink until it runs dry. When the ink supply has been depleted, 99.9 percent of the time we throw the pen away. The Biro’s invention was and is a vast improvement over what scribes once used. Fountain pens and quills are nostalgic and romantic, but very few of us even consider using these earlier inventions to write a message.

However, in the last four years, I have noticed most pens I acquire become poor performers in a short amount of time. Just about every pen I have used either leaves blotches, skips or stops working all together even if the ink reservoir looks full. Most of my pens last only a few days before performance problems surface. I have purchased gel, fine-tip and medium-priced pens, but the performance of each is far less than what was commonplace just a few years ago. I write on hard and padded surfaces but experience the same poor quality and consistency. Paper texture does not change the inferior performance of my army of poorly performing pens.

Fortunately, I recently discovered in our family’s basement a dozen or so pens I used during my high school days. After a bit of shaking and scribbling, all returned to their original performance levels. During my final semester of law school this spring, I have used these old workhorse pens exclusively. Each is performing true to my expectations. Some of these pens were purchased, others were complimentary gifts from banks, stores and car dealerships.

Why do these older pens work better? Better ink? Better roller balls? Do you have the same experience with ink pens as I do? - Tibor

6 0 June 2014 0 William Penn Life