Sunday, January 22, 2006

American Dreams

My story on the Hungarians' imperfect reunion is out today on the front page of the Star-Ledger and right up top on www.nj.com. It was also linked here this morning, on a blog called NewsGems, by a lecturer at the Medill School of Journalism. (I love how stories get around. Instead of staying on newspaper pages they creep onto blogs and radio, into classes and conversation. )

I met the Wilsons and Cathy Eff before the Hungarians arrived on Oct. 18, and I've been spending a lot of time with them since. That day in the airport was extraordinary. Cathy Eff, Tamas Pusztai's mother, was pacing and fretting for hours, afraid to leave the International Arrivals gate at Newark Airport for even a moment for fear she would miss that first glimpse of him coming in from customs. When Pusztai finally walked toward the crowd of family waiting for him, dressed in his pale plum suit, he looked like he had stepped out of another time. I can't recall ever seeing a happier group of people.

I'm going to continue to follow the Hungarians' story, because I don't know for sure what will happen next. I can surmise what will happen next - Philip Skotte at the consul general in Budapest told me no one jumps the immigration queue - but don't they, sometimes?

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Jack=Hillary?

When I go to this story at The New York Times' Web Site and hover my pointer over the first reference to the dealmaking lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the message that pops up is "more articles about Hillary Rodham Clinton."

Is this a mere slip, or someone's two cents?

In any event, my money's on the error being caught and fixed by the time I wake up tomorrow.