Mailbox
In today's Mailbox: Listeners' response to the natural disaster in Japan, reception reports, Czech learning programmes in Radio Prague's archive, listeners's answers to last month's quiz question and a new question for April. Listeners quoted: Li Ming, David Crystal, Yasuo Soma, Debakamal Hazarika, Hans Verner Lollike, Mogire Machuki, Riaz Ahmad Khan, Mary Lou Krenek, Charles Konecny, Colin Law, David Eldridge.
Our regular listener Li Ming from China writes:
“I watched TV and saw the devastation in Japan caused by the M8.8 earthquake. It must be so difficult to cope with such events. I only hope that the loss of life is as low as it can be. I know that there are lots of Japanese listeners who tune into Radio Prague. My deepest condolences to the victims of this earthquake and my thanks to everyone working on relief efforts there at present. I hope they get all the necessary supplies and money needed for the relief work. It is times like these when one realizes natural disasters can happen anywhere and we are all in the same boat together.”
Our thoughts are with our listeners in Japan as well as those in the quake-stricken city of Christchurch in New Zealand. We hope you are well and we also hope to hear from you again as soon as possible.
Once again on the topic of Radio Prague leaving shortwave, David Crystal from Israel sent us a letter along with reception reports for a few months before shortwave broadcasts were discontinued:
“It proves I stayed interested in your country even after it was clear that I would not get a QSL. I am not going to get a computer and I am not going to pay for cable and internet. It was good while it lasted.”
Yasuo Soma from Japan made this comment in his reception report:
“I enjoyed listening to your programme, especially SoundCzech. The downloaded file has a good sound quality. Why don’t you make a Czech-learning programme on the web-broadcast … so that the listeners have closer contact with your country through learning basic Czech grammar and phrases.”
At the moment, no changes are scheduled to the structure of Radio Prague’s programmes but if you go the Radio Prague archive and click “ABC of Czech”, you will find an extensive archive of Czech learning programmes going back to exactly nine years ago. I remember making the first edition as vividly as if it was yesterday. Many thanks for those comments and now let’s hear what you had to say in your answers to last month’s quiz question.
Debakamal Hazarika from India was the first one to write in:
“Radio Prague's March mystery person is Johann Alois Senefelder (who was born on 6 November, 1771 in Prague and died on 26 February, 1834 in Munich). This Austrian actor and playwright invented the printing technique of lithography in 1798.”
Hans Verner Lollike writes from Denmark:
“Alois Senefelder… invented the printing technique of lithography out of need, because he wanted to print his written play and could not afford to have it printed. In Danish we have a saying: ‘Necessity teaches nude women to spin (wool)’. Many inventions have been made because of need, others out of greed!”
Mogire Machuki from Kenya says:
“Johann Alois Senefelder almost ran into debts and this put him in real trouble. He went on thinking and thinking how to publish his works. Thus he came up with the idea that paved the way to lithography. Impressive indeed. He never knew that he put a mark on where our lives are now.”
Riaz Ahmad Khan writes from Pakistan:
“He got his early education in Munich but because of the sudden death of his father he could not continue his education. He made numerous experiments with little success; tools and skill were alike wanting.”
Mary Lou Krenek from Texas wrote:
“The man who invented lithography was Johann Alois Senefelder. He was a noted German actor and playwright who was born in Prague where his father was appearing on stage.
“Senefelder pioneered lithography, an etching technique using a greasy, acid resistant ink as a resist on a smooth fine-grained stone of Sohnhofen limestone. In 1796, he started a publishing company with composer Franz Gleisner using lithography. Lithography was used to publish plays and music. Later it became a medium for art. In 1818, Senefelder secured patent rights across Europe.”
From the US state of Ohio, this is Charles Konecny:
Colin Law from New Zealand says:
“Aloys Johann Nepomuk Franz Senefelder… was an actor and a playwright in addition to being the inventor of lithography printing. He was educated in Munich and studied Law at Ingolstadt.
“His father was an actor, but in 1791 the death of his father forced Aloys to leave his studies to support his mother and eight siblings. It was then that he became an actor and wrote a successful play Connoisseur of Girls.
“The sculptor Rudolf Pohle made a statue of Aloys Senefelder which was erected in 1892 in a square in Berlin that was renamed Senefelderplatz in 1894. Senefelder was decorated by King Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria and another statue of him stands in the town of Solnhofen, where lithographic stone is still quarried.”
David Eldridge from the United Kingdom also mentions the statue:
“A memorial to Alois Senefelder created by German sculptor Rudolf Pohle stands on what is now Senefelderplatz in the Pankow district of Berlin. Created in 1892, it supports a plaque ‘Alois Senfelder’ but written as a mirror image as it would appear on a lithographic plate.
You are indeed right that this is not the first time Alois Senefelder is mentioned on Radio Prague. He was the subject matter in the winning entry in Radio Prague’s annual writing contest by Chris Nuttall in 2002.
Thank you all very much for your answers and this time a parcel from Radio Prague is on its way to Roman Belikov from Russia. Congratulations! There is another chance for those of you who haven’t been lucky this month.
The first two countries to send people into space were the Soviet Union and the United States. In April we would like you to tell us the name of the first man in space who was not a citizen of either of those countries.
Please send us your answers by the end of April to [email protected] or Radio Prague, 12099 Prague. We would also like to hear your questions and comments. Mailbox will be back on April 16, so until then take care.
