Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1981. január-június (35. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)
1981-01-15 / 3. szám
TO OUR READERS It is our belief that from time to time scores, if not hundreds of the younger members of our rea ders’ families look at our paper with mixed curiosity, wonderment and perhaps nostalgia. From time to time we receive communications in English of such interest, that they deserve publication. We call upon our second and third generation constituency to let us know if you like to have a regular English column in our paper. We would love to establish one. Because we have so much to tell you and you have, we are sure, many things of great significance to tell us. Hungary, its culture, its tradition is a treasure house of immesurable richness. You could get at least a taste of it through a regular column in our paper. And perhaps you could express occasionally what you really think of your Dad’s and Mother’s struggles, of the land of their origin, of their effect on the shaping of your own personality and career. So how about it? Speak and you shall be answered! Your reaction or lack of reaction will be a verdict we shall respect. We are awaiting your decision. To expedite your aswer, fill out the coupon below for your reply. Please mail it to us. Zoltán Deák, editor Dear Mr. Deak: QYes, I would like to see an English column. □Yes, I would write a letter occasionally. Name:....................................................................... Address:..................................................................... City:...........................................State:................... Zip No................ Let us learn Hungarian MORE ON PRONOUNCTATION The letter “s“ is pronounced as “sh” Sz is pronounced as “s” C sounds as “ts” Cs sounds as “ch” Gy sounds like “dy” in Rudyard Ny sounds as ,,ni” is bunion d sounds as “i” in sir or fir, without sounding the r 2500 SCIENTISTS INTERVIEW WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE HUNGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES By DAVID BINDER Budapest T HIS country of only 10 million people, with a reputation of having produced some of the best scientific brains of this century, has some» difficulties in making the best use of its best minds, said Dr. Janos Szentagothay, president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Dr. Szentagothay said in a recent interview that the "chain of innovation” between the conception of an idea and its realization in practice was too long in Hungary, despite efforts to improve the situation since recognition of the problem 11 years ago by Communist Party and Government officials. “This chain is insufficient, even for a small country,” he said. “The information system is sorely lacking because we don’t even know if Mr. So-and-so has, say, a good idea in pharmaceutics, much less to try to put it on the market. We are punished partly by the smallness of the country. ” Dr. Szentagothay also observed that the Soviet bloc’s council for mutual economic assistance, which provides a way to pool economic resources, was not able to create more cooperation in scientific fields "because its bureaucracy is too big.” ‘Built-In Chain From Research’ Speaking in polished English in his high-ceilinged office overlooking the Danube, Dr. Szentagothay said of Hungary’s science policies: “What we try to do is to put a high priority on support to projects in which there is already a built-in chain from basic research to applied scientific technology in semilarge systems and THE MIRACULOUS MANOARIN 1981 marks the centenary of the birth of Bela Bartók, one of the greatest musical geniuses of all times. Throughout the year there will be concerts. The civilized world will pay tribute to this Hungarian composer. Outstanding among the celebrations in the US will be the series of concerts the Detroit Symphony Orchestra will give in New York, featuring Bartók compositions. marketing. We try to gear our whole scientific effort to bringing science workers to enterprises. We have a lot of this in medical products, making hospital instruments, although we are by far not on the Western level.” He said Hungary’s Gamma Works had created “a rather good scanner for tracing an isotope in the body.” In addition, he said, the Mom Optics Plant had produced a "relatively good ultracentrifuge, I am told by the Japanese. ” He said, however, that such developments were “not that simple in a planned economy,” adding, “now we need appropriate incentives. ” Project Involving Protein As an example of scientific frustration, he mentioned Professor Janos Hollo’s “elegant idea for producing protein from the leaves of lucem,” a deep-rooted plant of the pea family that grows in profusion here. “We put quite a bit of money in the development, but somehow the process was delayed,” he said. “Our industry was lacking in incentives and it didn’t catch on.” Asked to cite a success, he said his office had authorized purchase of a special computer microscope to further research that was making progress in identifying brain peptides, or chains of amino acids produced by neural systems, that have been identified as pain- relieving elements. In seeking Government backing for larger scientific projects, Dr. Szentagothay said he could and did call on Deputy Prime Minister György Aczel, who is in charge of science and technology. The Hungarian Academy, he explained, has 8,000 personnel, including 2,500 scientists. The Academy was founded in 1825 when Hungary was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and has been “a Socialist academy since 1949,” said Dr. Szentagothay, a distinguished professor of anatomy. ‘Too Much Humanism in System’ Describing the main problem facing Hungary’s scientific community today. Dr. Szentagothay said it was not a matter of access to the political leadership, but of getting rid of incompetence. “Everybody wants to be a nice guy,” he said. “There’s too much humanism built into our system." “What is lacking here,” he said, “is appropriate selection, of being able to say to a man, ‘You haven’t produced anything in the last five years, so out.’ This is what is lacking in most Socialist systems.” Dr. Szentagothay, a fine-featured man of 68 in a beautifully tailored pinstriped suit, then mused about the origin of Hungary’s reputation for genius. “I have often thought about this,” he said. “We had a slightly elite tradition. We have a kind of boast that is untranslatable, but which means ‘watch the Hungarians!’ We had the idea to show off that we were better than the surrounding countries. The Hungarian brain factory was part of showing off in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This was one of the major motivating factors' (New York Times) Thank you Where is? How much is this? I do not speak English Yes No Do you speak English? köszönöm ( hol van? mennyi ez, mennyibe kerül nem beszelek angolul igen nem beszel ón angolul? Help us make 1981 a year of peace ifi pha Diallo came to Budapest from Guinea in 1974 for medical treatment. The 28 year old Diallo is Mandinca on his mother’s side. Hungarian TV viewers know him from the TV special entitled “The Roots of Roots”, in which he was one of the experts on the background of the highly successful Roots series. At present he is attending the Karoly Marx University of Economics and would like to write a book on the possible utilization of the experiences of the Hungarian cooperative movement and household farming in Guinea. He is also translating the works of two Hungarian poets: Attila József and Sándor Petőfi. • Last year 8.153 books were published in Hungary, altogether over 92 million copies: besides these, over 1000 musical works and 103 maps were issued. The highest figures are for technical and popular science books as well as textbooks. Everv year seven to eight hundred new literarv and scientific works are available in the bookshops.
