Magyar Hírek, 1986 (39. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)
1986-10-11 / 20. szám
ABOUT THIS ISSUE ANDTHE PREVIOUS ONE Masqueraders at the celebration of the liberation of Buda Lt is no longer an exaggeration to argue that Budapest is one of the great international European congress centres. It was the venue of several international conventions of world interest this summer and autumn - and there are still some to come. Of the stories in the Hungarian section of our paper I should like to draw attention first to that on the international cancer research conference. It stood out regarding size as well as scientific importance. As Dr Károly Lapin, the Hungarian Chairman of the Congress, and Dr Sándor Eckhardt, the General Secretary, recalled when they summed up the results of the talks, as many as 8,200 scientists from every part of the world discussed the latest achievements in diagnosis and therapy. Important progress has been made in study of oncogenes and antioncogenes and also in discovering how these start carcigenous processes. They pointed out that scientists laid great emphasis on materials which influence the biological reactions of the body. They concluded that the Alpha-2 Interferon, whic hat the present, cannot be substituted by anything else, has an important role in the treatment of cancer diseases and that preparations such as Gamma-Interferon and Lnterleokem-2 also showed promise. At this the 14th international Conference of Oncologists scientists from 82 countries attended 12 plenary sessions of 82 symposia, 79 round-table conference and 81 section meetings, during which some 4,.500 papers were read. Dr Peter Fischinger (USA), the director of the International Cancer Research Institute, stressed that he was extremely satisfied with the organization and results of the Budapest congress. The new’ tendencies in cancer research and treatment, which already point towards the next century emerged (hiring the talks. In his closing address Professor Károly Lapis underlined that the fact that Hungary was the venue of the 14th world meeting of experts engaged in the fight against cancer meant also an appreciation of the Hungarian scientific achievements. “Following this exchange of views which proved itself very useful from the aspect of cancer therapy also, participants will remember this conference with satisfaction,” he said. A two-day international conference of economists was held in Budapest. It was organized by the World Federation of Hungarians and the Hungarian Economies Society; Hungarian economists and those of Hungarian birth living abroad discussed questions of our time. Their discussions centred on the role small countries play in the world economy’, with particular emphasis on the position and role of Hungary. Rezső Nyers, Consultant to the Institute of Economies of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, talked about the ability of the Hungarian economy to adjust to world economic processes. Professor ■József Bognár, Head of the Institute for World Economics of the Academy and President of the World Federation of Hungarians, pointed out in his address, that, the present world differed from all earlier ages. The nations grouped in various alliances are now so interdependent that the economy can no longer tolerate the cyclical ups and downs of politics, or must suffer very' severe setbacks. In this situation the small countries have a particular interest in the normalisation, predictability’ and stability of relations. Béla Balassa, a Consultant of the World Bank, stressed that the concept of small country in the economic sense was not primarily a question of size of territory, it cannot even be defined by the size of population. The decisive factor is the size of the market. He emphasised that the experience of world economic commotions showed that although economies open to the world suffered more severe effects, they also adjusted faster and better to the new required. Miklós Losoncz, research fellow of the Institute for World Economy’ of the Academy’, referred to the new opportunities which are open to small countries in the international division of labour. They have the chance to take part more intensively in the new forms of service, such as, for instance data processing and storing, and informatics in general. The consensus that finally’ evolved from the great number of contributions and the lively discussion was that small countries can participate in the stabilization of world political relations not as passive onlookers but as active participants. We already gave preliminary’ reports on the functions which in Hungary celebrated the third centenary of I lie liberation of Buda from the Turks. Zoltán Bay, physicist, (USA) In our previous issue, owing to a printing error, the photo of a Hungarian landscape (The Fairy Valley) appeared instead of the portrait of Professor Bay. We apologise both to Professor Bay and to the readers. The Ed. The Hungarian part of our paper now publishes a story on an international conference of historians where Hungarian and foreign students of history’ examined the circumstances and consequences of the recapture of Buda. The two-day’ meeting of Hungarian historians from all over the world was held in the National Széchényi Library in Buda Castle. The conference was organized by the World Federation of Hungarians, the Institute of History, the Hungarian Federation of Historians and the Eötvös Loránd University of Sciences. More than fifty historians from 12 countries met to exchange thoughts on the medieval history of Buda Castle the international environment of the liberation from the Turks, as well as the military and political significance of that event. The contributors also examined the process of the revival of the liberated city, of its development to become a capital of European standing. The recapture of Buda Castle and the civic progress of Buda and Pest were important not only for Hungary, but also for Europe. The liberation of Buda after one hundred and fifty years of stagnation opened the gates to progress and modernisation not only' for Hungary but also for the neighbouring countries, and with that for the whole of Central Europe. The conference of historians provided an opportunity for becoming acquainted with each other’s views, comparing conclusions. It may’ well fertilize Hungax’ian as well as on international historical research. I should also like to call the attention of readers to two other articles in the Hungarian section of the present and the previous issue. Both provide a glimpse of characteristic features of contemporary Hungary. Eva Árokszállási is the Guide to Tisza the fair, to two riparian villages. Okécske and Ujkecske. The two villages have grown together and developed into a single town by the name of Tiszakócske. What caught me about this portrait of a town was that is showed a garden town organically fitting into the environment and providing to its inhabitants urban comforts as well as a harmonious natural environment unlike the standard industrial towns of concrete which in the fifties, grew out of prefabricated elements. Every'day’ life is made pleasant at Tiszakócske by parks, promenades and two thermal baths, while the town also has industry which provides jobs. A sports-wear factory, a soft-drink and wine-bottling plants, a powerhouse equipment works and other industries operate there without damage to the environment. As István Miskó, Chairman of the local council and also a Member of Parliament said: “All of this is due to the fact that the spirit of democracy is present in the town.” All of the decisions about urban development are taken by' the will of the majority. That led to the provision of piped water, to the gas programme, to the building of the cultural centre and the library'. These days people do not leave this town on the Tisza, indeed newcomers swell its members. Recently as many as 250 families chose to settle at Tiszakócske. László Garami’s writing about the Kiskunság National Park, which protects the fauna and original flora of this part of the Great Hungarian Plains within its 1,700 acres presents a noteworthy example of ecological endeavours. With Garami as guide the imagination calls on the woods in the moors the sandy tracts and the lakes to admire the birds that gather there. The Kiskunság National Park is also a place for education: children, guided by naturalists, trek along the tracks meandering through _ the National Park, fsäjniliarhÄ^IIBBiselves with the environment, breathing in not only the bracing air but also a love for the beauty they find there. ZOLTÁN HALÁSZ 29
