The Eighth Tribe, 1981 (8. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1981-08-01 / 8-9. szám

August — September, 1981

THE EIGHTH TRIBE

Page 13

DR. VICTOR MOLNÁR:

HUNGARIAN VARIETIES

Here are some more items of interest extracted from “The News With the Hungarian Touch” which is featured on the Hungarian Varieties radio program in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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For the third time this year, the Hungarian government has re-evaluated its currency. At the present time the rate of exchange is 31 forints and 85 fillers for one American1 dollar. It makes for much more economical touring in Hungary for citizens of the United States. Tourism from North America had dropped drastically in the past two years, and it seems, the Hungarian government has taken a close look at the currency as an inducement for increasing tourism. It is interesting to note that the forint is 35 years old, coming into existence August 1, 1946, when the previous currency was totally valueless.

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The accordion or twist in the middle Ikarus Hungarian-made bus, is being tried out on the streets of New York City. The new longer bus carries 63 passengers, against the previous 41 passengers the buses now can nccomadate. It has greater flexibility than the German-made bus which had been tested earlier, but rejected by the transit authorities.

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Good old American country music is now the rage in Hungary. The State recording company has even placed a couple of country music albums on the Hungarian market. The first nationwide country festival was held in Budapest on August 29th, with a country group coming from Finland, and one from Canada... the latter being the White River Bluegrass Band, that toured in Europe prior to the Country Festival in Budapest. Two members of the group are of Hungarian heritage.

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Pope John Paul II has named a new bishop in Romania, the Vatican announced. The new bishop is Rev. Lajos Bálint, until now a parish priest in Székelyudvarhely, in Transylvania. The Pope named him Titular Bishop of Nova and auxiliary to the bishop of the diocese of Gyulafehérvár.

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The famous Tonskunstler Orchestra of Vienna began its second concert tour of the United States in Carnegie Hall in New York City. The program was

a nice blend of familiar and lees familiar music by Schubert, Mozart, Haydn, Lehar, and above all Johann and Josef Strauss. John Rockwell, writing in the New York Times, liked the music of Ferenc Lehár especially a Lehár encore presented by uie main soloist, Elizabeth Hynes, an American soprano, who did three of her song3 in English. Ferenc Lehár was a Hungarian composer, bom in Siófok, lived in Vienna, and died in Paris.

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From Philadalphia comes the news that the wellknown and well respected Franklin Institute has given its Boyden award to the Hungarian-born physicist, Dr. Zoltán Bay, who retired as the Director of Atomic Research Division of the National Bureau of Standards, in Washington, D. C. The Boyden Award has been1 given out only four times ... in 1907, 1939, 1960 and now. This means that the award is a highly prized honor within the American Scientific Circle. Dr. Bay was recently made an honorary member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Once again American-Hungarians can be rightfully proud of the many scientific and artistic awards presented to the people from Hungary or their descendants.

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George Bálint, a newspaper editor, publisher, and a contributor to the Saturday Review in the 60’s and 70’s, died in San Jose, CA., where he was visiting his daughter. He was 82 years old and lived in New York City. He was born in Hungary and for 20 years was the editor of the Hungarian language newspaper entitled: Eastern Gazette. During World War II, Mr. Bálint worked for the Czechoslovak government in exile, based in London, England. Later he became owner and publisher of Inter-Allied Publications, which issued books for the United Nations. He wrote regularly for the Saturday Review, contributing the column: As Others See Us.

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From Yugoslavia comes the report about the Congress of Hungarian teachers in Yugoslavia, which was held in the village of Orom, not too far from the border town of Szabadka, now called Subotica. This time, both students who are learning Hungarian in that country, as well as the teachers of the Hungarian language participated. Representatives came from the following Yugoslavian towns, communities where the education of students is done in the Hungarian language: Bácsszőllős, Hajdujárás, Becse, Csernye, Doroszló, Kórógvlakó, Újvidék, Órom, Szilágy Tecska. Topolya and Szabadka.

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