Anyone learning Hungarian will be keen to tell you that it’s
one of the most challenging languages to take up. While opinion varies, more or less everyone
agrees it’s up there in the top 10 thanks to its 26 cases and numerous complex
rules. Its proper name is “Magyar”, which can also be used to refer to the
Hungarian people. Hungarian comes from
the Ularic region of Asia and belongs to the Finno-Ugric language group,
meaning its closest relatives are actually Finnish and Estonian. The five vowels of the English language pale
in comparison to Hungarian’s total of 14. As well as the basic “a, e, i, o, u” vowels,
the Hungarian language also includes a further 9 variations on these: á, é, í, ó, ö, ő, ú, ü, ű. The pronunciation of each is slightly
different and can change the meaning of a word completely. The word order is flexible, but it’s not
totally free--there are still rules about how words need to be arranged. This depends on the emphasis of the sentence,
and the sense conveyed. Hungarian
contains a whopping 68% of its etymons, or original words. Compare
this with the four percent retained by the English language, or the five
percent kept by Hebrew, and the scale is even more impressive. When introducing yourself in Hungary,
your given name is always stated after your surname. For example, Tamás Nagy would be introduced as
Nagy Tamás. Not only does the Hungarian
alphabet feature 44 letters in total, but some of those counted as letters are
in fact made up of two or even three. For
example, ‘dzs’, a letter in the Hungarian alphabet pronounced as ‘j’, or ‘sz’
which equates to ‘s’.
Callus is a noun meaning a localized thickening of the skin,
and a verb meaning to
form a localized thickening of the skin.
Callused means having
many calluses. Callous is
closely related to callus,
but it’s figurative—that
is, it doesn’t describe actual skin—and it is never a noun. As an adjective, it means toughened or unfeeling. As a verb, it means to make or become callous. http://grammarist.com/usage/callous-callus/
Castle Clinton, located in Battery Park, Manhattan,
is a window into the city's history and a prime venue for tours and
performances, as well as the ticketing gateway to the Statue of Liberty and
Ellis Island. Built in 1811, after the storm of revolution had
passed, it was one of the earliest military undertakings of the new nation
anticipating the possibility of further conflict with Britain, which came to
pass in the War of 1812. Although it
never saw combat, the fort provided a strategic military presence at the
northern edge of New York Harbor, which had first been fortified by the Dutch
and then English rulers of the colonial city.
In fact a remnant of that original battery wall from which Battery Park
derives its name is on display inside the fort.
Castle Clinton's military use was short-lived as new defenses positioned
further out in the harbor were created.
The Castle was turned over to the city in 1824 and a complete renovation
transformed the structure into Castle Garden.
For 32 years the lavish Castle Clinton served as one of America's great
entertainment centers, hosting such notable events as the triumphal return of
the Marquis de Lafayette to America in 1824 and the debut of famed opera diva
Jenny Lind in 1850. In 1855, Castle
Clinton's role changed again when it became the first official immigrant
reception station operated by the State of New York. Almost 8 million immigrants were processed
here. In 1890, when the federal
government took charge of the immigration process, it was replaced by a new
facility on Ellis Island. In 1896, the
building re-opened as the experimental New York Aquarium, displaying species
from local waters and later, more exotic creatures from further afield. When the aquarium closed in 1941, the fish
were moved to the Bronx Zoo and then eventually to the new aquarium on Coney
Island. In 1946, Castle Clinton National
Monument was authorized and the National Park Service assumed stewardship of
the site. Earlier modifications were
removed and the appearance of the site has been restored to that of the
original fort, complete with replica cannons.
http://www.nyharborparks.org/visit/cacl.html
The “math” that’s part of “aftermath” is an entirely different noun from the one in
“mathematics.” In fact, they came into
English from two different routes—one from old Germanic sources and the other
from Latin. “Aftermath” got its start as
an agricultural term associated with mowing.
You might say its literal meaning is “after-mowing.” The word entered the language in the 15th
century as a compound of the prefix “after-” plus the noun “math,” which once
meant a mowing or the portion of a crop that’s been mowed. https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/12/aftermath.html
Polymath is a synonym of polyhistor. As nouns the difference between polymath and polyhistor is that polymath is a person with extraordinarily broad and
comprehensive knowledge while polyhistor is someone gifted or learned in multiple disciplines. http://wikidiff.com/polymath/polyhistor
The du Pont Estates:
More than Mansions by Kurt
Jacobson The Brandywine River flows
gently under sweeping willow boughs whispering tales of American history on its
way to the Chesapeake Bay. Along its
banks are stories of peace and contentment, as well as war and conquest, and it
was here in 1802 that Eleuthère Irénée (E.I.) du Pont started the company that
still bears his name today. Arguably the
most famous family to have lived and worked the Brandywine Valley, the du Ponts
built several magnificent estates in the Wilmington area that are open to the
public. Three of the grandest are Longwood,
Winterthur, and Nemours. When the buds are bursting and the birds are
singing, there’s no better place to be than Longwood Gardens, home of E.I. du Pont’s
great-grandson Pierre S. du Pont, and just a 25-minute drive from Wilmington. From 1700 to 1906, the land was owned by the
Peirce family, who in 1730 built the brick farmhouse that stands today. Later generations planted an arboretum, and by
the mid-1800s Peirce’s Park was nationally renowned for its collection of
trees. Be sure to include a tour of the original house built by Joshua
Peirce, and then revel in the magic of the gardens and fountains. Pierre’s vision for Longwood is evident at
every turn: the Conservatory, carillon,
topiary garden, Italian Water Garden, a massive pipe organ, and especially the
Flower Garden Walk, which explodes in mid-April with more than 240,000 tulip
bulbs in bloom. Worth putting on the
calendar for summer 2017 is the reopening of the spectacular Main Fountain
Garden after a 3-year $90 million restoration.
From Longwood, it’s a short drive (less than 10 miles) to the
biggest du Pont mansion, Winterthur.
The house was built in 1839 by the
daughter of E.I. du Pont, but it was Henry Francis du Pont who had the vision
and creativity to create the Winterthur we see today. Henry, who was born at Winterthur, took
responsibility for managing the estate in 1914 and set the example for living a
farm-to-table lifestyle a century before it would become a common phrase. Under Henry’s guidance, Winterthur thrived as
a working farm with two main objectives: to supply Winterthur’s table and the community
with fresh farm goods, and to develop the herd of prize-winning Holstein-
Friesian dairy cattle. This was an era of grow-your-own, and Henry was an avid
believer. He was so fond of Winterthur’s farm goods, and he knew how they had
been grown or raised, that he had them shipped by train when he was at his
other residences. Henry also had a keen eye
for furniture and art. Between 1929 and
1931, he expanded the mansion into one of the grandest homes in America, in
part to house this unparalleled collection of American decorative arts and
furniture, and over the next two decades continued to expand and improve the
mansion and the grounds. Henry moved to
the site of an 1837 cottage across from the main house, replacing it with a
fifty room English style residence when Winterthur opened to the public in
1951, and lived there until his death in 1969. A 45-minute guided tour of the mansion is
recommended to see many of the approximately 90,000 objects in Henry’s
collection, including exquisite ceramics, glass, furniture, metalwork,
paintings, and prints. Be sure to stop
by the library if time allows, and enjoy an outdoor walk to see some of the
most beautiful azaleas found anywhere. Make time for Nemours Estate, just a fifteen-minute
drive from Winterthur. Nemours, which
opens each year in May, was built by Alfred Irénée du Pont in 1909 and is named
after the family’s ancestral home in France. A great-grandson of E.I. du Pont’s, Alfred was
a shrewd businessman who convinced his cousins Pierre and Coleman to join him
in buying the company in 1902 rather than see it sold to outsiders. He was also the last member of his family to
serve an apprenticeship in the powder yards, a course of training which
prepared him to make numerous innovations in gunpowder production that led to a
more efficient and much safer working environment. The estate opened to the public in 1977. Nemours has some of the best examples of
French-inspired formal gardens anywhere in North America and is spectacular in
the early season. Plan on spending 10-20
minutes in the Visitor Center to become oriented, then shuttle over to tour
Nemours Mansion. Be sure to take in the
view from the second-floor balcony overlooking the formal gardens, part of
nearly 200 acres of fantasy land. Be
sure to leave time to explore the 15+ acres of gardens and grounds, where a
spring meander through this beautiful landscape is priceless. French sculptor Prosper Lecourtier’s massive
elk sculptures mark the start of the Long Walk, and then it’s an expansive
vista to the fountains and reflecting pool where, when the 157-jet fountain is
resting, the entire Long Walk is reflected. Completing the scene are the Four Seasons
sculptures, the Temple of Love, and the 23-carat gold leaf statue Achievement,
which anchors the Nemours gardens. http://edibledelmarva.ediblecommunities.com/things-do/du-pont-estates-more-mansions
http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com Issue 1740
July 19, 2017, 200th day of the year
On this date in 1759, Marianna Auenbrugger,
Austrian pianist and composer, was born.
On
this date in 1848, a two-day Women's Rights
Convention opened in Seneca Falls,
New York.
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