EIU Survey Ranks Hungary as a Peaceful Country
The London-based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a leading center of global economic and political analysis, ranked Hungary among the most peaceful nations of the world in its Global Peace Index released on Tuesday. Read more »
BKV Strike Called Off
Budapest transport company BKV’s in-house unions and management reached an agreement on Tuesday afternoon, averting a two-day strike planned on Thursday and Friday. BKV management accepted union demands to extend by one year the collective bargain contract, which was due to expire at the end of 2008. Read more »
The Hungarian gay pride parade
This morning I heard one of the right-wing organizers explain that his organization is a peaceful group of concerned citizens. They just want to defend family values. Their only aim is to stop the yearly gay pride parade in Budapest because they consider it a form of advertising for homosexuality. But they will never resort to force. The organization’s name is Rendszerváltó Fórum. And what do I see in the online edition of Népszabadság tonight? “The most forceful attack against the demonstrators came from Rendszerváltó Fórum’s meeting at Franz Liszt Square.” Well, well! The report continues: “On the square the demonstrators tried to break the cordon [the police had erected] and attacked the police, who answered with tear gas.” At the far end of Andrássy Street, on Heroes’ Square, hooded and often masked demonstrators attacked the policemen, using Molotov cocktails, rocks, eggs, whatever. Here the police used water cannons as well as tear gas. Because of the “battle” on Heroes’ Square the police diverted the participants in the parade off the main road. In order to make sure that they were not attacked after the parade was over, as happened last year, the police directed the gays into the old nineteenth-century metro that was closed to the public for the duration. That way they could leave the scene without insults or bodily harm.
However, some people were not so lucky. József Orosz, a reporter for Klub Rádió, was recognized at the Kodály Circle. His attackers first abused him verbally, but soon enough they became violent. He was hit on the head and on the shoulder. For a brief period he lost consciousness. According to Orosz, one of his attackers yelled to the mob: “Come here, you can spit on Orosz.” Orosz is a liberally minded reporter and hence often the target of the extreme right. Gábor Horn, the SZDSZ politician, was also recognized by three young guys who spat on him, poured beer all over him, and at the end slapped him around. Gábor Szetey, former undersecretary in charge of the reform of public administration and the only member of the government who openly admitted to being gay, was recognized as he was leaving the scene with Katalin Lévai, a MSZP member of the parliament of the European Union. They managed to survive the ordeal unscathed thanks to a police car that came to their rescue. The mob subsequently broke the window of the car, but the passengers were unharmed. Lévai, who is a great champion of equal opportunity in Brussels, was shaken. She expressed her total amazement at the behavior of the extremist demonstrators. The whole scene reminded her of what she imagined to be the mood at a lynching or a pogrom. She added that it was horrifying to witness the egg and rock throwing and the physical attacks. Something like that shouldn’t happen in a European city, she said. She will write a report to the socialist delegation of the European Parliament and also to the head of the organization dealing with gay rights.
How can this happen? Why is it that until two years ago these gay pride parades went off without any trouble?
Read the rest of the article »
Cabinet Allocates Ft 10bn to GPs, Dentists
To compensate for the shortfall of revenues following the March 9 referendum in which doctor visiting fees and hospital fees were cancelled, the cabinet is ready to allocate Ft 10 billion to GPs, pediatricians and dentists. Read more »
Forint Strengthens to 3-month High
The forint strengthened to a three-month peak of Ft 253.3 per euro yesterday, riding an upbeat global mood. The forint hit 162.3 per US dollar, an 11-year high. Read more »
Forint Weakens
The forint was trading down more than 1% against the euro at near 254 Wednesday after rumors of a possible downgrade of Hungary by credit-rating agency Standard & Poor’s. Read more »
The latest Fidesz ideas about the economy
Yesterday with a certain fanfare Viktor Orbán and Mihály Varga held a joint press conference during which they outlined their plans to ease the economic pressure on the Hungarian population caused by rising food and energy prices. As we know, the parabolic rise in the price of oil and all other energy sources is influencing the economic health of the whole world. Even the price of food is partly connected to the rise in the price of energy. Although in the United States the presidential candidates advocate immediate remedies (like lowering the excise tax on gasoline or a windfall profit tax on oil companies) cooler heads who aren’t trying to get elected prefer to let the market work things out. Admittedly so far the market hasn’t done a very good job. Crude oil in the U.S. is up 400% since Bush was inaugurated in 2001; heating oil is double what it was a year ago. There’s lots of finger-pointing: China and India are using huge amounts of oil, the U.S. dollar is in the toilet, environmentalists prevent oil exploration, speculators are driving the price into bubble territory. So far we’ve seen only limited demand destruction in the U.S. The upshot: no one knows whether oil is heading to $170 as the president of OPEC predicted, whether it will hit the round number of $200, or whether it will settle back down to more reasonable levels.
The Gyurcsány government is pursuing a cautious course: next year’s crop should be very good and lowering VAT on food usually makes no difference because, based on past experience, any decrease in VAT is offset by an increase in the price of the product. VAT goes down, the price of the item goes up, and the consumer doesn’t gain a cent. On the energy front Hungary is suffering from horrible inefficiencies. For instance, the Hungarian consumption of natural gas is sky high because of the shoddy apartment buildings erected during the era of plentiful and dirt cheap Soviet gas. Moreover, these rows and rows of ugly apartment houses are heated by distance heating that is very convenient but also very expensive. Most of the apartments in these buildings don’t have their own thermostats, and the only way to regulate heat is by opening windows. The owners of these apartments cannot turn a thermostat down at night or during the day when they are at work. Or during the two weeks of winter holidays. Insulation is practically nonexistent, and through the single pane windows heat pours out. The government did introduce some financial incentives for the owners to consider investing money into fixing up their apartments and for all the owners jointly to do something about the thermostat problems. In East Germany these apartment complexes (in Hungarian panelházak) were simply torn down. Hungary and I assume the other former socialist countries couldn’t do that: there was no rich West Hungary or West Czechoslovakia behind them.
Cultural Tax on Clothing
Socialist MP János Schiffer has proposed expanding the 0.8% “cultural” revenue tax to include clothing. The government supports the idea, because clothing represents cultural values through design, Cultural Ministry undersecretary Márta Schneider said. Read more »
A bit more math
As I predicted yesterday numbers are flying. And not just numbers but words too. To recap: Viktor Orbán and Mihály Varga held a press conference on Wednesday where they outlined Fidesz’s remedies for the soaring food and energy prices. They claimed that a drastic decrease in VAT (ÁFA) would not cost the central budget a single cent (or to be more authentic, a fillér). The loss of revenues would be amply compensated for by increased domestic consumption.
One didn’t have to wait long before Ferenc Gyurcsány responded with his own press conference. Like Orbán he didn’t come alone. But unlike Orbán he didn’t have a high-level economist in tow but rather an ordinary elementary school math teacher. The claim was that any sixth-grade student should be able to realize that Orbán’s proposition is nonsense. The school teacher stood in front of a blackboard and explained that if Mr.Citizen went shopping for food in the supermarket and purchased 1,000 Ft worth of stuff, at the checkout counter he would pay a total of 1,200 Ft given the 20% ÁFA. If that ÁFA were reduced to 5%, Mr. Citizen would have to buy 4,000 Ft worth of food for the budget to receive the same 200 Ft in revenues. Surely, said Gyurcsány, this is an impossibility. People will not buy four times more food than they do today. Here is a photo with the simple arithmetic on the blackboard.
Meanwhile Fidesz altered their estimates. No longer do they claim that there would be no loss; rather, there would be a shortfall of only 120 billion as opposed to the government’s estimate of 320 billion. Read more »
The Hungarian judges try to explain things away
Dissatisfaction with the Hungarian judiciary has been growing in the last couple of years. Earlier complaints usually focused on the inconsistency of decisions: different judges came up with opposite verdicts in virtually identical cases. Or that on appeal the judge of the appellate court reached entirely different conclusions from those of the first judge. In the last two years the law-abiding citizens who are horrified at the behavior of a fairly easily defined group on the streets of Budapest have been noticing a certain reluctance of the courts to punish people for acts that ordinary citizens consider to be criminal. Yesterday’s decision reached at summary proceedings (gyorsított eljárás) really was the last straw. People are by now convinced that the Hungarian court system is defending the criminals and that the members of the Hungarian judiciary have a political agenda. And let’s face it, there have been several cases where the courts’ inconsistencies are politically suspect. When demonstrators threw eggs at Gábor Demszky, SZDSZ mayor of Budapest, the court decided that a public figure like Demszky must suffer such acts; they are simply expressions of some people’s contrary political opinion. However, when a similar situation occurred in the case of the Fidesz mayor of Esztergom, suddenly egg throwing became a different matter. The egg throwers were punished.
Until now every time I heard spokesmen of either the courts or the prosecutor’s office talk about controversial cases they always defended the decision, however implausible it sounded to the layperson. They always had a complete explanation for anything the members of the Hungarian judiciary did. However, there seems to be a slight change in the attitude most likely as a result of the outcry that followed yesterday’s verdict.
The City-dwellers of Budapest
Most people in Budapest carry a cell phone, use the public transportation daily, live in their own apartment and work in the city. The city dwellers of Budapest work a variety of jobs as in any major city – including retail, service, and product industries.
Read more »
Advice For Backpackers Going To Europe
Backpack in hand, you are ready to head to Europe for some fun and sun. Here is some advice for backpackers from someone who has done it multiple times and made the mistakes. Read more »
Origin and Identity of Budapest People
The Hungarian people know themselves as the “Magyar” people. They call their country “Magyarország” – or the “country of the Magyar people.”
Read more »
SZDSZ elections solved nothing
Gábor Fodor received 346 votes and János Kóka 344. A year ago Kóka won by seven votes. It’s true that there were some suspicious ballots then but, given this new close contest, one can safely say that SZDSZ remains a deeply divided party. A few weeks ago most people predicted a much more lopsided result in Fodor’s favor, but it seems that there was enough hesitancy about Fodor’s ability as party leader that close to half of the delegates decided to stick with the known quantity. Running the day-to-day business of the party is a twelve-person committee. The composition of this group didn’t change substantially: there are some Kóka supporters (including Kóka himself) and some Fodor supporters.
So the election didn’t bring any seismic shift in the balance of forces within the party. Nothing was solved as far as the internal divisions are concerned. The importance of the elections, according to some observers, is how the new party chief will handle the relationship between SZDSZ and MSZP.
Read the entire article: SZDSZ elections solved nothing »
politics, SZDSZ, Kóka, Fodor
OVI to Verify Referendum Signatures
The National Election Commission (OVB) on Monday ordered the National Election Office (OVI) to start verifying the signatures submitted in favor of a referendum against the privatisation of health insurance. Read more »
Hungarian Elections 2010
The election was a landslide for Fidesz and a strong showing for Jobbik, although it is possible that Jobbik politicians expected even better results. The big surprise is the performance of LMP, a party about which we know very little. A lot of former SZDSZ liberals voted for them, but not everybody is convinced that LMP is as liberal as those who supported them think. These votes certainly came from the left, and it will be a real disappointment if LMP in parliament cooperates with Fidesz as some people fear. In that case MSZP will be quite alone on the battlefield.
The results were not terribly surprising: Fidesz won with 52.77% after the first round, which translates into 206 seats out of a total of 386. So Fidesz has achieved an absolute majority. Whether the party will receive the much desired two-thirds majority is still undecided and uncertain. We will know the answer in two weeks after the second round of voting when there will be a runoff in all districts where no candidate received more than 50% of the votes.
MSZP ended up second with 19.29% of the votes followed by Jobbik with 16.71%. Pretty devastating. LMP’s showing was surprisingly strong: 7.42%. Unfortunately MDF didn’t get into parliament. Ibolya Dávid, chairman of the party, promptly resigned. I think that MDF’s involvement with the remnant of SZDSZ was a serious mistake. I’m really sorry about the failure of MDF because I think that Hungary badly needs a genuinely conservative party.
Hungarian and International Train Schedules
MAV, the Hungarian Railway Company has a website where you can find out about all train traveling within Hungary. The Hungarian Railway website is www.elvira.hu. Click on ‘English’ and there you go.
Read more »
Gyurcsány is satisfied
Sometimes it is enough to look at a picture taken after a meeting to know whether the gathering was a success from the point of view of the organizers. The photo taken of Ferenc Gyurcsány surrounded by a number of people as they are leaving the government compound at Dobogókő speaks volumes. Gyurcsány is satisfied. We don’t know too many details of the two-day discussions, but it seems that the party and the government are behind him.
They came to some broad conclusions about the strategy the government should pursue over the next couple of years. As predicted, Oriens’ plans for reorganizing the current economic structure found no sympathy among the politicians present. However, there was broad agreement on two issues. First, they were satisfied with the government’s efforts of the last two years in decreasing the deficit. Second, although budgetary restraint should continue, the focus should shift to economic growth. There was agreement concerning the methods of achieving this goal: more jobs, more investment, changes in taxation, modest welfare reform, and positive changes in education.
They decided that the amount of money allocated to social benefits cannot decrease. The Swiss indexing of pensions will be kept. However, the money spent on social welfare must be used more effectively: fewer welfare checks and for a limited amount of time…
Read the entire article: Gyurcsány is satisfied »
politics, Gyurcsány, government, socialist party, Dobogókő
No Public Transportation in Budapest on Friday!
Talks Fail to Avert Daylong BKV Strike. Public transport in Budapest will not be running on Friday as BKV management and unions failed to reach agreement yesterday. No talks are scheduled for today.
If the walkout goes ahead, the 22 BKV unions will be on strike Read more »
Trianon: the Object of Politics
Trianon Anniversary
June 4, 2008 by Eva S. Balogh
It was on June 4, 1920, 88 years ago, that in the Trianon Palace, just outside of Paris, Hungary signed the peace treaty with the Allied and Associated Powers. As a result, Hungary proper (that is, without Croatia-Slavonia) was reduced to less than one-third (32.6%) of its former territories, and it lost almost 60% of its population. However, out of the slightly more than 18 million inhabitants only about 10 million people claimed Hungarian as their mother tongue. Post-war Hungary’s population was reduced to about 7 million, most of them Hungarian-speaking. The rest, over three million, found themselves outside the borders.
Trianon was a national trauma for Hungarians. And it was exploited by a succession of Hungarian governments whose main foreign policy aim was the recovery of some or all of the lost territories and their Hungarian-language brethren who found themselves in Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia.
Read the entire article; very interesting and helps to understand the historical context of Trianon: Trianon: Anniversary (I) »
With the change of regime Trianon again became a topic of conversation and unfortunately the object of politics.
The role of Trianon in today’s Hungary
June 5, 2008 by Eva S. Balogh
Until recently only the extreme right was preoccupied with Trianon. This year, however, even Fidesz politicians have been involved in public demonstrations, unveiling monuments and giving anti-Trianon speeches. This is especially interesting because on June 4, 1990, the small Fidesz parliamentary delegation headed by Viktor Orbán unceremoniously marched out of the chamber when György Szabad, speaker of the house, asked the members to stand up and observe a few minutes of silence in remembrance of the signing of the peace treaty seventy years earlier. In 1990 Fidesz considered this gesture a sign of nationalism that might sow the seeds of mistrust between Hungary and her neighbors.
The Hungarian right hasn’t heeded Orbán’s early warnings. For instance, so far this year at least 150 events have been held in remembrance of Trianon. And then there is the proliferation of monuments over the past few years…
Read the entire article: Trianon: Anniversary (II) »
Trianon treaty, lost territories, nationalism, far right, extreme right, Fidesz, politics
Hungarian Forint: More Rate Hikes on Way
London analysts forecast more rate hikes from the National Bank (MNB). JP Morgan expects the MNB to raise the base rate by 25-basis points on Monday, followed by a similar hike a month later, bringing the two-week lending rate to 8.5%.
Other major banks and financial groups in London also predict Read more »
Gay parade: Trouble is already brewing in Hungary
Last year was the first time in Hungary that far-right groups attacked members of the gay festival held in early July, a day designated for the event worldwide. At that time I wasn’t terribly surprised because physical violence had became commonplace in Hungary ever since the fall of 2006. Initially the police managed to keep order and guard the safety of the participants. At that time (July 7, 2007) I wrote a piece praising the Hungarian police about a job well done. Two days later I had to change my mind: the police left the scene too early, and these extreme homophobic groups attacked people after the official celebration ended. Blood was flowing.
This year we might expect much greater trouble. First of all, the police have become weak-kneed. The gay community went to the the Budapest police to request a permit for their planned parade on Andrássy út. To the utter surprise of everybody, the police announced that, unlike in previous years when the gays didn’t unduly interfere with traffic, this year they would. So the police chief refused permission. An outcry followed. A day later the police chief changed his mind. (I suspect after some pressure from above.) Most likely the Budapest police simply didn’t feel like getting involved and, suspecting trouble, thought that the best course of action was simply to ban the event and save everybody a lot of trouble. But, let’s face it, this is a cowardly and in the final analysis an unacceptable way of handling extremist outbursts.
New Tuition Fee Proposal
The Conference of Hungarian Rectors approved an alternative tuition fee proposal behind closed doors at Károly Róbert College in Gyöngyös yesterday. According to plans in the possession of Magyar Hírlap, a broader sphere of college and university students would be obliged to pay tuition fees. Read more »
Vacation Bicycling in Europe
Imagine your next vacation cycling around Europe not aboard a plane or a cruise ship but on your bicycle. Through well planning and research, a biking vacation in Europe can be a memorable experience. A Biking vacation in Europe provides a bicyclist the opportunity to enjoy every moment of their vacation by escaping Read more »
Hungarians Unaware of Retirement Risks
Nearly two-thirds of Hungarian workers stop working before the official retirement age, 80% of them voluntarily, a GFK survey commissioned by French insurance group AXA found. Hungary came second in both these categories among the 26 countries surveyed. Read more »
Parenting Completed…
You don’t really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round
will wave at his parents every time around – and why his parents will always wave back. Read more »
BKV Budapest Transport Strike Dates Set for May 29 – 30
The Budapest Transport Company union’s strike committee set the dates for a two-day strike at May 29 and 30, two days later than originally planned, to leave more time for negotiations with management, said strike committee chair Gabor Nemes on Friday. Read more »
Orbán in trouble
I know this is a surprising if not ludicrous idea according to most people. How can I say this when according to the latest polls Orbán’s party could easily win the election if it were held this month? How can I say this when there is a minority government and when no one knows what Gábor Fodor will do? How can I say this when Viktor Orbán almost daily “negotiates” with, for instance, businessmen and representatives of the IMF and announces at least twice daily that he wants to have a new “contract” with everybody who is anybody. Yes, I’m sticking by my guns: the more he talks, the more he acts as if he were only a few steps away from being Hungary’s prime minister, the less likely it is that he will have the opportunity to become prime minister earlier than 2010 and perhaps not even then.
The performance of the last few weeks seems to me a series of desperate moves to extricate himself from the web of contradictions that he himself spun. His trouble began with his boastful speech to young political scientists. The politician who until then had publicly claimed that the country’s economic problems could be solved by simply lowering taxes and giving people more money privately proposed to seminar participants (they were sworn to secrecy) an austerity program twice as severe as that of the current government. When the private became public and he was confronted with the charge that he must have been lying to the Hungarian people, he tried to explain things away. But however he tried and is still trying things don’t sound any better.
Read the entire article: Orbán in Trouble »
US visa-free program – decision after October 1
The US decision whether Hungary is included in the visa-free program is expected after October 1, when it is verified if the ratio of rejected Hungarian visa applications is below 10 percent, the US Consul General to Hungary told reporters on Thursday.
The consul said that this ratio had been 10.3 percent in 2007 and added that he hoped that this year it would drop below 10 percent, which was a prerequisite for inclusion in the no-visa program.
The United States’ goal is to ensure that citizens of Hungary and other applicants for the program could visit the US without mandatory entry-visas soon, as early as January next year.
On May 20, representatives of Hungary and the United States signed an agreement on bilateral data exchange seeking to help identify terrorists. The agreement is a prerequisite for Hungary’s exemption from US visa requirements.
Source: MTI News
USA, visa, US visa-free program, USA entry visa
Hungary to step up checks on tourist buses (Caboodle.hu – 04/07/08 08:19)
Hungary Drops in Competitiveness
Hungary slipped back three places to 38 in the World Competitiveness Yearbook survey compiled by Swiss economic institute IMD. The report covers 55 countries and measures competitiveness based on some 300 criteria. Read more »
Gyurcsány Vows Moderate Reforms
A moderate reform policy that can be implemented is worth more than failed radical reforms, Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány told an international press conference on Friday. Read more »
Yahoo Buys Hungarian Software Maker
US internet company Yahoo announced that it had agreed to buy Hungarian firm Tensa, known as IndexTools, a producer of web marketing analytics software. Read more »
Fidesz and the Elections
A few days before the decisive run-off elections, the defeat of the conservative opposition party Fidesz seems ever more likely. Former supporters of the party blame its leader Viktor Orban and believe they have discovered leftist populism behind his arch-conservative, Euro-sceptical facade. Read more »
Moving Abroad?
Life can seem a bit hard sometimes, we all go to work to earn our daily crust so we can provide for ourselves and our families and then through no fault of our own the prices in the super markets and at the petrol pumps shoot through the roof leaving us with less money to spend on the things we enjoy doing with our loved ones. We have to start to cut corners and make savings in our lives but still we have to go to work for the same pay but with much less to show for it at the end of the month. So what can we do to make changes to our life so we do not feel the financial pinch as much and changes that will enable us to live a more fulfilling life with our family? Read more »
Viktor Orbán’s Philosophical Inspiration
- The language of Viktor Orbán’s “political philosophy”
Viktor Orbán’s philosophical inspiration most likely comes from a couple of local sources. I already mentioned his invocation of biblical quotations, undoubtedly supplied by Zoltán Balog, the Hungarian Reformed minister. His “political philosophy” probably owes a lot to András Lánczi, the author of Conservative Manifesto (2002). Lánczi’s ideas are similar to the until recently fashionable neoconservatism but with a Hungarian twist. The basis of Lánczi’s conservatism is “morality.” His favorite words are “order,” “stability,” “laws of nature,” and “hierarchy.”
These words are echoed in Orbán’s speeches and writings, though in their second life they are stripped of any theoretical sophistication.
But here I don’t want to talk about the hodgepodge of pseudo-philosophical ideas that Orbán invokes but about the language that he (or his speechwriter/ghostwriter) uses. His latest opus appeared in today’s Magyar Nemzet entitled “The Age of the Right in Europe.” The article is actually a more detailed version of his speech in Tusnádfürdő.
In brief, the left is dead and the time of the right has arrived.
But the language! Read more »
Budapest Society
Family Structures: Nuclear family with many families living together in multi-generational homes.
Read more »
Realpolitik and the Hungarian political situation
Realpolitik, as the English spelling of the word testifies, means political conduct or analysis that takes into consideration the given political reality. It is a practical way at looking at politics. Instead of wishful thinking the politician or the political commentator analyzes a country’s actual political situation and bases his actions and analyzes solely on the real, tangible political reality. I happen to believe that this is the only viable way of looking at politics. (And I don’t want to hear that I’m an epistemological dunce.)
I find it rather annoying when some Hungarian “political scientists” or politicians say such things as “Gyurcsány and Orbán will have to disappear.” These two men will not disappear; they will be part of Hungarian politics for the foreseeable future. That’s Hungarian political reality. Hungary’s future lies in the hands of these two men, and the voters simply have to choose between them.
Forint Rises Again
The forint strengthened to a four-month high of 251.46 per euro in intense trading yesterday afternoon, due to closing of stop-loss positions and the successful government bond auction, according to a trader with ING bank. The currency closed at 158.82 per dollar, a new 11-year high. Read more »
High Expectations – Low Involvement
Should there be more cooperation, communication and interaction between parents and school?
Students usually enter and graduate from school with high expectations set by their parents. Parents inquire about the curriculum, academic standards, class sizes, teacher qualifications, Read more »
The Hungarian parliament goes on vacation and the IMF visits Hungary
Although Hungarian politicians claim that there will be no real lull in governmental and political activity during the summer, parliament had its last session yesterday.
Some of the highlights: János Veres’s five-minute report on the economic developments of the first six months of the year. He naturally blamed Viktor Orbán’s ill-conceived and irresponsible announcement about the restructuring of Hungary’s debt load for the large drop in the value of the forint on Friday. As I mentioned in my letter to the blog, since Monday morning the forint has risen steadily against the euro. Other speeches of interest were those of Tibor Navracsics, Ferenc Gyurcsány, and Gábor Fodor.
I especially enjoy watching the faces of politicians when they are listening to their colleagues…
Read the entire article: The Hungarian parliament goes on vacation and the IMF visits Hungary »
politics, IMF, Viktor Orban, parliament session
Hungarian Public Television
Hungarian Public Television (Magyar Televízió = MTV) is not exactly a haven for high-brow programs. It’s just like all the other television stations that vie for viewers and through them for more advertising revenue. Although I know that in Europe life cannot be imagined without publicly funded television stations, one has the distinct feeling that the rationale for these public television stations is fading in our modern world. It is impossible to cram everything that the public “should be interested in” within one station: operas, concerts, theater, history, documentaries, movies, literature, religion (all denominations), cooking shows, news, sports, political discussions. Should I continue? Theme channels now dominate cable TV in the United States: entertainment, history, music, do-it-yourself, cooking, sports (including one dedicated to golf), and politics. Just to mention a few. With the introduction of digital television such a thematic solution is easily attainable in Hungary; if I recall, a few years ago, during the contest for the position of president of MTV, Sándor Friderikusz’s proposal actually contained the novel idea of making four or six channels out of MTV, each devoted to a specific topic that would draw targeted audiences. In my opinion no public television station can today compete with the plethora of channels catering to specific audiences. Thirty years ago in the United States the appearance of National Public Television was an oasis in the desert for those, like myself, who weren’t too thrilled with Mr. Ed or the Beverly Hillbillies. Today there are still some excellent programs such as Masterpiece [formerly Masterpiece Theater], the American Experience, Frontline, and Nova, but the general level of evening and weekend programming has deteriorated. (Daytime programming is dedicated to children’s shows.) The fifth time–actually, probably the tenth time–around the same “Keeping Up Appearances” is not exactly on the Tivo “to do” list.
But let’s go back to MTV and the constant trouble there. Most people I know tell me that they hardly ever watch MTV with the possible exception of the late evening political program, Az Este, and on Sundays A Szólás Szabadsága, especially if there are interesting guests. With the populace at large the early morning political show, Napkelte, is also quite popular, but apparently the real winners are quiz shows and light entertainment: Örökös, A Társulat, and Csináljunk Fesztivált. I discovered a few Hungarian-made soaps that were predictably boring (though apparently it doesn’t take long before people become soap-opera addicts), and I found a murder mystery that wasn’t exactly captivating but watchable.
MTV is not so much a producer as a disseminator of content; it produces only 30% of what it airs. The only shows that are produced in house are Az Este, A Szólás Szabadsága, Híradó, and the religious programs. All the others are purchased from outside studios.
Orbán’s Future Government Plans
Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán is reportedly ready to halt the ongoing major state investment projects such as the fourth metro line project and would freeze motorway construction payments if he regains power. Read more »
Budapest: a Cultural Island
The relationship of Hungarians to other people groups has been cordial since the political changes in 1989, yet Hungarians maintain a distinct separate identity culturally, historically and linguistically. Therefore, many Hungarians will say that they are a cultural “island” standing all alone in the middle of other European countries.
Read more »
Government Assistance and Family Support in Hungary
For a good month now the media have been full of reports about different ideas to reform the welfare system and to modify government support given as an entitlement to families for every child up to the age of twenty-one.
The debate about child support is not new. Read more »
Booking Your Family Vacation – Go Self Catering And Fend For Yourselves
This year for the first time in many years we are beginning to feel the pinch of an economic slow down which one way or another is going to affect all of us, whether it be with the rising price of fuel, the rising prices of everyday goods in the shops or if the worst comes to the worst some of us may even be made redundant from work. Whatever happens we will all be touched by it in some way and because of these we will all have less spare money in our pockets and whatever money we do have we will be slightly reluctant to part with it. Many of life’s luxuries we can afford to do without and this will help us to save a bit of cash but could you and your family bare to go without a summer vacation this year? A year without a two week vacation can seem like a very long and desperate year but if times are hard what option do you have, if you cannot afford to take your family away on vacation what can you do? Maybe all is not lost there may be something you can do. Read more »
Looking To Move Abroad And Give Your Family A Better Standard Of Life?
For so many of us our dream is to retire somewhere warm and relaxing, somewhere where we can wake up with the sun rise and not have to worry about how many layers we are going to have to wear for the day to keep the cold at bay. For those of us lucky enough to be able to think about retiring to some where warm and relaxing it gives us a focus as we approach the time in our life when we start to slow down a little and take things easier, but more and more people are looking to retire early and get out of the rat race and take their family with them and go and start afresh some where else, hopefully giving the whole family a better and more fulfilling life. In many countries the number of young families leaving to start a new life in another country is more of a stampede than a meander, so where are they all heading off to and what is the great attraction about leaving your home country and going to start a new life else where? Read more »
Why Would A Real Estate Agent Overprice Your Home?
Why a real estate agent would take an overpriced listing and how they could still make money off of a homeowners house even if the house never sells. Read more »
Affordable Summer Vacation For Even The Largest Of Families
If you are part of a large family taking an annual vacation can be a very expensive luxury and one that you really do not want to do without. For many families taking a vacation this year will be even more difficult than in years gone by what with spiraling fuel costs and the fear of economic slow down affecting nearly every family in the land. For many people their annual family vacation is the only time that they get to spend any real quality time with their whole family away from the stresses and strains of everyday life and the family vacation is an important part of most families bonding ritual. Take away the annual family vacation and many families would fall apart. It is forecast by most economic experts that most families will try to cut back on their non essential spending by as much as 25 per cent over the next few months in an attempt just to make ends meet. All of this does sound rather doom and gloom but it does not have to be, by making the right choices you can have your family vacation even if you do have a large family. Read more »
Booking A Private Holiday Home
For many of us taking our annual two week summer vacation is the highlight of the year, having made it through the long cold winter months, fighting off illness after illness and putting up with cold dark mornings and nights when we get to the warmer months of the year we feel as though we have earned the right to have a bit of a relax on the beach and enjoy some quality time with the family. Over the past 15-20 years the holiday market has changed greatly, with the greatest changes coming in the past 10 years mainly thanks to the growth of the Internet and the rise in popularity of the low cost airlines that now fly to so many popular destinations. Because of these changes the way we book and take our vacations has evolved from being a trip down to the local travel agent to see what deals were available to being able to book our vacation ourselves directly with the accommodation and the airline. So with more vacation options available to us than ever before where should we look to book our vacation to this year? Read more »
Moving to Europe – Do Your Planning Properly
In a recent survey over 45 per cent of the people polled stated that they would like to leave the country and move abroad, that is a pretty shocking figure but it just about sums the state of the country up at present. In another study it was reported that over 450,000 people are leaving our shores each year to set up a new life in a different country with their families. It used to be the realm of the older generation and the retires that when they finally finished their working life they would move to somewhere with a warmer winter as well as a slower pace of life, but not it is people and families of all ages that are looking to get away as soon as possible to try their hand at starting a new life in a foreign country. It sounds wonderful getting away from the dreary miserable winter months, the rain and the snow to spend your life in the sun but as with everything it is not quite a stroll in the park, you have to work at integrating into a new society. Read more »
Where Should I Invest In Real Estate
Investing in real estate is one of the few ways for the average person to gain wealth. Can you become rich overnight? Not very likely. Real estate investing should be considered a long term strategy that can gain you tremendous amount of wealth over time but you must do your homework first. The majority of people that are getting into the real estate investing market are simply purchasing a home in an area that they are familiar with and then wonder why they are not rich after a couple of years. Read more »
Two Hungarian opinion polls: the gay pride parade and political popularity
Szonda Ipsos, a Hungarian pollster, has been busy lately. Two days after the the ill-fated gay pride parade in Budapest Az Este, MTV’s late night political program, asked for a quick poll on the public’s reaction to the event.
I don’t think that the results are terribly surprising. More than two-thirds of the people blame the gays for the debacle on Saturday. According to these people the gays should not behave that “provocatively.” Only twenty-one percent of those asked think that what happened was shameful. Sixteen percent don’t know whom they should blame. About twenty percent of the people simply don’t give a hoot one way or the other. Seventy-four percent of those polled believe that the actions of the mob are motivated by hatred or that they want to create an upheaval. However, eighteen percent consider their actions acceptable, even a proper way of expressing one’s opinion. A large majority is convinced that the mob doesn’t really care whom they attack as long as it is a minority. Only fifteen percent think that the gays were the specific targets. About twenty percent of the people haven’t got the foggiest idea what the extreme right really wants.
About half of the people wouldn’t have allowed the radical counter-demonstrators near the parade, but as we know very well the police had no choice in the matter due to the less than perfect legislation concerning street demonstrations. Almost thirty percent of the people would have forbidden all demonstrations on that day. Perhaps the most telling: 75% of the people consider human dignity a more important consideration than freedom of speech.
The last straw: the Hungarian police and the judiciary
Prime Minister Gyurcsány stood alone in front of the parliament building Sunday morning and announced that the mob attack on a peaceful demonstration the day before was the last straw. Hungarian society has had enough. It is time to show that the majority will not tolerate a few thousand troublemakers’ constant threat to public peace and order. He suggested that on September 2 there should be a mass demonstration. In addition he asked the president, the speaker of the house, the chief justice of the constitutional court, the chief justice of the supreme court, and the chief prosecutor to get together with him to devise a course of action to put an end to lawlessness.
To tell you the truth, I don’t believe that this is the right course of action. I simply don’t know what either a demonstration or a meeting of the chief dignitaries would achieve. I suspect mighty little. A lot of words, a few thousand people, a few thousand policemen defending the few thousand peaceful demonstrators and then comes October 23, 2008, and everything goes its merry way again.
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Monsoon country
We turned into a monsoon country, with massive rainfalls and storms that take about 3 hours to get here from Vienna. No problem that I spend every other day at least 20 minutes watching the lightings around 1-3AM and drag along the following day…
But today :) Once again I had delicate footwear on (some orange sandals) which I wanted to protect from the heavy afternoon rain so I crossed the Vérmező Park barefoot (again). It is an awesome feeling when the hot concrete is warming your sole as the refreshing rain is pouring down from above. It makes you feel energised and alive. And out of the box. How refreshing, before the 10 year high school graduation reunion tonight… :)
Balkan Beat Box… numero uno
Oh my… This is music… I made up my mind. For progenitorial purposes Idan Raichel is the one, as I have already said. But as of today, the gypsy band Amaro Del was overcome as far as liveliness is concerned… Still can't believe… The Balkan Beat Box simply rocks… we were jumping, dancing, smiling throughout the entire concert and I spent all day today in semi-asleep thankfulness that they came. And not only because of Dylan's 20-year-old version with cigarette sticking out of his mouth (Uri)! :)
They are a must and here is the list of their upcoming concerts. They are going to make you move… this time they haven't even used all the instruments they could have. They don't update neither the photoblog nor the shots on their website, but if you would like to get a feel of the concerts it's worth checking them out! And listen… no – go to a concert!!!
Hungarian justice
One can hardly find words to describe how poorly the Hungarian legal system functions. Both the prosecutor’s offices and the courts are terribly slow. The judges don’t seem to be able to differentiate between important, often political, cases that should have speedy trials and trivial matters. To give two recent examples. First, the blockade of the Elizabeth Bridge in the summer of 2002. On the surface it was a very straightforward case. György Budaházy, then an unknown, organized a blockade of the bridge in order to protest “the fraudulent elections” that returned the socialists to power. It is unnecessary to dwell on the paralysis of the Keystone Kops who took at least three or four hours to figure out how to remove the few cars and reopen the bridge to traffic. Well, six years later we have a verdict: Mr. Budaházy can either pay a 40,000 forint (170 euro) fine or spend a few days in jail. But, if I recall, Mr. Budaházy can still appeal, and I bet he will. Or, a current case: the Hungarian Guard. Everybody knows that the visits of the Guard to Gypsy villages and the trouble they cause is no small matter. The whole world is full of stories about this notorious paramilitary group. The court simply has to decide whether the Guard is really a cultural organization as they registered. The court began its deliberations in April. There were two or three court appearances, but yesterday the judges decided that this weighty case must be continued until September. Unfortunately, the Hungarian Guard also continues its activity.
But this is only one problem. Read more »
Soccer and related topics
It doesn’t happen too often that I write about soccer because I must confess I have virtually no interest in the sport. I think that in my entire my life I witnessed only one soccer match–at the age of nine. I was visiting some relatives in Vasas (today part of Pécs) and there was this huge event in the life of the mining village: the Pécs soccer team came to play Vasas. It was held on an ordinary field, and the audience stood on the sidelines because there were no seats. Pécs won, everybody was cheering for Vasas, I was alone on the other side. I didn’t have the foggiest idea what was going on, but that didn’t prevent me from cheering madly for the visiting team. Even then I was an independent soul.
My interest in the game hasn’t grown since, so you can imagine how much attention I was paying to the European championship. However, it was impossible not to hear bits and pieces about the different teams and their chances. I must admit that this little information came in handy the other day when I went to the hairdresser who is Italian and an avid soccer fan. I casually mentioned the Dutch, the German, and the Italian teams. I sounded like a pro. Fortunately the conversation didn’t go far enough to expose me as a total phony.
What I really don’t like about the game is the violence that often accompanies it. The hosts of this year’s European championship, the Austrians and the Swiss, boasted about how peaceful the games were. They added that no liquor could be taken into the arenas. Moreover, from what I hear about ticket prices perhaps the audience was not the brawling sort. Even if in Austria and in Switzerland there was no trouble, the situation was different in Madrid. Fifty-nine people were arrested and one was found dead. The Spanish fans in their happiness broke shop windows, set garbage cans on fire, and acted half-crazed. And there was a scene that I hope Krisztina Morvai also saw: two policemen mercilessly beating a guy with their nightsticks. Wow! Maybe the defender of the “innocent” Hungarian demonstrators should shift her focus from Budapest to Madrid.
I think that the attitude toward soccer has changed radically in the last fifty years or so. Both Péter Esterházy and his brother were avid players. Their aristocratic mother disapproved. As Péter Esterházy said in an interview, it was not suitable for her children. Only lower-class kids played soccer. And similarly, middle-class men and women did not go to soccer games. Today, there is a soccer mania and almost everybody is interested in the sport.
Hungarians and traffic laws
Hungarian drivers are notorious: apparently you put your life on the line when you try to cross a street. Just lately there were several fatal accidents at pedestrian crossings. One was really terrible: a grandmother was pushing her grandchild in a stroller, and a car that refused to stop ran them down. Both died.
Then there are the horrific pictures in the newspapers. The bodies of the vehicles are twisted beyond recognition, and the cars sometimes land upside down. Often these are single-car accidents; the driver simply lost control. He was going at such a speed that he was unable to take a curve and smashed against a telephone poll, a fence, or a house. People, including children, fly out of these wrecks because they refuse to buckle up. Children who are not supposed to ride in the front seat do. Read more »
Lajos Bokros et al.
Economists are looked upon in Hungary as a fiercely independent group within the intellectual elite whose only guideline is strict professionalism. They are respected scholars, and whatever they say is the "truth." Apparently, according to Zsófia Mihancsik (in the last issue of Mozgó Világ, a monthly), this high esteem of economists goes back to the Kádár regime when at one point it seemed that the ills of the regime were not so much political as economic in nature. Even practicing journalists, admittedly without any economic background, look upon economists' words as holy writ. I had an interesting experience with one of these journalists. Some time ago in Napkelte (Sunrise), the early morning political show on the Hungarian equivalent of public television, the journalist confidently explained to an MSZP politician that the American experience proves that lower taxes translate into higher economic growth. This was the situation under President Reagan, he added. Well, my curiosity was aroused and I decided to inquire from him where he learned that. Answer: From So and So. I asked him: Don't you realize that there is this kind of economist and that kind of economist? Or, as the standard joke goes about the dismal science, on the one hand, on the other hand, and on the third hand. It seems that this never occurred to him. If an economist says something it must be true.
Anyone who has followed recent Hungarian developments must be struck by the sudden activity of economists. Suddenly they are full of excellent ideas. Not a day passes that one of these gurus doesn't come up with some plan that will save, if not the world, at least Hungary. And their recipes are fullproof. Not long ago I talked about the four young economists of Oriens who promised an economic paradise in two years if their plan is accepted. Luckily it wasn't. There are two or three all-knowing economists who can be heard practically daily. One of them is László Csaba about whom I will say nothing because he is considered to be Fidesz's "court economist." However, I would like to say a few words about László Békesi and Lajos Bokros, both former ministers of finance under Gyula Horn, and both of whom, by the way, were eventually fired by the socialist prime minister.
Békesi always looks as if the end of the world were at hand. He had the same demeanor during his tenure as minister of finance. Mind you, then the situation was really critical. But since then Békesi has not become a more cheerful soul. And now that Fidesz has managed to whip up a "crisis situation" Békesi is an obvious media guest. It is not necessary to go into the details of what Békesi says because he is completely in sync with the other suddenly active economists. What they all have in common is a firm grasp of textbook economic theory and a total disregard of the existing political situation.
Listening to Békesi, as I indicated above, is not fun, but I must say that I had to laugh the last time I heard him. He was being interviewed after the deal with Daimler-Benz became public. He was asked how it was possible that such a prestigious, world-renowned auto manufacturer decided to establish a large plant in Hungary if the Hungarian economic situation is as bad as he and his economist friends claim. Békesi was at a loss. The decision, he kept repeating, was totally unexpected. Something must be not quite right. We will perhaps one day find out what kind of illegal, sinister force is behind it. He didn't elaborate, but I had the feeling that what he had in mind was something like this: Perhaps pressure was put on Daimler-Benz from above (the German government, European Union?) to choose Hungary and thus bolster Ferenc Gyurcsány's government. One possibility he didn't contemplate: he is exaggerating the problems of Hungary, and the situation doesn't look so bad from abroad as the Hungarian economists would like us to believe.
And now let's talk about Lajos Bokros. I used to respect the man, but lately I have very serious reservations about him. Not as an economist because he admittedly did a very good and brave thing in the spring of 1995 that helped to save Hungary from economic and financial ruin. But where was he with all his reform ideas when the government announced its reform plans two years ago? Did he help? Did he tell Hungarian society that these measures were necessary? Did he tell the Hungarian people that Fidesz's attacks on the government's reform plans were misplaced? That Fidesz and Orbán were outright wrong? No, he didn't. He said nothing. Now that Fidesz has managed to put an end to many of the reforms, Lajos Bokros surfaces and attacks Ferenc Gyurcsány and his government for not having the guts to continue the reforms that were killed by Fidesz. This is not decent behavior. Not in my eyes.
And by the way, for those of you who understand Hungarian I highly recommend Sándor Friderikusz's final program tomorrow night on ATV. Inspired by Zsófia Mihancsik's penetrating article about Lajos Bokros in Mozgó Világ, Friderikusz has organized a get-together between Ferenc Gyurcsány and three economists. It should be a real treat. As for Mihancsik's article I will summarize it next time.
Half time: 2006-2008 (II)
As promised, let's review the Gyurcsány government's failures. First, there was the ill-fated plan to build a separate, modern government complex to which all the ministries would have moved. In theory, the idea was good. At the moment ministries are housed in old, inefficient buildings in downtown Pest. These buildings were not erected to house ministries or any kind of offices. Some of them were luxury apartments built in the late nineteenth century. Heating is very expensive because of the high ceilings. The rooms are too big for individual offices. Communication among ministries is cumbersome. By contrast, the proposed complex would have had a smaller footprint and maintenance would have been less costly. But the proposed construction, introduced in the middle of an austerity program, became a prime target for the opposition. And that wasn't the only problem: inadequate preparation, charges of corruption, professional criticism about the projected costs, all led to scrapping the project. It surely added to the government's woes.
The other very serious failure was the reform of the health care system. Read more »
Forint reaches five-year high against euro (Realdeal.hu – 04/07/08 10:11)
Is the tide turning?
On Monday Gyurcsány appeared on Az Este, a late evening political program on MTV. He seemed to be in a very upbeat mood and was his old combative self. Yesterday morning he gave a long interview on Mokka, an early morning show on TV2. Here his performance when confronted with a rather antagonistic reporter reminded me of his debate with Viktor Orbán when he basically won the 2006 elections. He had at least three reasons to be happy. Read more »
Third Culture Kids in a Flat World
Giving our children roots and wings…
In Genesis 11:1 we are told: “…and the whole earth was of one language and of one accent and mode of expression.” Recent linguistic studies have proved that indeed this account to be true and accurate. But things have changed… Read more »
Hungary: Talented Nation, Unfortunate Decisions
“Life is a series of choices, we try to teach our students how to think, how to decide. They will not learn this by accident…” Read more »
A new economic plan?
In the last few days the news that has piqued Hungarian interest is a study called “Kilábalás” (loosely translated, “Recovery,” closer to the original, “Getting out of trouble”). The authors are four fairly young economists – Krisztián Orbán, Péter Holtzer, Tamás Vojnits and Gyula Barabás. They own Oriens, an M&A financial consulting company operating in Central and Eastern Europe, and also manage a private equity fund with investments in Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. It seems that George H. Walker, III, former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary and first cousin of former president George Herbert Walker Bush, and George Pataki, former Republican governor of New York, are on the fund’s board.
The young economists claim that, although Oriens is a business venture, the economic program they prepared was not commissioned by anyone. However, the leaked Orbán speech in a primitive way echoes some of their suggestions.
Read the entire article: A new economic plan? »
Hungary, economy, economic plan, Oriens
EUR 2 billion Dream Island Project
Álom Sziget Entertainment Zrt. has won the gaming concession and can now go ahead with its “Dream Island” project on Hajógyári sziget. Read more »
Orbán’s Revelations and Their Afterlife
The important points Viktor Orbán revealed of his future plans in László Kéri’s seminar:
- Freezing pensions;
- Suspending the metro project in Budapest;
- Stopping road construction.
According to the results of the Szonda Ipsos poll Orban’s ideas did not meet with the majority’s approval. Read more »
Reactions to Orbán’s Revelations
My head is spinning. One hears nothing else but talking heads spouting their wisdom about Viktor Orbán’s monologue at a seminar of young political scientists, students of László Kéri. One interpretation is more bizarre than the next. At least to my mind. The best solutions in mathematics are the simplest. I think the same is true about political analysis. Read more »
Central Europe’s Greatest Water Theme Park!
Aquaworld (Ramada Resort – Aquaworld Budapest) is set to open its doors in the fall of 2008. The Aquaworld water empire will be Central Europe’s biggest indoor water theme park: 11 slides, 17 pools, surf pool, which is extraordinary even in Europe and further amusement elements will make the complex unique Read more »
Rail Strike May Happen Anytime
Railway workers may go on strike again at any time, as the positions of MÁV management and the Free Union of Railway Workers did not move any closer in Wednesday talks. Read more »
Hungary: Current Macroeconomic Forecast
Getting out from the hole
According to the forecast prepared by GKI Economic Research Co. in co-operation with Erste Bank the Hungarian economy will bottom out from the last year’s “hole” by the end of 2008. This year real earnings will already grow – although slowly. If the global financial market stabilizes, the forint interest rates may decrease. Read more »
What’s that Trash?
In Budapest, districts provide an opportunity for everyone to get rid of all their unwanted furniture, electrical devices, magazines, books, records and whatever else they don’t need any more. People can leave these items two previously announced times a year, out on the street. Dates vary district to district. After a few days of exposition, the district will clean up the trash from the street. Read more »
Missionary Kids, Third Culture Kids
Quoted from a very informative and insightful article written by Matthew McNutt on his blog:
Positive things that characterize most Third Culture Kids:
- Third Culture Kids tend to be politically astute. They are interested in national and global events, and actively keep track of the news. They often times are aware of the issues and both sides of the debates.
- Third Culture Kids usually speak more than one language. It is not unusual for them to know three or four languages, often times better than they let on.
- Third Culture Kids are much more comfortable communicating with adults than the average American teenager.
- Third Culture Kids tend to possess greater maturity in social skills. They are able to adapt well and notice details others might not.
- Third Culture Kids possess global perspective. They are able to understand the perspectives other nations have and relate them one to another. As a result, they are usually less prejudiced than others their age.
- Third Culture Kids are achievers. A far greater percentage of TCK’s go on to earn Bachelor degrees and advanced degrees than other groups.
- Because of their own experiences of feeling different, Third Culture Kids are much more likely to reach out and accept new people, especially those with different cultural backgrounds.
Top 5 Emerging Property Markets In Eastern Europe
While the rest of the western world wonders whether domestic real estate investment remains a sensible consideration now that yields and equity growth rates are tumbling and the fast moving property sector slows and even stagnates in certain countries around the world, there exists a part of the world where real estate sectors are booming Read more »
Hungarian Money
The official currency in Hungary is the forint, or Hungarian forint (HUF). The coins in use are 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 forints. Banknotes come in denominations of 200, 500, 1 000, 2 000, 5 000, 10 000, and 20 000 – with elaborate graphic designs. There are also Braille signs on them for the visually impaired. Read more »
Tourists About Hungarians
What do the tourists say?
Those who have been pickpocketed or robbed say though Budapest may be beautiful, they will never come back. That is understandable. Otherwise, the comments are wonderfully positive.
Most tourists said that people were as friendly as possible when they could not communicate in each others’ languages. Read more »
Budapest, the Elegant Elderly Woman
After arriving in Budapest, I found out for myself and can say that today, after visiting more than thirty countries that I consider Budapest my favorite city.
I was captivated by the incredible flavors of the food, blessed by the thoughtful courtesy of the people, and amazed by the nighttime view of the city from Gellért Hill. Read more »
Helping Your Child Cope With Culture Shock
You can minimize your child’s disorientation by familiarizing her with the country you will be visiting before the trip, maintaining familiar rituals while traveling, and encouraging her to interact with the local culture. Children go through culture shock Read more »
Top 10 European Countries For Real Estate Property Investors
If you’re looking to diversify, broaden or even begin your property portfolio consider Europe for your next investment destination. Read more »
All-day BKV Strike Set for April 18!
Employees of Budapest public transport company BKV have resolved to go on strike for the whole day on Friday, April 18, following unsuccessful talks on Wednesday. Read more »
Socialist Period Architecture in Hungary
Post-1945 architecture in Hungary is endangered, because public opinion does not yet value the buildings of the period. Public taste may change, but by then it could be too late. Read more »
National Strategy for More Children
Social Affairs and Labour Minister Mónika Lamperth on Tuesday outlined the cabinet’s strategy to boost the birth rate. Read more »
Hungary Real Estate
Heart-stealing Hungary will keep you coming back for more. Visitors can never get enough of the relaxing thermal spas, the rich wines and amazing bird life among its other wonders that Hungary offers. Read more »
Budapest: A Marriage Made In Danube
What makes the Hungarian capital an endlessly diverse adventure is the fact that in 1873, two towns (yes, Buda and Pest) on opposite sides of the Danube River united to become known as the Queen of the Danube and one of the largest cities in the European Union today. Brace yourself for the most unique experience in Eastern (or all) Europe Read more »
Budapest, Hungary – An Incredible City
Located in Central Eastern Europe, Hungary is diverse and beautiful country. The undisputed treasure of the country is Budapest. Read more »
Travel To Eastern Europe: See Life Bursting At The Seams
Eastern Europe today is an understated treasure-trove of sites, sounds and history. The exuberance for life in the post-Communist era has found expression in a proliferation of music and arts festivals, celebrations of national identity and history, and Read more »
Hot Tips For Successful Real Estate Investment
Is it too late to venture into real estate investing?
How to make the most significant returns from property investment?
The last downturn of the global stock market saw millions of ‘every day’ investors having their fingers badly burned. Read more »
Euro of Europe
The Euro € is the single currency of most of the member states of the European Union, although there are some EU members like England with its British pound that refuse the Euro currency, or Hungary whose Read more »
Referendum a Success; Fees to be Abolished
Hungarian voters rejected nominal medical fees and post-secondary tuition fees by a overwhelming margin in Sunday’s referendum, as 82-84% of those who turned out opposed the charges. Read more »
Drinking & Driving: ‘Zero-tolerance’ Law
Drivers under the influence of alcohol can have license seized on the spot! As of January 20th, 2008, drivers in Hungary who have consumed even the tiniest amount of alcohol can have their driver’s license seized on the spot. Read more »
Residential Property Prices in Hungarian Cities
Gyor, Debrecen, Pecs and Veszprem have the most expensive residential property in Hungary after Budapest, according to data from ingatlanmenedzser.hu. Debrecen and Veszprem took the top two positions, but Pecs and Kecskemet were also high up the list. Read more »
Under the Sign of Half Truth
Central Eastern Europeans must be given the time they need to unravel their complex legacy of Communism and Fascism. Read more »
The Insane World of Political Life in Hungary
For a good sense of how insane the world of political life is in Hungary, check out this article by Edward Lucas, the Central European correspondent for both the London Financial Times and the Economist. When he asks both FIDESZ and the Socialists about their economic plans, both parties gleefully admit that they lied to win elections… Read more »
Living Standards of Budapest
The living standards of the people of the Budapest region are moderate to upper-level. The private sector accounts for over 80% of GDP. Foreign ownership of and investment in Hungarian firms is widespread.
Read more »
Roman Ruins Rule in Budapest
Margaret Island is a huge park that sits in the middle of the Danube. Two and a half kilometers in length, it’s as if a much larger Central Park were ripped out of Manhattan and dropped into a much cleaner Hudson River. Read more »
