Previously.
On 1 January Hungary's new Constitution came into effect which, amongst other things,
entrenches the power of the current ruling party, FIDESZ, and enshrines social issues such as the right of the unborn child. Many so-called cardinal laws have been passed in Parliament which requires a 2/3 majority to change.
The president of the EU, José Barroso
wrote to the Hungarian Prime Minister, Victor Orbán, requesting a rethink of two such laws which impact the political independence to the Central Bank. This was
rejected by the Hungarian government.
Economically things are tough with Hungary
requesting additional IMF assistance but they
withdrew from informal talks, citing concern over the independence of the central bank. Hungary's debt was
downgraded to junk status with rating agencies citing concerned at the relationship with the IMF.
[more inside]
posted by vac2003
on Jan 3, 2012 -
27 comments
Orbán's concept of moral renewal and economic rehabilitation for Hungary has several tenets: Those without work are to be given work; those who are already working should work more in the future, but without being paid more; in the interest of the country's "stability," those who hold political power today should be allowed to remain in office for as long as possible; and those who once had power and did not use it for the benefit of the people should now be punished.
"Supporters of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán say he has a strict leadership style, while critics warn of the threat of forced political conformity, Jew-baiting and labor camps. Meanwhile, the European Union is saying nothing, apparently accepting the fact that a member state is
getting out of control." [
previously]
posted by Jasper Friendly Bear
on Aug 20, 2011 -
17 comments
Wherever you go, H
u-
g
o-
hip
po-
potamus
The
nightmarish and psychedelic 1976 children's movie
Hugo the Hippo features a score of hippos who save the port of Zanzibar from
"cap-wearing sharks decked out with biker jewelry", only to be massacred by the Sultan's greenish advisor (voiced by
Paul Lynde), leaving poor Hugo an orphan.
The soundtrack [flash player] includes songs by Burl Ives (as the titular
hungry hippo),
Jimmy and
Marie Osmond, and the Ken Williams Quartet. There is no official DVD release, but the
Hugo fansite has some options for obtaining the movie, and it's available on Youtube
[links above].
The story is based on a real Hugo the Hippo, who terrorized farmers near
Dar es Salaam:
"Game workers dug a 7-ft. pit along Hugo's dinner trail, lowered a big wooden crate into it, covered the top with branches, and baited it with three succulent pumpkins, Hugo's favorite dessert."
Gyorgi Peluce, the color designer responsible for
The Simpson's unique hues, is a Hugo alumnus from the Hungarian
animation company PannóniaFilm.
Previously on AskMe: 1, 2
posted by benzenedream
on Aug 9, 2011 -
19 comments
Fortepan is a collection of 4973 found amateur photos sourced mainly in Budapest. Pick a year and browse - photos are organized in chronological order from 1900 to 1990, accessible via a slider. "Users are encouraged to use, copy, send to friends, clip or paste the photos, which are
free for they are not our property."
(via Szanalmas, sometimes nsfw)
posted by madamjujujive
on Aug 29, 2010 -
19 comments
First there was the
State Language Act that many
Hungarians and
EU observers claim discriminates against the significant Hungarian minority in Slovakia. The Slovaks were predictably
indigent. The issue isn't
new though. Relations soured further when the Slovaks recently
refused
entry to the Hungarian President. Clearly, there is much
history to overcome.
posted by vac2003
on Aug 31, 2009 -
34 comments
Colour on the Thames is a 7 minute film shot in 1935 using
Gasparcolor, one of the many early forms of tinting black and white film. Beside
Colour on the Thames, which provides a wonderful view of 1930's England, the only film made in Gasparcolor I could find online was
Colour Flight by New Zealand artist Len Lye, an abstract cartoon set to instrumental 1930's pop music.
The story of Gasparcolor is in itself interesting, for instance touching on Nazis, Hungary between the wars and early color animation.
posted by Kattullus
on Jan 27, 2009 -
12 comments
The Roma Journeys - contemporary photographs of Roma life in Hungary, India, Greece, Romania, France, Russia, and
Finland by Joakim Eskildsen. For more photo essays and info on the Roma, see two superb prior posts by
plep and
taz.
posted by madamjujujive
on Nov 15, 2007 -
26 comments
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the
1956 Hungarian Revolution. A key documentary artifact of the uprising is
Magyarország lángokban (Hungary in Flames) [embedded .wmv], partly composed of footage shot by two young film school students using whatever equipment they could find. Narrowly avoiding capture by the Communists, the duo smuggled 10,000 feet of film out of the country in spare tires and potato sacks; there's much more to the story, but better to hear Vilmos tell it
in his own words. [.rm] Eventually, they made their way to America, where
László Kovács, ASC (
Five Easy Pieces,
Ghost Busters,
more) and
Vilmos Zsigmund, ASC (
Close Encounters of the Third Kind,
Deliverance,
more) became two of the most prolific cinematographers in Hollywood history. [more inside]
posted by milquetoast
on Aug 8, 2006 -
7 comments
How do you say, "I have a gub" in Hungarian? (registration or video viewing required) Attila Ambrus, the handsome, courtly Whiskey Robber of Budapest, shares his tale with Salon, and what a yarn it is! After fleeing his native Romania beneath a train, Ambrus was variously a pelt-smuggler, Zamboni-wrangler, world-class hockey failure, gravedigger, and dog-walker, until he found his true calling in 1993: relieving banks of their cash.
Then the story gets interesting, involving bad disguises, flowers for the bank tellers, a nervous stomach, a prison break via knotted bedclothes, and pursuit by his own Lieut. Columbo. It all added up to folk heroism for "Chicky Panther," until they put him away in Hungary's maximum security slammer, where he languishes today. Now he's talking, and Hollywood's listening.
posted by rob511
on Dec 23, 2005 -
8 comments
'Falling in love with the truth'. On Dec. 10, 1956, exactly one month after
Soviet troops crushed the last hopes of the Hungarian Revolution, 13-year-old
Sylvia Plachy lay hidden in a farm cart that was carrying her toward the Austrian border. That night, Plachy and her parents escaped, finally making their way to the United States. The family settled in Queens, New York, where the teenager grew up to
become one of the
most incisive photographers of her
generation.
Many of the
photographs will be displayed this spring at the
Rose Gallery in Los Angeles, and are on view now at New York's
Hunter Fox Gallery, where
Plachy (scroll down) recently talked about the book and her career.
Her pictures "have to do with what memory looks like,' she explains. "How you remember things. Not so much how they are, but how they get translated." Oh,
she's Adrien Brody's mom and she
uses a
Holga.
posted by matteo
on Feb 8, 2005 -
15 comments
Terrorháza [Flash].
Having survived two terror regimes, it was felt that the time had come for Hungary to erect a fitting memorial to the victims, and at the same time to present a picture of what life was like for Hungarians in those times.
A tour of the Terror Musuem at 60 Andrássy út in Budapest. After the introduction, proceed to the Exhibition link.
posted by Wolfdog
on Feb 7, 2005 -
5 comments
The European Union welcomes 10 new members! As I write this, the celebrations have started as Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia become members of the EU today.
While some folks are
gonna party like crazy, others are warning of
doom and gloom.
What do you think? Will this have significant effects on global culture, politics, and economics - or will it merely represent a paper change within the rarefied world of European diplomats, with little other than localized effects on day to day life?
posted by MidasMulligan
on Apr 30, 2004 -
43 comments
Truffle Hunters "The pig is not content to wag his tail and point when he has discovered a truffle," says Peter Mayle, author of 'A Year In Provence'. "He wants to eat it. In fact, he is desperate to eat it. And you cannot reason with a pig on the brink of gastronomic ecstasy. He is not easily distracted, nor is he of a size you can fend off with one hand while you rescue the truffle. There he is, as big as a small tractor, rigid with porcine determination and refusing to be budged." Which is why Hungarians are teaching dogs to do the work -- but should they be asking a canine to do a sow's job?
posted by feelinglistless
on Apr 27, 2003 -
6 comments
