Well I don’t know if Kyiv is going to fall tomorrow, but it is obvious there is a lack of…
August 15, 2024
Voila, the “Council of Judges” (OBT) has already submitted to Orban's "reorganization" by the afternoon. https://obt-jud.hu/sites/default/files/ulesek/Osszefoglalo_2024.11.20.pdf
Putin's spokesman, Peskov: "Freezing the conflict in Ukraine [along the existing frontlines] is UNACCEPTABLE for Russia, it is important for…
According to the 2015 contract, Russia would build the the Paks-2 atomic power plant for 12.5 billion euros, from start…
Current US situation: https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/commercial-backyard-flocks
It’s become rather quiet around here so I’ve started following other site, Telex of course but also George Lazar:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=508220147
Know other sites which are in English or German and reliable – don’t want any silly Fidesz propaganda.
I have recently started reading Népszava on a regular basis. As someone from outside the country, in my opinion, it seems like a good responsible publication, often critical of the government.
For instance, a recent item about Hungary giving a loan of Euro 1 billion to North Macedonia. Népszava is suggesting some of that money is the loan from China. If I have read it correctly, the article is suggesting it is to make Hungary a bigger player in the geopolitics of the Balkans with the silent backing of China and Russia.
I read it on my phone which automatically offers a prompt to translate articles into English.
In addition to Telex I like regular a dose of commentary, parody and biting satire offered by Somogyi, Bödocs Tibor, Dave Világa and Edina Pottyondy. They are all on YouTube but of course in Hungarian.
Be assured that any agreement, involving Hungarian-Balkan and Chinese finances are totally corrupt.
American & European news channels talk about Ukrainian successes in the north.
But the military situation has NOT improved for Ukraine on the Donietsk front.
More than likely this Russian article https://www.rt.com/russia/602665-kursk-attack-us-lies-patrushev/ is correct in part if one can stand the Russian hypocrisy. The US was likely involved in the planning for this offensive and U.S. satellite surveillance was also utilized.
It is rather amazing that the US media is not challenging the current narrative that the US and NATO had no involvement in the Ukrainian invasion of the Kursk Region at the planning level. In fact it’s accepted by the media here both Democrat or Republican leaning that the narrative of non-involvement is truthful.
I think the US/NATO/ Ukraine cooperated on this offensive which was needed as an attempt to try and ease the Putin war attrition against Ukraine which is a long term strategy based on the demographic reality of the situation.
Eventually an investigative report will expose all of this. I suspect.
Right now for both the Russians and Ukrainians the problems of logistics in the battlefield in the Kursk Region are huge. Neither side likely has a functioning medical evacuation system in place or a resupply system for food, and ammunition, operating in Kursk.
When I was trapped in An Loc in 1972 by communist forces it was psychologically traumatic to watch wounded South Vietnamese soldiers die from their wounds that were only treated to stabilize for evacuation. An evacuation that often did not take place because helicopters could not land due to never ending artillery and rocket fire.
The Washington Post interviewed some Ukrainians who were wounded and did get evacuated one said: “All our group was injured the day we arrived.” Many Ukrainian soldiers suffered heavy wounds, while others were killed and had to be left behind. I am confident the situation of the Russians is equally horrific.
Before I was sent to Vietnam to be an “adviser” I was given basic combat trauma training, along with language training and my training as an artillery officer which started at age 19.
One part of the training related to trauma was putting in place tourniquets to stop bleeding. We were taught to hide severed body parts from the view of the wounded soldier to reduce panic on their part which increases blood loss.
My Vietnamese phrase “Tôi sẽ cho anh thứ gì đó để giảm đau, bác sĩ đang ở ngay đằng kia.” (I will give you something for the pain the medic is just over there.) was used repeatedly and were the last words some of those ARVN soldiers ever heard before death.
Of course the medics weren’t just over there and morphine was administered sparingly based on the assessment of likely survival made by the medic.
I am sure it’s the same now for soldiers in Kursk and the horrors for the survivors will always be there somewhere in their minds. For some less so than for others.
Chicago’s Democratic National Convention starts tomorrow and there are police barricades appearing all over the central city we call the Loop.
Many companies, universities, and other entities in the central city are using remote work to keep people from potential protests, particularly over the Gaza war.
Other businesses are fortifying their property to protect from potential looters (see https://abc7chicago.com/post/chicago-dnc-2024-possible-protests-during-democratic-national-convention-have-loop-businesses-boarding/15190663/) Chicago is now a national security area and police have been issued thousands of new riot suits that look like storm trooper suits from the Star Wars films. There are hidden sniper teams around the city prepared for deployment too.
It’s unclear if all of this will reduce protests here or increase them.
It’s funny how election slogans are used.
In 2022, the Viktors’ motto was: Elöre, nem hátra.
Now Harris and Walz: We are not going back; we are moving forward.
Trump: MAGA
Viktor: MEGA
What we call over here Jan – low information voters – are critical in all US elections. So it all has to be kept very simple. Obama was one of our rare mor complex thinkers who became President, yet he too kept it simple when speaking at rallies.
As of the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau in 2022, approximately 38.9%of adults aged 25 and older in the United States have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Among Trump supporters that number is about 32%, they like it real simple.
I was not criticising the simplicity, they are good slogans to fire up the people, except for the Viktor MEGA which is just a ridiculous slogan to troll the EU.
The Jobbik one from 2018, “You work they steal” was another good one.
I don’t personally know the candidates, but except for Trump who is not a complex thinker, and only thinks about himself, I consider the Democratic candidates to be able to have some complex thoughts. J.D. I didn’t know before, but he doesn’t seem to be a philosopher.
Addressing “John Doe” about political and economic matters in a manner that is inclusive and not tiring, yet informative, constructive and encouraging, is one of the historically crucial tests a successful US presidency must pass. A little like when school principals speak to the students in order to convince them about the value of morale and studies.
Media play the biggest role in mass communication and today, the internet controls a lot more than the speaker does. After delivery, hell and heaven break loose and take over the scene and most important messages drown in the commercial chaos of selling opinions on the internet.
Trump seems to understand that, or perhaps simply getting away with the most outrageous bullshit all the time convinces him of the power of constantly creating a mess of communication.
Back to Hungary:
Hungarian’s top Christian said:
https://hungarytoday.hu/christian-foundations-of-statehood-must-be-preserved-by-all-hungarians/
Unbelievable!
I’m just waiting for the command to kill all heretics …
Remember the story of the battleship St István?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Szent_Istv%C3%A1n
It clearly shows how crazy these guys were …
What a great waste of money and resources!
The economics minister of Hungary, Marton Nagy admitted today that the Hungarian state has “a cash flow problem, so we have to optimize liquidity”
https://index.hu/gazdasag/2024/08/21/nagy-marton-interju-makrogazdasag-kormany-inflacio-novekedes/
https://statisztika.mnb.hu/publikacios-temak/penzugyi-szamlak/sajtokozlemenyek/az-allamhaztartas-es-haztartasok-elozetes-penzugyi-szamlai
Let me give my opinion (lots of countries have similar problems)
The savings of the rich have increased, but they do not spend more inside the country.
They move their money abroad, fearing the “rule by overnight decree” decisions of regime.
The richest 10% of the Hungarian population own 67% of the private assets.
The middle 20% own 16%, while
The poorest 70% own 17%.
https://bank360.hu/blog/fogyasztas-helyett-valoban-irgalmatlan-megtakaritasba-kezdett-a-lakossag
So the poor and the middle class do not have enough money to spend.
Consumption is stagnant, the government does not get enough money from the world recorder 27% VAT (sales tax), and the GDP does not grow enough to keep the debt/GDP ratio from going up.
Your analasys of the capital-balance is interesting.
It seems as if average-income, pooled investments (real-estate and pension funds don’t have much weight in the Hungarian economy.
Head of the new “Sovereignty Authority”:
Organizations like Transparency International should not research corruption in Hungary, because they will be punished by the regime.
“Your game is over”, said head Lánczi.
https://444.hu/2024/08/24/azert-inditott-vizsgalatot-a-szuverenitasvedelmi-hivatal-a-transparency-international-ellen-mert-oket-okoljak-az-unios-penzek-befagyasztasaert
To those who read Hungarian I recommend this “funny” site.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094522945847
Maria Néni has a lot of /not very …) nice things to say on O1G and his honchos.
Enjoy!
Especially what she wrote on August 16.
A humorous fake news journal a la Karinthy is published by the Two-tailed dog party,
taking the name of the new “Sovereignty Defense Authority”
https://szuverenitashivatal.hu/
🙂
For obvious reasons, focus in the EU about Hungary centers on the lack of visitation regarding Russian citizen’s entry and residence in Hungary (a Shengen country, in case anyone wonders).
Thanks for the link
Official statistics:
June salaries of full-time employees in Hungary (@ EUR/HUF = 394.86)
Average net salary: 1081 euros,
median net salary: 874 euros.
median/net = 80.81%
net/gross = 66.50%
https://www.ksh.hu/stadat_files/mun/hu/mun0143.html
The average full social security on Januar 1, 2024 was 230940 forints.
There was no raise since January, so the average social security was worth 585 euros in June – 54.1% of the average net salary.
https://www.ksh.hu/stadat_files/szo/hu/szo0034.html
Let us estimate the median:
51.35% = 1166844/2272361
of the social security payments were below 200000 forints (507 euros) in January 2024.
So the median was around 500 euros. With the February double payment, a median social security recipient receive 500*13 = 6500 euros in 2024.
https://www.ksh.hu/stadat_files/szo/hu/szo0035.html
“Hungarian National Arrested on Charges of Conspiring to Export U.S. Military-Grade Radios to Russian Government End Users”
https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/hungarian-national-arrested-charges-conspiring-export-us-military-grade-radios-russian
This short book review of a new book by retired US Army General H R McMaster is worth reading (https://www.theguardian.com/books/article/2024/aug/21/trump-putin-hr-mcmaster-memoir) General McMaster first came to my attention from his doctoral dissertation turned into a book titled “Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff.” It was about the big lie based on the Gulf of Tonkin incident that led to the direct involvement of US forces in South Vietnam, including by 1972 myself as a young army lieutenant.
Amazingly General McMaster wrote it while still a commissioned US Army General. Essentially he proved the US Joint Chiefs knew the story of the North Vietnamese attack on a U.S. warship was faked. General McMaster was too young to have served in Vietnam and looked at things without the baggage Vietnam veterans carry.
History is a strange thing as it relates to the Vietnam War. Lewis Sorley the author of “A Better War
The Unexamined Victories and Final Tragedy of America’s Last Years in Vietnam” that looked directly at my own experience in Vietnam. From 1966 to 1967 Sorley served as executive officer, 1st Tank Battalion, 69th Armor, U.S. Army in South Vietnam. From 1968 to 1970 he served as assistant secretary of the General Staff, Office of the Chief of Staff, U.S. Army.
Sorley later completely transcribed 455 tape recordings of high level classified meetings held at the US Military Assistance Command in Saigon chaired by General Creighton Abrams. The discussions of my own situation at the Battle of An Loc in 1972 simply stunned me. They were all published as the book the “Vietnam Chronicles The Abrams Tapes 1968-1972” published in 2004. The CIA assessment of our situation surrounded at An Loc was chilling and the casualties the Communists took were beyond belief from US airial bombardment.
History had led me to believe completely very little I read about wars the US is involved in currently. There will be many dark episodes revealed in the years to come about the Ukrainian war and the war in Gaza. At this point nothing will surprise me.
I have read McMaster a few years ago and thought about how he challenged the official story. this time around is no different, I look forward to it.
Poking such holes in the propaganda makes a huge difference, but it also fuels (renewed cold war) anti-propaganda. Where this ends will be interesting.
We really don’t hear much about the (presumambly important, judging by expectation) Hungarian presedency of the EU.
How can that be?
Is the Fidesz organisation too far out of tune with the EU to make a mark? Or is there a lack of competent political competense?
Or – Are (political pornography alert) Hungarian politics impossible to clearly discern from Russian politics?
My Romanian relatives express wonder about the “Russianisation” of Hungary today.
Just heard a really bad, bad joke:
Stalin was resurrected and immediately asked the priest to be married to Orban – they fit together so fantastically …
It was a really, really bad joke. But as we all know Hungarian jokes especially political ones actually have deeper meanings, this one is beyond me.
Stalin would have likely
considered Orban just another petty bourgeois Hungarian nationalist to be shot and thrown in an unmarked grave.
János Kádár a generally good communist in 1951, was imprisoned by the government of Mátyás Rákosi but was released in 1954 by reformist communist Prime Minister Imre Nagy.
Of course Stalin was still the boss in 1951. Stalin and the pro-Soviet leadership under Mátyás Rákosi suspected János Kádár of being sympathetic to Tito during the period of the Tito-Stalin split. This suspicion was part of the reason for Kádár’s arrest and imprisonment in 1951. He had his hand crushed as part of his interrogation too. My grandfather who was as anticommunist as they come thought that was funny and made jokes about the -Kadar hiányzó keze in the early 1960s.
János Kádár, although not overtly aligned with Tito, was perceived by Rákosi and his Stalinist regime as insufficiently loyal and potentially harboring sympathies for a more autonomous form of communism. This led to Kádár being accused of “Titoism” and conspiracy against the state, which resulted in his imprisonment and torture. These accusations were part of a broader pattern of purges throughout the Eastern Bloc, where anyone suspected of deviation from strict Soviet orthodoxy
was targeted.
I agree.
Compared to modern times, Russian dominance in Hungary was more obvious back in the day.
The mafia that runs Hun finances and commerce these days, is more educated and well dressed.
Spain Blocks Hungarian Rail Bid Over Possible Russia Ties
Spain says the bid by the Hungarian company — formerly a Russian subsidiary — poses a risk to national security.
From next week, minister Lazar can give away state-owned castles, even for free.
The government/Orban disregarded the contrary decision of the “Constitutional Court” appointed by itself/himself.
https://njt.hu/jogszabaly/2024-32-00-00
https://www.portfolio.hu/ingatlan/20240830/nyolc-kastellyal-indul-a-kastelytorveny-vegrehajtasa-706809
https://epiteszforum.hu/elfogadta-a-parlament-a-kastelyprivatizacios-torvenyt
The Russian spy, who sent American military technology to Russia and who was arrested in San Francisco, is an employee of a Hungarian governmental agency. His mom is the head of the Moscow bureau.
https://444.hu/2024/08/30/bence-horvath-is-a-magyar-allami-megbizasbol-dolgozo-moszkvai-partneriroda-munkatarsa-volt
https://444.hu/2024/08/27/egy-magyar-ferfi-akart-katonai-radiokat-csempeszni-oroszorszagba-amerikabol-de-elfogtak
Record low births in Hungary
Natural decline = Live births – deaths, January through July of each year
2020: -21,561 = 53,011 – 74,572
2021: -38,888 = 52,484 – 91,372
2022: -30,069 = 50,356 – 80,425
2023: -24,923 = 49,757 – 74,680
2024: -27,986 = 44,726 – 72.712
https://www.ksh.hu/stadat_files/nep/hu/nep0064.html