9/20/2006 at 9:30 AM
Tags: politics, Budapest, Hungary (all tags)
Huge news broke this week in Europe. Brace yourself for this surprise: it turns out that sometimes politicians tell lies. It was confirmed by Hungary's prime minister Gyurcsany who got himself recorded on a now-leaked tape with gems like
We screwed up. Not a little, a lot ... No European country has done something as boneheaded as we have ... we lied morning, evening and night.
It's true, bad things have come from these lies, with demonstrations and some violent protests in Budapest and political turmoil and calls for the prime minister's resignation. But wouldn't it be perfect if everybody talked like this all of the time? Just imagine, the Parisian tourism minister's honest opinion: "Don't bother with the Eiffel Tower, it's just a lump of steel designed to take money from tourists." Or in New York: "We don't really recommend the Empire State Building--it's too effin' windy at the top." Not likely, is it?
[Image via AP]
Related stories:
Trouble Over Leaked Recording [IHT]
Budapest: Now More Than Ever [Jaunted]
by amandak
8/03/2006 at 8:40 AM
Tags: Hungary, Celeb Travel (all tags)
Have we made our point yet that traveling in Hungary can be just a little bit different? If you're not drinking
high-percentage alcohol preserved together with human bodies, or
getting your teeth fixed between drinks, then in the future you could be driving over Chuck Norris Bridge.
It seems that some things in Hungary are just the same as everywhere, and some politician is trying to distract attention from the fact that a long-promised bridge over the Danube north of Budapest is a fraction behind schedule. The master distraction: An internet poll to name the new bridge. Early internet hype had action star Chuck Norris as the frontrunner in bridge-naming action, with voters citing reasons such as:
he could build that bridge, knock it down with a roundhouse kick, then rebuild it again all in less than 60 minutes
Unfortunately the more ordinary (by Hungarian standards) name of Szent Korona has taken over the lead, but the Hungarian Ministry of Transport is keeping their
top list progress vote updated so perhaps before the vote closes on September 8, Chuck'll once again win the day.
Related stories:
Chuck Norris Leads The Way [Sydney Morning Herald]
Jamaican Me Thirsty [Jaunted]
by amandak
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