William Penn Life, 2010 (45. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2010-09-01 / 9. szám

Magyar Matters

Poll shows Hungarian voters like government’s defiant stance

BUDAPEST — The Hungarian government's recent defiant stance toward the International Monetary Fund and European Union may not have won it many friends outside of Hungary, but it did wonders for the support it receives within its borders.

An August poll conducted by Median showed that nearly two-thirds of Hungarians planning to vote in October's municipal elections support Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his governing Fidesz Party. Among poll respondents who had already made up their minds about who will get their vote, 63% backed Fidesz. The

Socialist Party earned 17%, the farright Jobbik 14% and liberal LMP 5%.

Fidesz won more than two-thirds of seats in Parliament in April's general elections.

The support from voters relieves pressure on the government to begin austerity measures that financial experts say are necessary but could lessen Fidesz's popularity. Without such belt tightening, many experts fear Hungary's economy will continue to stagnate, domestic consumption will keep sagging, construction work will slow and the forint will become weaker. □

In Brief

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The Hungarian Cultural Society of Connecticut will host its annual fund-raising gala Saturday, Oct. 23, at the Italian Center, 1620 Newfield Ave., Stamford, Conn. The gala will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a reception, followed at 8:00 p.m. by a traditional Hungarian dinner and wines, then open dancing to Hungarian music. The evening will also feature a silent auction. Proceeds from the gala will support the HCSCs efforts to preserve the Hungarian cultural heritage in America and to aid ethnic Hungarian minorities in the Transylvania region of Romania and the Carpathian Basin. For more information, write to HCSC, Inc.,

P.O. Box 2026, Cheshire, CT 06410, or

email info@hcsc.us.

Dayton club to host Szüreti Bál

DAYTON, OH — Everyone is invited to the Szüreti Bál - Grape Dance to be held Saturday, Sept. 25, at the Old Troy Pike Community Church Kossuth Hall, 4475 Old Troy Pike, Dayton. The event will feature live music by the band Harmonia, food prepared by the church's Ladies Guild, a performance by the Dayton Hungarian Festival Club Dancers (pictured above), a Hungarian wine tasting, a cash bar and door prizes. Food will be sold beginning at 5:00 p.m. with take out available. Harmonia will perform for guests' dancing pleasure from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Admission is $12 per person, which includes two samples of Hungarian wine. Admission is $6 for children ages 6 to 12 and free for children ages 5 and under. Admission does not include food. For more information and to make reservations, call 937-298-8457 or 937-426-4714. You can learn more about the Dayton Hungarian Festival Club and Hungarian activities in the Dayton area by visiting the club's web site at ivvrw.daytonhungarians.com.

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Forty-five students and their teachers from Hungary and six Eastern European nations gathered in August at Lake Balaton for the fifth annual Teaching Tolerance through English summer camp hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Budapest. The campers participated in a variety of athletic, theatrical, artistic and educational activities designed to promote tolerance and an appreciation of each other’s cultures while enhancing their English language skills. After the two-week program, students planned to continue their joint projects via email and exchange visits. Other countries represented at the camp were Bulgaria, Kosovo, Lithuania, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia.

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Hungarians are a little more hopeful of a post-crisis recovery, as 23% believe that the country will overcome recession in the next 12 months, market researcher Nielsen found. The average for the 48 countries examined was 21%. Only 84% of Hungarians say the country is in recession, down from 94% a year ago. The most optimistic Europeans are the Finns, Swiss, Dutch and Swedes, while the most pessimistic are the French, of whom only 8% are hopeful. Job losses are the biggest worry for 17% of Hungarians in the next 12 months, followed by credit payments (14%), household energy prices (14%), health (12%) and child education (10%). Last year 6% were most worried about political stability; but now only 2% say so.

William Penn Life 0 September 2010 0 7