Hungary The Hard Country – Part One

“This is the generation whose first cry of Life was the Hungarian Uprising.”
-Joseph Brodsky-
 
The Republic of Hungary or Magyarorszag is a world class tourist destination though people know very little about this fascinating country. Hungary is in central Europe . Budapest the nation’s capitol straddles the River Danube; it was once two separate cities Buda and Pest . The Forint or Ft is the national currency. In 2004 Hungary joined the European Union. The republic is made up of a parliament or National Assembly whose 386 members are elected by the voters for four year terms. Their government is based loosely on the American model; Janos Ader is President, Viktor Oran Vice President, and Laszlo Kover is Speaker of the National Assembly the Hungarian equivalent of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Hungary’s natural resources coal, bauxite, natural gas, fertile soil and arable land are in short supply. Native wines are top sellers throughout Europe. The country manufactures machinery for heavy/light industries, chemicals, electronics, and other essential items used in high-tech fields and a leader in manufactured foods.  
The Hungarian nation was established in 896 though human habitation in central Europe predates recorded history. Magyar (Hungarian) the national language was established by the Huns who gave Hungary its’ name. The Hungarian Republic was ruled by a succession of conquerors though the ages; first Attila’s Huns, later medieval monarchs, the Ottomans, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, then a brief republic after World War I, the communists and finally the current republic with the fall of Western communism in 1989.
Hungary has a population of little over 10,000,000 people; 2,000,000 live in Budapest . It’s a small country with a large population competing for a diminishing number of jobs. Though a developed country urban population centers have been hard hit by rising poverty and people are fleeing to greener pastures. The Hungarian population is in a state of constant flux. 83.7% are native Hungarians, 3.1% Roma or Gypsies, 1.3% German, and 14.7% non-documented; most Hungarians speak the common language. 
Hungary boasts an extraordinarily high number of world class celebrities. Here’s some well known people; Goldie Hawn movie actor and past star of the premier 1960’s early 1970’s hit TV sitcom ‘Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.’ Ms. Hawn is founder of the Hawn Foundation a Children’s philanthropic educational organization. She’s also a direct descendant of Edward Rutledge the youngest signatory of the Declaration of Independence!
The Gabor sisters Zsa Zsa, Ava and Magda all hail from Hungary . These actors/socialites were born in Budapest to Vilmos and Jolie Gabor. Shortly before World War II they relocated to New York City . In time they became household names during the 1950’s and 1960’s. Their primary claim to fame was their serial marriages. The Gabor sisters seized life and milked it for all its worth.
Hungarian-American actor Peter Lorre’s life reads like an adventure novel. Born in the old Austro-Hungarian Empire he served as a prison camp commandant during World War I. He made it big in movies when he stared as a child murderer in Fritz Lang’s classic ‘M.’ During World War II Hitler used excerpts from ‘M’ to espouse Nazism. Lorre’s courageous but unsuccessful struggle with morphine addiction did him in. Peter will long be remembered as a fine human being and a world class actor.      
Hungarians love music. Their musical traditions like their people are varied. For highbrow listeners there’s Franz Liszt, Bella Bartok, and Zoltan Kodaly global greats that need no introductions. Scientific giants Albert Szent-Gyorgyi discovered the existence of Vitamin C. Nobel Laureate Imre Kertesz and Oscar winning movie director Istvan Szabo are Hungarians.
Hero-actor-fund raiser anti-Nazi star of ‘Gone with the Wind’ Leslie Howard, who was murdered by the Nazis during a routine flight from Portugal to the UK was Hungarian. Don Adams, River and Joaquin Phoenix the latter of ‘The Gladiator’ movie fame, actress and frequent host on TCM or Turner Classic Movies ‘The Essentials’ Drew Barrymore of the famous Barrymore acting clan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Curtis, Mitzi Gaynor, and master of horror Bela Lugosi are of Hungarian descent.
When I was a kid in the 1950’s I used to enjoy watching the weekly antics of the late Ernie Kovacs. The man was an artist. His weekly show helped elevate comedy into a high art form. Reader don’t take my word go to ‘The Ernie Kovacs Show (Full Episode) – You Tube’ for some funny stuff.  
Hungarian-American luminary Paul Newman has won so many awards it staggers the imagination. Paul’s won the Academy Award several times not counting his 9 Academy Award nominations. He won the coveted Cannes Palme d’Or a number of times along with numerous other national and international film laurels (Go to: Paul Newman (1)-Awards-IMDb). Newman was also a professional racing car driver. Despite his enormous fame and fortune Paul Newman was first and foremost a political activist,entrepreneur and philanthropist. www.newmansown.com/charity contributed over $370,000,000.00 to global charities; a staggering sum to feed, clothe and educate the world’s poor. When he died of cancer at age 83 Paul couldn’t take a cent of his vast fortune with him; spiritually speaking he sent it on ahead of him.
Hungarians and Filipinos share many similarities. In 1973 sixteen years before the collapse of Western Communism the Philippines and Hungary had diplomatic/economic ties. Both countries have Catholic-Christian majorities. Hungarians and Filipinos have strong work ethics and they share a common history of oppression by larger and more aggressive neighbors. Hungarians and Filipinos are highly educated, are knowledge based economies and have sizable overseas work forces.
Hungary has a much smaller population compared to the Philippines due to two factors. Hungary during the Communist era used abortion as a primary method of birth control for reason of supposed economic ‘necessity’ and because Hungarian mothers didn’t want their children growing up under communism where government controlled the private, religious, and political lives of their people. During the communist era the birth rate plummeted. The government paid women sizable bonuses to have children! Though Filipinos are currently undergoing worse stresses conservative Catholic theology is engrained in to the Filipino mindset in contrast to liberal Hungarian Catholicism though abortion rates back home is high.
The central European country is a major manufacturer of high quality heavy/light industrial machines/tools needed to operate hospitals, factories, and construction projects. Hungarian engineers are experts in water related (sewage treatment, water purification, water plant management) industries. With the water related problems back home (floods, sewage problems, fresh water shutdowns) Hungarian technical know-how would be a plus factor in the Philippines . Hungary could benefit from Philippine industry. Hungary is a major food processor. Philippine agricultural commodities would go over big in Hungary . Filipinos could grow and harvest food crops; Hungarians the processing. 
Few Filipinos live in Hungary ; give or take 100 by some estimates and most of these are employed as health care professionals. The tourist industries of both countries could use a boost. Very few Hungarians visit the Philippines ; the inverse is true. Hungary’s highly educated population has have deep pockets and would be more than willing to spend big bucks on Philippine luxury items; the primary problems are distance and finance; its’ 6,018 miles (9,686 km) from Manila to Budapest a mere day’s flying time compared to what it would have took 60 plus years ago. However tickets are cost prohibitive for most people; discounted shopping tours between countries could be a viable solution.
-To be continued-