The Relationship Issue A kapcsolatok hava A CATALOGUE OF TRENDINESS MASQUERADING AS DEEP THOUGHT

Átírás

1 DO YOU RELATE? HU/EN BUDAPEST LIVING What Stereotype are you? Melyik sztereotípia jellemez téged? SZERELMEK ÉS EGYÉB PISZKOS ÜGYEK; LOVE AND OTHER DIRTY WORDS; The Relationship Issue A kapcsolatok hava A CATALOGUE OF TRENDINESS MASQUERADING AS DEEP THOUGHT 02/2011 #06

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4 HUMANIFESTO THINK, A CATALOGUE OF TRENDINESS MASQUERADING AS DEEP THOUGHT BUDAPEST those to blame: Vol. II, Issue 06 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR/FŐSZERKESZTŐ: Francis Pruett franklin@think.cz CREATIVE DIRECTOR: J. Benét think@think.cz PUBLISHER/KIADÓ: Attila Szvacsek attila@think.cz EU SALES DIRECTOR: Tereza Krejčiřová tereza@think.cz Tel: SALES ASSOCIATE: Eleonora Kalnay eleonora@think-magazine.com Tel: Scott Warren scott@think-magazine.com Tel: Zsuzsi Pál zsuzsi.pal@think-magazine.com Tel: UK MARKETING: Darren Halls darren.halls@think.cz Tel: EDITOR EMERITUS: Alexander Zaitchik Photo: Zsuzsi Pál Love. Some of us never know love, some of us never share love, and some of us never fail to love. In every grimy, nasty circumstance of life's misery or in the most opulent of lives, the experience of love never fails to elevate us. Love improves us. It can heal the deepest wounds, teach us where education fails, inspire us to innumerable acts of beauty and drive us to achieve the formerly impossible. Love as a word is tossed around a lot, to be sure. Some speak of love in terms of things. Things they appreciate, laugh at, and things they would want. These uses are simple intrusions onto the soft, blurry edges of what love is. They infest the tattered edges of our most noble evolution, they are the bastardized usurpation of our inner drive for good by the forces of the material world. Love of people and animals, and perhaps even plants, can be returned. Cars and homes and belongings, philosophies and practices, religions and biases we hold dear do not love us back. They simply serve to divide our love, to diffuse it among the myriad facets of mundanity, perversity and obsession our environment wishes us to subscribe to. Objects and concepts can be "loved," but they do not love back. The love of the unloving is as much the antithesis of love as hate is. Love for our fellow being is a reward in itself. The most profound of loves can transform us, focus us, and elevate us, carrying us far from the obsessively mundane perversion of everyday life. Be it requited or not, returned or not, lasting or not, our need to breach the black wall of the infinite alone can be forever sated by a single moment of true love, shining in the light with our fellow sojourners. That moment is singular for some, multiple for others, and, for a lucky few, continuous and unabated, an existence shining in the darkness and breaking down the wall until all the universe is light. Let there be love. Szerelem. ATHINK Budapest februári, hatodik számát tartod most a kezedben, FÉL ÉVESEK LETTÜNK! Ezt a sikert főként Nektek köszönhetjük, amit egy nagy bulival szeretnénk meghálálni. Itt végre személyesen is találkozhatunk! Február 16- án várjuk minden támogatónkat és olvasónkat a Boutique Bárba, ahol welcomedrinkkel fogadjuk azokat, akik magukra húznak valami (bármi) pirosat! A részletekért klikkeljetek a címre! A Jégbontó hava ezen kívül is bőven ad alkalmat az ünneplésre. Itt lesz a farsang, a karnevál, a busójárás, a bálszezon, és természetesen Szent Bálint napja, a szerelmesek ünnepe. Emiatt, főként ennek a témának szenteltük jelen kiadásunkat, de mivel a szerelemről annyi mindent megírtak már, bármiféle előszó közhelyesen hangzana (habár, már ez is kissé annak tűnhet). Éppen ezért nem is próbálkoznánk így megoldani a bevezetőt, inkább csapjatok bele kissé szokatlan szemszögű cikkeink olvasásába. Reméljük, találtok itt sok érdekes programot, melyekre ellátogattok szerelmetekkel, barátaitokkal, de akár egyedül is! CON TRIBUTORS: Nagy Greta, W. Hunter Roberts, Rebeka Lodge, Ella Sherbet, Kiss Anikő, Scott Warren, HohKoon AuYeong, Kálnay Eleonóra, Tarcali David, Pete Wylde, Dan Swartz, Doug Smith, Hillary Frink and Alfonso Majetic ON THE COVER: What s Your Stereotype? Art: Szuhay Gergely THINK BUDAPEST is published in partnership with Inkybrain Ltd and Attila Szvacsek, Pécs, Kovács Béla u NYOMDA: Kvadrát 97 KFT 1118, Budapest, Ugron Gábor u. 12 ISSN: GENERAL ENQUIRIES: think@think.cz WEB: Copyright is held by the publishers where applicable. All rights reversed. Reproduction in whole or in part requires permission of the authors. THE FINE PRINT: Think Magazine comes out when Think Magazine comes out (usually the first Friday of the month). We follow the moon, and its deep mysteries. Think Magazine is an Entertainment Information Periodical established in Prague, c by a team of visionaries dissatisfied with the current state of the free press market. Think Magazine is brought to you by the principles of freedom; of expression, of thought, of potential and of life in all of it s many manifest forms and shapes. Think Maga zine is brought to you by all of our volunteers, supporters and advertisers who make this endeavour possible. To them we give thanks. THINK BUDAPEST CITY MAGAZINE I USED TO THINK WOMEN WHO LOOKED PAST MY FLAWS WERE REALLY COOL WOMEN WITH BRAINS. NOW I JUST THINK THEY'RE DESPERATE.

5 05 modern kapcsolatok A 21. század nője AVAGY AZ Y-GENERÁCIÓS KAPCSOLATOK IDEJE? KÖZELEDIK A VALENTIN NAP, ÉS ELKEZDTEM GONDOLKODNI, A PÁRKAPCSOLATOKON. (NEM, EZ NEM EGY MIÉRT NEM SZERETNEK A PASIK, ÉS MIÉRT KELL MÉG EGY VALENTIN NAPOT EGYEDÜL TÖLTENEM? TIPUSÚ CIKK LESZ!) NAGY GRETA A párkapcsolatok fogalma erős en átfogalmazódott a 21. század folyamán. A modern nők egyre többször lázadnak fel a konvencio - nális kapcsolatok ellen. Miért szab - junk határokat? Miért ne legyünk egy nyitott kapcsolatban? Miért házasodjunk meg? Miért ne váljunk el? Miért költözzünk össze? De mi is lehet ez valójában? Persze ezek a kérdések teljesen jogosak. Ezek jelentenek kihívást a kon - vencionális, régi időknek, es ezáltal fejlődik a világ azzá, ami. Aminek, legyünk őszinték, vannak hibái, de vannak előnyei is, főleg ez esetben a nők szamara. Nem kell például a férfi kísérőjeként megjelenni nyilvánosan, lehetünk akár mérnökök is (a férfiak pedig lehetnek ápolók), és egyre inkább az a trend, hogy egy nőt a ki - sugárzása es nem a méretei alapján ítélünk meg. Persze ez még mindig hibádzik egy kicsit, de ez most mellékes. Amin elkezdtem gondolkozni, az egy teljesen más dolog volt. Éspedig a következő: aki kicsit is ismer, tudja, hogy amennyire csak egyet lehet érteni a feminizmussal, én meg te - szem. Még éppen a radikálisokkal is tudok szimpatizálni, ha másért nem, egyszerűen azért, mert az extrém követelésekből lesznek a látható változtatások, amik bizony mindig jól jönnek. De az ötlött a fejembe: manapság a feminizmus és a szabad szel - lem nem egyfajta kalandvágyat pró - bál álruhába bújtatni és eladni? Miért van az, hogy nekünk, szabad szemléletű nőknek azzal nincs külö - nösebb problémánk, hogy elmen - jünk bulizni, összeszedjünk egy vadidegent, akit aztán egyenjogúság nevében felviszünk magunkhoz, majd reggel kirakjuk a lakásunkból, es önelégült fejjel kortyolgatjuk a reggeli kávénkat a metrón, miközben gondolatban veregetjük a saját vállunkat, hogy most egy jelentős lépést tettünk a nők emancipációja fele? Ezzel szemben azzal nagyon is van problémánk, hogy valakivel elmenjünk randizni, megtetsszen ne - künk, és kimondjunk egy szót, ami a kapcsolatunkat leírja, ne adj isten elkötelezzük magunkat egy megha - tározatlan időre? Nem lehet, hogy elkezdtünk azokká a férfiakká válni, akiket annyira szenvedélyesen és egységesen utáltunk mi Nők? Es most bátorkodok olyat javasolni, amit én is meg fogok bánni: nem lehet, hogy mára már csak azért harcolunk az egyenjogúságunkért, mert mi is kötöttségfóbiásak lettünk? Igen ez durvának hangzik, és természetesen távol álljon tőlem, hogy elbagatellizáljam azokat az elveket, amelyekért a feministák éveken át küzdöttek. Itt egyáltalán nem erről van szó. De lehet, hogy megéri fogni a feminista elveket, es újra gondolni őket a 21. század immáron második évtizedében, még ha ezt csak a sze re - lem es párkapcsolatok terén tesszük meg? Mitől lettünk mi, Nők hirtelen ennyire fenemód harapósak, ha kap - csolatokról van szó? Talán meg érez - tük a szabadság ízét, es tetszik ne - künk? Nem hibáztatom magun kat. Igazán felemelő érzés, amikor ott állsz egyedül a bárnál, tudod, hogy jól nézel ki, ráadásul ehhez megvan az önbizalmad is, es mindezek felett megvan a lehetőséged arra, hogy ezt akárhogy kamatoztasd! Anélkül, hogy ezt akárki kur vás - nak, férfiasnak, vagy rámenősnek skatulyázza be. Sőt! Kész főnyere - mény vagy! Es ha nem sikerül? Sikerül máskor! Es ha kiröhögnek? Ta pasztalat! Es ha besikerül egy zoknis szandálos fogai közt pet - rezselyem? Tanulópénz! De mi történik eközben a férfiak - kal? Most akkor kezdenek egybe - olvadni a nemek vagy a szerepek felcserélődtek? Ezt nehéz lenne meg - mondani. De szerintem egy dolog biztos: a férfiak egyre tanácstalanabban figyelik a történteket. Egyik pil lanatban még azt akarjuk, hogy meghódítsanak, a másikban a kezünk - be vesszük az irányítást. Az egyik pillanatban védelemre vágy unk, a másik pillanatban meg sér tődünk, ha a vállunkra teszik a kezüket. Az egyik pillanatban boldogan élünk, amíg meg nem halunk, a másik pil lanat - ban boldogan élünk egy műterem - lakásban egyedül, koktélokat szürcsölgetve. De hogy a férfiak elpuhul - tak-e? Nem hinnem! A modern nők egyre többször lázadnak fel a konvencionális kapcsolatok ellen. Miért szabjunk határokat? Miért ne legyünk egy nyitott kapcsolatban? Az Y-generacio egy új generáció, férfiakban is. Mar nem néznek kerek szemekkel, ha meghívod őket egy italra. Már nem húzogatják ki a széket, es nyitogatják az ajtót. Már nem érzik magukat megszégyenítve, ha többet keresel, mint ők. Tudjak, hogy ezek az idők rég elmúltak. Képesek a változásra, es ezért le a kalappal előttük! Talán mindig is könnyebb hely - zetben voltak, és lesznek is, mint a nők, de talán ez azért van, mert ők könnyebben is alkalmazkodnak ezek - hez az új helyzetekhez. Talán ez a speciális, new-wave nő-férfi kapcsolat jobban ki fog jönni a későbbi Zgene rációban? Ezt majd csak 10 év múlva tudjuk meg, kiváncsian várom! Addig is legyen még 10 ennyire boldog évünk a férfiakkal! Boldog Valentin-napot Srácok, köszönjük, hogy vagytok! THINK BUDAPEST CITY MAGAZINE

6 6 relating Marriage Counseling for Skeptics IS MARRIAGE THE ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF ROMANTIC LOVE? ensure social stability, not romance. Romance was an occasional perk, or it happened on the side. In light of that, am I to believe that marriage is the ultimate, or even the only, expression of romantic love? Can t we come up with some more satisfying, committed, intimate connection that isn t marriage and also isn t the one-nightstand, the NSA Friend with Bene - fits, or the casual fly-by-night affair? Something to sustain the romance and intimacy many people want today? When was the last time you heard anyone say their relationship became sexier after they got married or began living together? More often it s the other way around. I must ask: Is it sexy to argue over bills, discuss what to buy at the market, and sleep in the same bed every night, even when grungy and downright grumpy, to be intimate? I know sex isn t everything. I m a middle-aged woman, not a teenage boy, but still ARE A MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN S HOPES FOR ROMANCE IN THE 21ST CENTURY THE SAME AS A TWENTY-YEAR OLD S FROM 100 YEARS AGO? W. HUNTER ROBERTS, In search of answers to love s persistent dilemmas (even after twenty years of being a coach cum therapist cum spiritual director) I sometimes succumb to the siren song of self-help. Recently I was reading: How to Have the Relationship You Want by Rori Raye. On page 54 the author wrote Ask yourself: Am I ready to say flat-out that I want to be married? Hold on, I thought. I thought this was how to have the relationship I want. Does she think that s the relationship everyone wants? Sure, I want that special someone who loves me, whom I love. I want someone to spend time with, someone who knows me well, lets me in, turns me on, and is willing, so long as we re good together, to hang in for the long haul. But married? Why do married people think everyone has to be married? Did we miss last call for Noah s Ark? Not that I have anything against marriage. It works really well for certain things, like raising children in a stable environment and all sorts of other practical, domestic considerations. Our nesting instincts, wisely developed by Mother Nature using de - signer hormones, make females want to bed down permanently, or at least for a while, with Thag, the big brave brute who impregnated them. When was the last time you heard anyone say their relationship became sexier after they got married or began living together? Happily for this arrangement, another hormone makes Thag content to sit around in his undershirt and watch the game instead of going out on the prowl. The method in Nature s madness is for him hang to around long enough to protect the children until they reach the age of reproduction themselves (even if he is catching a little on the side). Great idea. It got us here. It worked right through the time, only a hundred years ago, that most people lived on farms. For those thousands of years, when women needed a man to hoe fields and fix roofs on barns before it snowed, and men needed a mate to put hot meals on the table, darn socks and birth lots of babies to work the land, it worked out well. A hundred or two years ago, if no one got beaten and you kept shoes on your kids, anything else was gravy. It would have continued to work if we d stayed on farms and no one had started dreaming of lasting love, romance, and intimacy. But does it apply to me? I earn my own living, I am not having children. I don t have a barn, and if I need someone to fix something, I can call the plumber, carpenter, or landlord. What I need a partner for is love, companionship, deep friendship, a place of refuge and stimulation, and really hot sex. My question is whether marriage is the best venue for that. Contrary to what history s redactors are trying to sell, it wasn t designed for that. It wasn t designed by God as a holy union of one man and one woman, but for the exchange of property between men. Hence the bride was given away by her father to her husband, usually with a dowry, to Is there some innate virtue in this that I am missing? My friends and clients will attest I have no problem with commitment. It s not marriage that I find unappealing, so much as the assumption that domestic partnership is associated with sexual partnership. I know we re wired to nest, and it got our ambitious genes and the people who carried them what they needed in times past. I m not sure this arrangement can get us what we need or want... because we don t want the same things as our grandparents. I ve been trying for quite a while to figure this out. So far I haven t succeeded. I ve met plenty of guys who wanted no strings, and a few who wanted to drag me back to their caves. Maybe I m just stubborn. There s something unquestionably lovely about the idea of committing to one person, whatever your particular preferences; sharing love, loyalty, warmth, and moving through time together by choice rather than necessity. Maybe I ll never find what I m seeking, or maybe I ll find it in marriage. But I have this crazy idea that the form should fit the content rather than vice-versa. So I ll look for that. Until then, am I ready to say flat-out that I want to be married? I guess I m not. THINK BUDAPEST CITY MAGAZINE GET HIGH ON HOPE! IT'S FREE AND YOU CAN MAKE IT AS UNREALISTIC AS YOU LIKE!

7 dance Synched Juxtapositions THE CENTRAL EUROPEAN DANCE THEATRE S TROUPE CHOREOGRAPHS A MOVING FUTURE AMIDST A VENUE S SOLID ROOTS IN THE ART OF DANCE S WHIMSICAL PAST FRANCIS PRUETT, PHOTO: DUSA GÁBOR Entering the Central European Dance Theatre (CEDT) at Bethlen Gábor tér might make one think they are taking a step back into the past. The building it resides in hearkens back to the early 20th century and the twilight-tinged years between Europe s two cataclysmic wars. Csaba Szögi, the Founding Director of the Theatre, likes it that way. Our one-of-a-kind lobby reflects the 20s and 30s, when the theatre was first opened and showcased cabaret performances, she said. Later it was turned into a cinema and, in the 90s, back into a dance theatre with a rehearsal studio where the dancers can undertake their daily requirements. The theme of cabaret and the roaring 20s has been well-evoked by the restoration of its status as a dance house, but the technique and style of the performances is definitely more in the vein of the forward-looking and young. A juxtaposition, to be sure. The shows are of the freshest contemporary dance theatre styles, Szögi asserts. Our current troupe started forming in They are all in their 20s and all are from the MU Terminál studio. MU Studio runs a pre-professional program for dancers from all over the world. It cultivates a humongous amount of talent, along with a work ethic that suits the CEDT and its diverse productions well. The repertoire now includes a number of countries, Szögi explained. Our invited choreographers personal styles are reflected in each performance. Our dancers train daily to become more accomplished professionally, and to work with our shows creators. The dancers have to be flexible. No two productions will require the exact same movements or expressive styles that CEDT hosts. We have a lyrical voice and emotional dance performance in Aréna, choreographed by Duda Éva, and a Shakespearean, King Lear-influenced performance called Vasszavonhatatlan (Irrevocable). But the dancers do not always toil to simply bring the works of others to life. Szögi encourages creative growth. This year s initiative, Io Sono, came together without a choreographer from our own dancers creativity and personal shades of improvisational performance. It s a natural outgrowth of the creative critical mass Szögi has gathered in the Theatre. Nurtured, perhaps, by her own path in the art. She led the group in I was a dancer before, primarily folk and soloist, and later a contemporary choreographer. Io Sono, or I Am, features six 20-something dancers in each performance (two men and four women). They are not choreographed and dance independently, but they do play off of each other, each starting at the self. The goal is, according to the description at CEDT s website, to find as many layers of the self as they can, and share them with the audience.it s juxtaposition again, and in triplicate at that dancers find the self in the other, offer the singular personal to the impersonal mass, and dig deeper into their selves to elevate each other and a rapt audience. Central European Dance Theatre, VII Budapest, Bethlen Gábor tér 3 Tickets: Tel: (+36 1) , cedt@chello.hu, A brighter smile for Valentine's Day! Exclusive offers from Eiffel Medical Center Budapest! Tooth Whitening at a super low price, now only for 7500 HUF (25 ), Your budget should never be a barrier to your attractive smile! Ajándékozz egy csodás mosolyt kedvesednek- Valentin napra! Rendkívüli ajánlat az Eiffel Medical Centertől a Nyugatinál. Szuper fogfehérítés szuper alacsony áron! Mindössze 7500 Ft. A pénztárcád nem szabhat határt a mosolyodnak! Подари обвораживающую улыбку любимому человеку на день Валентина! Call now: Hívd most: Звоните по телефону: H-1062 Budapest, Terez krt Eiffel Business Center, A, II floor reception@eiffelmedicalcenter.com

8 8 rejection Rules of the Game THEY DO IT BECAUSE THEY KNOW WE CAN'T REFUSE. The thing is, I was saying as I reached behind me to wrench his hand from my ass, is that I really do like you and I wouldn t want to do anything I ducked to avoid an incoming kiss, which ended up landing squarely on my ear, anything to compromise our friendship. Do women really talk like this? I do. I once told a man that I didn t want to cheapen our friendship by making it sexual. Christ. I made a mental note to come up with a better line for use in the future. But baby, he said, manoeuvring me back against the wall and sort of pinning me there, just stay for a while. I only want to hold you. This oft-used line, of course, is the male equivalent of I just want to be friends. On the lameness scale they each rate a perfect ten, plastic and transparent, the very antithesis of sincerity. Martin. OK. I m going now. He ignored me and continued nuzzling my ear. It felt nice. Martin. Really now. I ll see you later, ok? Post Tense WHEN ALL OTHER METHODS HAVE BEEN TRIED AND FAILED, WHEN THE BULLETS ARE GONE FROM THE CHAMBERS, WHEN THE QUIVERS ARE EMPTY AND THE BOWS LIE DISCARDED ON THE SMOKING AND DESOLATE BATTLEFIELD, THE WEAKENED SOLDIER MUST CHOOSE TO ACCEPT DEFEAT ON THE TERMS OF HIS ENEMY OR TO DIE FIGHTING. THIS IS WHEN A GUY WILL ASK YOU FOR A HUG. REBEKA LODGE They do it because they know we can t refuse. To do so would go against the most basic tenets of battle protocol. And it works, sometimes. Sometimes when you re already in somebody s arms it s just easier to let things happen than to keep on ducking and diving. Men are aware of this. They learn at early ages to work the hug. Martin and I had spent most of the evening swilling beer at Instant, and ended up back at his flat after the place closed down. The decision to go to his place had made perfect sense to me as we wobbled out of the bar and onto Andrássy Avenue. It would have taken me an hour to get home by bus, he pointed out. He lived just around the corner on Király and had plenty of room. How hospitable, I thought cheerfully. How sweet. So later on, after indulging in a few (harmless!) kisses, I found myself trying to pry myself away from his Tupperware-like clutches and avoid his groping hands, which had inexplicably seemed to become more numerous. I was attempting to explain to him that, despite my earlier behaviour, I did not think that a romantic entanglement would benefit either of us. As if the guy was interested in romance. My words couldn t have carried much weight, though, since only moments before uttering them my tongue had been somewhere in the vicinity of his lower left wisdom tooth. This must be one of those things that men despise about women, and rightfully so. So I was explaining to him that some people ( us, for instance, ) were destined only for friendship. But I think the only word he caught was destined. He seemed to find it encouraging. I gave one last wriggle to extract myself from his grasp. He stepped back and looked at me; his stricken expression resembling that of a puppy in the rain - adorable, pathetic. He let out an exaggerated sigh, paused for effect, and launched his final assault. Just give me a hug, okay? I respected the rules. I put my arms around his neck and bussed him on the cheek in as sisterly a fashion as I could manage. When I tried to move away, his arms were predictably locked around my waist. Do women really talk like this? I do. I once told a man that I didn't want to cheapen our friendship by making it sexual. I made a mental note to come up with a better line. Martin, I said firmly. He let go, accepting the fate of the evening with as much grace as he could muster. I grabbed my jacket and hit the door. Walking through the light drizzle toward Deák Ferenc, I reflected that it might actually have been nice if I had stayed with Martin. Hell, I thought, maybe I should have. Like Janis Joplin advised us all those years ago, the get it while you can attitude might make the long dry spells between relationships considerably more tolerable. Old Janis probably never thought much about whether or not people considered her a nice girl. And at times my whole life seemed like a big fucking dry spell, I thought wryly. The price you pay for not being made to wear a scarlet letter. The thing was, though, people didn t really wear scarlet letters. Hawthorne has been dead for a long time. I lit a cigarette and looked up the street toward Martin s. Asleep by now, I thought. Maybe next time. THINK BUDAPEST CITY MAGAZINE I'D LIKE YOU A LOT MORE IF YOU LIKED ME A LOT LESS.

9 the single life Are you an STD...(Serial Tosser Dater)? ELLA SHERBET Iadmit I m a serial tosser dater. I don t wish to be a moron magnet but my track record is telling me it s time to admit defeat, join a nunnery (the one that Julie Andrews went to in The Sound of Music coz I know all the songs) and be done with dating forever. My dating disasters strangely coincided with moving to hungary. Not only did I have the misfortune of increasing in dress size overnight - from a small in the UK to a large in Budapest, but I also went from being a hot chick to the invisible woman. Last Christmas (I feel a song coming ) my sympathetic friend bought me a copy of He s Just Not That into You I spent my Christmas day weeping. Finding a willing victim ain t easy on these shores. I m obviously not alone, since the women s magazines are full of articles on How to Bag a Man. One mag went as far as to write a guide on which bars to frequent if you re looking to date a doctor or lawyer, and which ones to avoid because they re full of brokers. There are hoards of women on the man hunt. In turn, there are plenty of men looking for a relationship here a one night relationship that is. THERE S ALWAYS THE GOOD OLD LAW OF SOD TO TURN TO AT SUCH BLEAK TIMES. TAKE THE FOLLOWING TIPS AND I GUARANTEE YOU LL MEET THE MAN OF YOUR DREAMS: 1. Eat lots of cheese, yogurt & garlic and don t brush your teeth 2. Don t wash and acquire your own fruity scent 3. Don t wash your hair and let it go greasy and druffy 4. Dress so badly social services are likely to intervene 5. Wear passion killers if you re looking for a brief encounter This is a tried and tested theory - you will meet someone you want to date! One drawback he won t be at all interested as you ll be the woman of his nightmares! A total skankypants! The Law of Sod has a nasty habit of entering my life when least expected. Take last weekend, I m having a wee tipple in a popular bar in the Jewish Quarter when two hunky guys I d briefly dated (more than one night though) joined me. Since threesomes are the new couple (think Jude, Sadie and Kate) I was game for a sexy ménage a trois well so the copious amounts of alcohol told me! The boys persuaded the bar manager to give us use of his office. Thankfully I still had the dignity to hide my face from him with my elegant Louis Vuitton handbag but I was too sozzled to realize I held it lopsided and revealed most of my face to him! How embarrassing (though he probably makes a living from porn on the side judging by his willingness to let us use his office). We stumbled around under the harsh glare of the office lights and it didn t feel very romantic at all. I promptly fell over on all fours and ended up with a staple wedged in my knee. At that point one of the boys lifted up my skirt and screamed hysterically GRANNY PANTS! Bugger, I d forgotten I was wearing my tummy flatteners! The ones with a cast iron girdle to hold-in my spare tire. I hadn t worn them in about three years what were the odds on wearing them tonight of all nights!? The cruel Law of Sod prevails. The boys were rolling round in hysterics, all thoughts of a hot night gone, Haha! Granny Pants! I can t believe you re wearing Granny Pants! So much for my night of passion. A night of embarrassment more like, although the good thing about excessive amounts of alcohol is that you re too out of it to really care.

10 10 emlékezés Az első szerelem VEGYÜK SORRA OLYKOR SZERELMEINKET! AZ ELSŐ CSÓKRA MINDANNYIAN EMLÉKSZÜNK, MIVEL LEGBELÜL VÁRTUNK RÁ. DE VAJON KIBE ZÚGTUNK BELE LEGELŐSZÖR? HORVÁTH MIKLÓS A z első ilyen villám, ami belém csapott, egy Timi nevű lánytól jött. Talán nyolcadikos lehetett, én pedig elsős voltam. Kedves arcú, rövid göndör hajú, középmagas lány volt. Mindig 3-4 osztálytársával lógott a nagyszünetben az udvaron. Beleszeretni egy pillanat műve volt. Most érett fejjel visszagondolva, pusztán annak a tudata, hogy sze - relmes lettem is óriási boldogság - gal töltött el. Maga a szerelem, mint fogalom, azon belül a kötődés, nem volt is meretlen a számomra, elvégre 3 nővérem van, akik közül a legi - dősebb már anyuka volt, a közép - sőnek pedig akkoriban lett barátja (akit ma már szintén a sógoromként ismerek). Velük láthattam először ezt az érdekes kapcsolatot, amikor az ember párban van valakivel. (A barátság most más, mert olyan volt nekem egypár, és azt inkább egy kalap alá vettem a családdal.) Amikor pedig megismerkedtem Timivel, ráébredtem, hogy ez ugyanaz az érzés Szerettem volna minél többet vele lenni. Reggel rohantam az iskolába, és vártam a nagyszünetet, amikor végre kiengedtek minket az udvarra. Saját tapasztalat híján a kötődés romantikus értelmét nem érthettem igazán. Mégis, nem sokkal később már az akkori olvasókönyvem vas - tag külső borítóján hirdettem az ér - zelmeimet: a dolog adta magát, mivel a borítórajz is megerősítés - ként hatott: egy lombkorona alatt, a fa két oldalán (ez volt a tankönyvem címlapja és hátoldala) egy kisfiú és egy kislány ült. Vastag filccel odaírtam (friss íráskészséggel) neveinket, és gyakran nézegettem. Timi és az osztálytársai mindanny i - szor kedvesen fogadták a helyes köly - köt, aki udvarlónak még fiatal volt, mégis szokatlan érdeklődéssel jelent meg az osztálytermükben, vagy a focipálya mellett a padoknál. Sokat kérdezgették különböző dolgokról, a fiúnak pedig jól esett a figyelem. Timi a következő iskolaévre eltűnt, vélhetőleg kijárta az általánost. Én pedig már a vezeték - nevére sem emlékszem. De maradt egy keresztnév, ami kedves számomra, mivel ehhez kötődik az első szerelem érzése. A húgom csak nevetett rajtam, hogy a közös családi nyaralásaink során minden évben akadt egy lány, akibe fülig szerelmes lettem. Ott volt Vera, Dóra, Enci, Anna. Csakúgy, mint Timinél, mindegyiküknél vártam, hogy megjelenjen, és kerestem az alkalmat, hogy vele legyek. A nyaralások végén címcsere, jó ideig tartó telefonálgatások, levélvál - tások. Mindannyian élvezték többkevesebb ideig a kitüntető figyelmet. Ennyi lánytestvérrel, amennyi ne - kem jutott, leszögezhetjük, hogy sok kal jobban szót tudok érteni a lányokkal, mint a fiúkkal. A férfias tapasztalatok híján viszont nem nagyon volt valódi fogalmam arról, hogyan hódítsak meg egy számomra kedves lányt. Így sok esetben, viszonzás helyett kettőnk között egy bizalmas kapcsolat született, ahol sok mindenbe be lettem avatva, és bármilyen kitüntető legyen is egy ilyen szerep, az érzelmi összetett - sége miatt egyre nehezebben vi - seltem ezeket a plátói szerelmeket. A középiskola végére, pedig már egyenesen kétségbe voltam esve, hogy vajon sikerül-e kellő vonzalmat ébresztenem valakiben. Férfivá érésünk során mindannyian éreztük azt a kételyt, hogy a nagy ő valaha is felbukkan, és ránk talál. Nekem az igazi szerelem egészen későn jött. Nagy boldog - sággal tölt el az a kitüntetett helyzet, hogy valaki viszontszeret, bír, elvisel, sőt, imád. Azoknak, akiknek sokkal több ilyen megerősítés jut (értsd: sokkal inkább bejön a nőknek) másfajta súlya van az egyes kap cso latoknak, elvégre, van miből válogatni. Ebből persze egy másfajta keresés alakulhat ki az idők során, miközben az illető férfi lába előtt számtalan öszszetört női szív is hever. De mi van a korai fellángolások emlékeivel? Egy este azon kapod magad, hogy a közösségi oldaladon mász - kálva szórakozottan beütöd egy régi lány nevét. Mi van, ha előkerül? A gyermeki szempár, amelybe régeb ben belenéztél, egy női arcból néz vissza rád. Izgatottan megnéz - ed a családi állapotát, vajon van-e kapcsolata, vagy esetleg hozzámente valakihez? Kinyitod a fotókat, és mit látsz? Beleszeretni egy pillanat műve volt. Most érett fejjel visszagondolva, pusztán annak a tudata, hogy szerelmes lettem is óriási boldogság - gal töltött el. Nyaralási képeket, ahol egy hozzád alig hasonlító csávó mellett mosolyog, vagy ficánkoló gyerekek képeit, akiknek ő adott életet. Hirtel - en arra gondolsz, vajon milyen lett volna vele? Rájössz, hogy valójában az ő életébe próbálod beleképzelni magad. Az ő gyerekfotóiba, és a mellette álló pasas helyébe. Olyan ez tulajdonképpen, mint az Ikeában szobát nézegetni, aztán hazamenni: az ember rájön, hogy az ő szobája soha nem lehet pont ugyanolyan. Mégis, mit lehet csinálni ezek után? Kapcsold ki a gépet, és ha van olyan szerencséd, hogy már van valakid, bújj oda mellé, vagy irány a város, és keress tovább. Boutique Bar Think Magazin Red Party Think Magazine Red Party info: THINK BUDAPEST CITY MAGAZINE AKIT FELEDNI AKARUNK, ARRA GONDOLUNK. - JEAN DE LA BRUYÉRE

11 11 egyenlőség Love is in the air A SZERELEM MINDENKINEK JÁR! KÖZELÍTSÜK MOST MÁS OLDALRÓL A SZEREL - MESEK NAPJÁNAK HAVÁT. NÉZZÜK MÁS SZÍN- BEN, LÁSSUNK TÚL AZ URALKODÓ PIROSON, ÉS FIGYELJÜNK EGY KICSIT A SZIVÁRVÁNY TÖBBI SZÍNÉRE IS... KISS ANIKŐ Az első gondolatok: Február tizennégy. Bálint, Valentin. Szerelem, szeretet. Férfi, nő. Számomra nincs különösebb jelentősége ennek a napnak, de valljuk be, azért jó érzés, ha van egy Társad, akivel megoszthatod és megélheted, ha mégis magával ragadna a hangulat ami éppen még meg is történhet, ha a lakásajtót bezárva túljutsz azon, hogy a piár meg a marketing meg a virág- és szívecske biznisz. Számomra nincs jelentősége annak sem, hogy a Társad Viktor vagy Viktória, de valljuk be, azért jobb érzés lenne, ha ezzel kicsit többen lennénk így Az utcán mi ma sem fogjuk meg egymás kezét, nem adunk puszit a másiknak. Talán megszokás, talán félelem. Vagy mindkettő. A többség számára természetes mozdulatokkal és gesztusokkal mi még provo - kálunk S bár egyre több pozitív hozzáállású emberrel találkozom kishazánkban, sajnos itthon még mindig nem ez a meghatározó. Pedig azt gondolom, sokaknak csak tovább kellene lépniük hogy egy példát említsek a teljes mértékben torz képet festő talk-show-s tapasztalataikon és benyomásaikon, és esetleg tehetnének egy próbát, hogy megismerjék egy-két homoszexuális embertársukat. Nem a tévéből, nem a felvonulásból, nem egy haver volt szobatársának beszámolóiból. Személyesen, kérdéseken és válaszokon keresztül. Ami engem illet, ilyen téren eddig csak pozitív tapasztalataim voltak. Örültem a nyíltságnak, az őszinte kíváncsiságnak, és kiderült az is, hogy rengeteg kérdés, fekete volt és nagyon fontos! sztereotípia él az emberekben velünk kapcsolatban. Márpedig amit nem ismerünk, ami idegen, attól jobbára ódzkodunk, és talán sokaknak kényelmesebb is elfogadni az eléjük tálalt elméleteket akár anélkül is, hogy utánagondolnának egy kicsit. Este a melegbarát pub-ban a légkör barátságos, jókedvű, közvetlen. Persze nyilván ez sem véletlen. Ha egy társaság csupa olyan fiúkból, lányokból emberekből áll, akiknek hasonló a sorsuk, hasonló küzdelmek után/előtt állnak, ott a szoros összetartás magától értetődő. Nyíltak lehetünk, egymás előtt nem kell titkolóznunk, s ha megfogjuk a párunk kezét, az senkit nem zavar. Annak pedig mindig örülünk, ha egy újabb színfolttal gazdagodunk. Én úgy tapasztaltam, ezen egy közvetlen beszélgetés rengeteget változtat, teljesen új kép alakult ki bennük, miután saját tapasztalatot szereztek. Nahát, hiszen ők is ugyanolyan emberek, érzésekkel, hibákkal, erényekkel. Sokszínűek, érde ke sek. És mindemellett teljesen hétköznapiak! Aztán barátok lettünk Onnantól kezdve szívesen velünk tartottak legközelebb és azután is. Persze mégis csak egy számukra új, szokatlan világba kerültek, de immáron nem ellenségesen, hanem érdeklődőn, elfogadóan kezeltek minden impulzust. Szerencsére volt mit mutatni nekik. Kezdjük a délutánt a szépségszalonban, ahol az ott dolgozó fiúk-lányok maguk is melegek, ahol bárki szívesen látott vendég. Ha az ember belép, rögtön érzi, hogy valami más, mint az eddig megszokott. Hogy az a valami az első pillanattól garantálja, hogy teljesen otthon érezhetjük magunkat, míg testünk-lelkünk pihen és szépül. UNLESS IT IS MAD PASSIONATE EXTRAORDINARY LOVE IT IS A WASTE OF TIME. THERE ARE TOO MANY MEDIOCRE THINGS IN LIFE. LOVE SHOULD NOT BE ONE OF THEM. A táncos lábúaknak nem itt ér véget az este. Attól függően, hogy mihez van kedvünk (kisebb vagy nagyobb nyüzsi, ilyen vagy olyan zene), választunk egy szóra - kozóhelyet a palettáról, ahol egy éjszakára elfeledkezhetünk a mindennapi gondokról. Már szól is a Love is in the air, boldogan megöleljük a barátainkat De jó, hogy itt vagy! és mindenki, legyen az nő vagy férfi, vezető vagy beosztott, fiatalabb vagy idősebb, önfeledten tudja jól érezni magát. Egy ilyen alkalommal a barátunk a pultnál összetalálkozik egy régi, heteroszexuális ismerősével. Hát te? Csak nem?! Ja, én nem, a barátaimmal jöttem. Jaj, én is, gyere, bemutatlak nekik, biztos imádni fogjátok egymást! A záró gondolatok: Minden pillanat. Elfogadás, tolerancia. Szerelem, szeretet. Ember, ember THINK BUDAPEST CITY MAGAZINE

12 12 truth Dear World... ANOTHER LETTER FROM AMERICA DESPITE WHAT YOU'VE SEEN OR HEARD IN THINK AND ON THE NEWS LATE- LY, AMERICA IS NOT WHAT SOME FANATICS WOULD MAKE IT OUT TO BE. HOHKOON AUYEONG, ART: JAMES COSGROVE Yes, there are the few loose nuts who made the headlines lately with their rants and the rather frightening and unreasoned blabbering. Please just ignore them. Unfortunately, our media (notably our TV media) is constantly and desperately seeking to outdo each other in being the first to air the latest exciting news. In doing so, some networks have opted for sensationalism and have forgotten what journalism is all about - informing the public of worthwhile news and analyzing, printing or airing topics that are important for the welfare of the nation and the general public. Topics get old very quickly on a 24-hour TV news cycle and there are insufficient breakthroughs in medical research, weather and climate changes, development of new technologies, etc., to fill up the air time. In their desperation to stay exciting in order to grab a bigger viewership and more advertising dollars, they have resorted to giving voice to attention seekers of all sorts. Consequently, more and more TV news programs have taken on a tabloid characteristic. If you are not one to fall for the exposes in supermarket tabloids, you shouldn't fall for all the sensational news items on TV channels either. Please, look beyond the obvious. I am a hundred percent sure that if you take a closer look, you will find that there are, in reality, many times more sane people than the insane ones. It is just that the sane ones aren't as vocal or they find it harder to get the media's attention. On TV, sane and normal are not as audience captivating as the wild and unbelievable. TV show producers love the exotic acts - those who would do anything to get their five minutes of fame in front of a camera. What's better for the networks' bottom line than if they don't have to pay for those acts? The early settlers in America had left their homeland for the new world so that they could practice their faith free from the oppressive powers that controlled Europe back then and, when America became an independent nation, the founding fathers of the nation followed that same instinct and spirit of freedom and the authors of the US Constitution entrenched in it certain fundamental rights for all Americans, including the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and the freedom to petition. As a re - sult of such freedoms, we can express our dissent with - out fear of arrest and incarceration. Those freedoms, as you may have noted, are essentially freedoms of expression and do not extend to include acts of violence. We can't really silence the few individuals who are vocal and whose incantations are welcomed by the media. We can only seek to expose their falsehood and lies by speaking out against them, arguing our case with facts & good logic. We can't really silence the few individuals who are vocal and whose incantations are welcomed by the media. We can only seek to expose their falsehood and lies by speaking out (or writing) against them, arguing our case with facts and good logic. Exercising those same freedoms, some Americans voice their opposition to the offensive speeches through counter demonstrations and marches. Sadly, there are also those who are in positions of influence and responsibility who choose to remain silent instead of bringing a reasoned voice to the debate. Freedom has a price and democracies are messy but the alternatives are oftentimes worse. America has shown and continues to show its true heart and compassion when disasters strike in other countries. With little hesitation, Americans jump in to help rescue and treat victims of earthquakes, Tsunamis, floods, AIDS, and other disasters. Because we're essentially a mixed bag of immigrants from all over the world, anytime a disaster happens in some corner of the world, we feel it and we feel engaged and involved. Although we are American citizens, we treasure the heritage and culture of the countries that we or our parents or their parents came from. We are a nation of workers and our lives are not very different from yours. We love our children like you do yours: we clothe and feed them, we send them off to school and we hug them and kiss them goodnight when bedtime comes. We make mistakes (hopefully not too often) and we try to remedy them. We do our best to learn from our mistakes and we try not to repeat them. Sometimes we succeed and other times we fail but we don't give up on trying. When we fail, we laugh at ourselves and we try not to take ourselves too seriously. We cry over the loss of a loved one and we sympathize with others who have experienced a personal loss. We are excited at the success of someone we know and we root for the 'underdog' who is trying to beat the odds and come out on top. Our hope is that you will not listen to the few fanatics and false prophets who would exploit the sen sitivities of others for their own glorification. Don't give credence to them or use the mindless words of the few crazies against all Americans. Our appeal to you is to tune them out, just as you would tune out those among you who seek only to provoke and to incite others to no good. REMEMBER: Not everything you see on TV or read on the Internet is real. Be sure that there is a hidden plot or lots of clever editing to keep the viewers or readers enthralled. Just as you have learned to discern what's real and what's not on Reality TV shows, you must apply the same thought logic to what you see or hear on the news. Finally, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is fair, whatever is pure, whatever is acceptable, whatever is commendable, if there is anything of excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy-keep thinking about these things. - Paul to the Philippians Your friend, America To read more from HohKoon AuYeong, please visit: THINK BUDAPEST CITY MAGAZINE YOUR WHOLE LIFE HAS BEEN LEADING UP TO THE POINT WHERE YOU ARE LOOKING AT THIS.

13 join think on csatlakozz a think-hez world Rage of the Waiting Youth NEOLIBERAL INTERNATIONALISTS AND SILVER DEMOCRACIES SHOULD HEED NORTH AFRICA S EXAMPLE WELL... FRANKLIN PRUETT, PHOTO: REDDIT-LATENIGHTCABDRIVING A s Egypt burned this week and Hosni Mubarak s family reportedly fled to London, news outlets around the world showed scenes of violence, anger and surprisingly, regardless the venue, very pointed displays of earnestness. There was balance in the coverage of the revolt, better exposure than in Tunisia, and a general sense of the rightness of the protesters cause. Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria are all in one region, true. All have features of autocracy which lend themselves to revolt. Can anyone truly support Egypt s nigh-on 44-years of dictatorship and emergency powers with a straight face? No. But some media have missed the biggest story of all. Youth around the world are in the margins of their societies. In the world of the mature democracies, this phenomenon is reflected in the unemployment or underemployment of younger workers. To be sure, the movement of manu - facturing and low-skill jobs to cheaper markets has been the major structural force in this trend. But, as is the case in Egypt and throughout the world, the devaluation of youth increasingly extends to the educated. When protest over this phenomenon emerges, the refrain is, The world is changing, you will have to adapt. But that adaptation may not be the quiet acquiescence to ever-lower wages and expectations coupled with skyrocketing inequity the trade-toting internationalist elite arrogantly demands. In fact, it most certainly will not. No, it may more resemble a massive and sustained surge of disruption, organized and unified under a banner of a better future for the world s ever-waiting youth. The headlines spoke of Egypt as anarchic violence, or soft-pedaled it as a protest against an enduring dic tatorship. But it s only a generational war s first skirmishes in the most remote corners of Neo-liberalism. Join Think Magazine on Facebook and receive updates on interesting new articles, contests and special parties! This month, there are TWO exciting giveaways: Courtesy of Trafo, you can win a pair of VIP tickets for the World-Premier performance of Revolution created by the British superstar choreographer Nigel Charnock (with Hungarian dancers) it is the Time of Images - Temps d Images Festival's very big closing event! Go to and correctly answer the following question to be entered in our lucky draw. Time of Images - Temps d Images Festival is taking place in Budapest for the time. A) 4th B) 1st C) 6th And courtesy of Szépművészeti Múzeum, win one of 8 pairs of tickets (a 3,600ft value) to the new Exhibition of Hungarian-French photographer Lucien Hervé. Just take a picture of you or your friends with a copy of Think Magazine, post it to the fanpage and the 10 pictures with the most likes win, so tell your friends! Csatlakozz a Think Magazinhoz annak Facebook oldalán, hogy folyamatosan tájékozódhass a legújabb cikkekről, játékokról, és a különleges bulikról! Ebben a hónapban KÉT nyereményjátékunk is van: A Trafó jóvoltából két VIP jegyet nyerhetsz a Revolution című táncelőadásra, amelyet a világhírű angol sztárkoreográfus, Nigel Charnock készített magyar táncosokkal! A darabot Magyar - országon mutatják be először, a Képek ideje Temps d Images Festival záróműsoraként! Ahhoz, hogy részt vehess a sorsoláson, csatlakozz hozzánk a és válaszolj helyesen az alábbi kérdésre: Hányadik alkalommal rendezik meg Budapesten a Képek Ideje - Temps d Images Fesztivált? A) 4. alkalommal B) most van először C) 6. alkalommal A Szépművészeti Múzeum felajánlásaból pedig 8 db kétszemélyes jegyet (3600 forint értékben) sorsolunk ki Lucien Hervé, a híres magyar származású fotós kiállítására! Nem kell mást tenned, mint készíteni egy fényképet magadról vagy a barátaidról, egy Think Magazinnal a kezetekben! A képet töltsd fel a Facebook oldalunkra, melyek közül azok nyernek, amelyek a legtöbb lájkot kapják, úgyhogy riaszd a barátaidat! To call the uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria isolated incidents is beyond disingenuous. Moreover, it is insulting. The Algerian and Egyptian youth took their cue from Tunisia. The same can be said of the burgeoning uprisings in Yemen and Jordan. The world s youth is watching and supporting this movement. Dozens of groups on Facebook have sprung up, many of them Western in origin,since the Internet was cut off in Egypt. To a one, they all espouse support for the protesters. If one looks at the surface, or points to the differences between these supporters and the Arab protester, then all is well in the world of the aging democracies. But that is an illusion. pg. 17 >> Also our Facebook fans will recieve a personal invitation to the first Think Red Party on Feb. 16th at the very cool Boutique Bar. See you on Facebook! Ezen kívűl a Facebook rajongóink személyes meghívást kapnak az első Think Magazin Red Partyra Feb. 16-án, a rendkívűl cool Boutique Barban! Találkozunk a Facebook-on!

14 14 relating The Ghosts of 89 IF BÉLA BISZKU FEELS THIS WAY, THEN WHO ELSE DOES? There is no need for a painful and visceral lustration of the government. The proceedings by which the remaining secret service and interior police forces are vetted and culled need not be humiliating or brutal. Quiet retirement and a quiet departure should be enough. But they still need to go. I can find no justification for the continued employment of the people whose way of governing made so many miserable. Doubtless many of those still in government with ties to those years and that way of ruling still enjoy the perks associated with being passed over in the transition. But to strain the metaphor, that ain t lamb s blood on the door. That s human blood, folks. WITH A GENERATION OF WELL-EDUCATED HUNGARIANS OUT IN THE CAREER COLD, THERE'S NO NEED FOR OLD COMMUNISTS IN THE GOV- ERNMENT. JOE BODIA Béla Biszku is an 89-year-old man who served as Interior Minister from 1957 to 1961 in Hungary s post-1956 revolution communist government. He claims he had little or nothing to do with the deaths and persecution following that uprising, though he is considered to have played a key role in suppressing it. Now, he is on the block with Hungarian prosecutors for minimizing the atrocities of those times. I consider 1956 to have been a national tragedy of which I was [a] victim, is the statement he made to a documentarian in an interview that was broadcast in August. He went on to describe the punishments meted out by the Soviet-backed government of the time, justified. It was a clear violation of Hungary s law against such statements, in my view, and one he will now answer for in court. But those very courts may be his only hope. There may be, in fact, some lingering old guard elements from before 1989, perhaps even reaching back to 1956, waiting to exonerate him. Perhaps a few of those remain who were bolstered in their legal careers for acting as he and a secret cabal of Communist Party leaders directed them, manoeuvring through his 1972 attempted coup and keeping their heads down in In most countries that left communism behind, at least a few people were prosecuted for their actions. East Germany s former secret police are still despised, and often known for who they were. Former communists (especially security forces) in the Czech Republic are forbidden to work in government at all. In Romania, Nicolai Ceausescu was executed and the government torn down, practically to the gravel. But Hungary decided to remain civil about the whole matter. No reviews of the bureaucracy, no investigations into the members of the party in government, and no removals from civil and judicial posts were undertaken. It was a very controlled affair, and it is somewhat generous of the population to have allowed such a path to be traced. Sure, Hungary was once called the happiest barracks in the Eastern Bloc. But now, it s time to gently relieve some of those soldiers of their duties. It is obvious that the resistance to the release of documents on the secret police and the criminal investigative service arise from the people who served in the Communist government. This cannot stand. Sure, Hungary was once called the "happiest barracks" in the Eastern Bloc. But now, it's time to gently relieve some of those soldiers of their duties. It s shameful, really. Even now, there remain charges against people and convictions in their records dating from the persecution by people like of those deemed counterrevolutionaries. It s a travesty that the records of those who were documented and watched, tried and sent away are partly available for destruction, but the names of those who made them miserable are off-limits. The Kenedi Committee revealed that the whole picture has been immutably altered anyways. Documents were pulped in the 90s at a staggering pace. The universities in Hungary churn out thousands of qualified candidates whose prospects for entry into the government remain somewhat limited. Economists, finance specialists, bureaucrats and lawyers are plentiful and often underutilized. A common lament I have heard from young Hungarian careerists is the suspicion they face in offices dominated by grey-haired holdouts. One young auditor even claims she was vetted for ties to the current party in power (Fidesz) during her first year in government. There is something very wrong with that. Would removing a few of these former oppressors via retirement (mandatory or suggested ) really wound the conscience of a country that has allowed nearly 22 years more time for them to accumulate pension benefits and salary? I think not. As it stands, the smooth transition has served little purpose other than to embolden the cogs in that old machine to once again oppress people. In the mean time, the evidence of their past misdeeds is being erased, and along with it goes the hope of any justice for the people they harmed. In 1972, Béla Biszku attempted to throw János Kádár out via a coup in favour of a harder-line communist regime led by himself. Kádár responded by promptly removing him from power. Hungarians have been patient enough. It s time to tell 1989 s greytopped holdouts and their lackeys and nephews that the party is over. THINK BUDAPEST CITY MAGAZINE "TOLERANCE AND APATHY ARE THE LAST VIRTUES OF A DYING SOCIETY" - ARISTOTLE

15 15 életutak Venezuelától hazáig képekben OPITZ TOMAS VISZ MINKET EL ERRE AZ ÚTRA, A FOTÓIN KERESZTÜL... KÁLNAY ELEONÓRA Mikor kezdtél el fotózni? A fotózás, mint mondani szokták, családi betegség. Édesapám, amikor Venezuelába vándorolt, fotográfiával kezdte el ottani életét. A nagybátyámnak fototechnikai boltja volt, melyből profi fotós bolt lett. A féltestvérem szintén fotós, úgy látszik genetikailag belém lett kódolva. Érdeklődésedet a fotózás iránt ők erőltettek rád? Nem, egyáltalán nem. Saját magam érdeklődtem. Úgy 7-8 évesen kaptam ajánd ékba egy összeszerelhető kis fény - képezőgépet. A kis autóimat kezdtem el vele fotózni. Hogyan kezdted fotós karrieredet (Venezuelában)? Érettségi után nem jutottam be az orvosi egyetemre. Ezért elkezdtem dol - gozni egy stúdióban, így közelebb kerültem a hivatásos fotográfiához. Láttam, hogy ezzel pénzt is lehet keresni. Ezt követően építészként diplomáztam le, de azon kaptam magam, hogy ismét jobban érdekel a fotózás. Ekkor döntöttem végleg a fotó mellett. Szaba d - úszóként dolgoztam mindig is. Volt egy kis irodám, mindenféle munkát elvállaltam: esküvők, sztárok, reklámok, port - rék, épületek fotózását. Rengeteg kapcsolatot szereztem Venezuelában. Akkor miért költöztél Magya r or - szágra? Mindegyik munka egy újabb kihívás. Eljön egy olyan szint, amikor az ember újat szeretne. Ez indította el bennem az ötletet, hogy eljöjjek Magyarországra. Venezuelában egy idő után meguntam, hogy, - bár sokan mondták, hogy jaj de szépek a képeid - nem kaptam soha egy erősebb kritikát. Elismerték a munkámat, kiállításaimat, megjelenéseimet. Nevem is ismert volt már ezekben a körökben. De ez olyan, mint bármilyen munka: beleszürkülsz. Nehezen fejlődsz, ha beleesel egy rutinba. Ezért gondoltam, hogy Budapestre jövök. Ez 2003 februárjában követ - kezett be. Biztatott, hogy ismertem a nyelvet és hogy, nem egy idegen ország számomra (gondoltam én). Ez olyan, mint bármilyen munka: beleszürkülsz. Nehezen fejlődsz, ha beleesel egy rutinba. Magyarországra érkeztél. Hogyan kezdtél neki? Az volt a nagy szerencsém, hogy a kezdetekben egy szociofotós megnézte munkáimat és azt mondta: Tomi, ezek nagyon rosszak. Ez egy kicsit megrázott. Hazamentem, megnéztem és tényleg nem voltak jók! Újra át kellett gondolnom a céljaimat, a látásvilágomat. Mi az, ami bennem van és tovább tudok adni belőle? Ekkor kezdtem belevinni az új fotóimba a tényleges világomat. Ezek szerint, nem elég, ha valaki tehetséges? Nem mindig ösztönös ez a munka, hanem át kell gondolni a célokat? Igen, önkritika mindig kell. Hogy ettől megerősödjön az üzenet, amit át akarsz adni. Azóta nagyon másképp látom a dolgokat, mélyebben. De a legeslegelején, mivel kezdted itthon? Lehet, hogy ez egy kicsit a latin stílusra jellemző, de úgy éreztem bármit el lehet érni. Megfogtam a portfóliómat és elkezdtem minden szerkesztőséghez bekopogni. Se telefon, se időpont, csak mentem. Pár hét után, egy babamagazintól felhívtak, hogy készítsem én a címlapfotót. Ez egy jó kezdet volt. Érkezésedkor miben láttad a két ország közötti főbb különbsége ket? Nagyon tartottam a magyar pg. 17 >> Tarcali David THINK BUDAPEST CITY MAGAZINE

16 16 digitalis Pandora's Xbox IS ONLINE GAMING A TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION OR THE OPIATE OF THE MASSES? AND SO THE CHRISTMAS PERIOD ARRIVED. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 4 MINUTES, THE NOVELTY OF MY PRESENCE IN MY PARENTS' HOUSE- HOLD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 6 MONTHS HAD WITHERED AWAY LIKE A DEAD PINE TREE COVERED IN SHINY BITS OF PLASTIC. PETE WYLDE, ILLUSTRATION: KATE GUENTHER T hree weeks alone in the Welsh hills lay ahead of me. But rather than work on the novel I haven't been writing for years walk to the orphanage to help the needy, I took a deep breath and set in to the usual Christmas housebound activities. First there was eating. And I'm not talking about snaffling the odd mince pie. The trade-off for the luxury of living in a flea-ridden flat in the Big City is that I never have any food in the cupboards. So I set about demolishing the contents of my mother's fridge like a heartbroken teenage girl. Scampi with noodles? Get in! Microwaved pavlova? Why thank you. Anchovies straight from the tin, not even bothering to take my head out of the cupboard before I devour them? Just watch me. But soon enough I became bored with this Roman gorging and switched on the TV. Surely Rupert Murdoch and his chums at Sky could entertain me for a couple of weeks? Alas not. Nothing but 100 million channels of flickering bullshit. Live open heart surgery, deep sea fishing for gays, Russell Crowe playing a Nobel prize winning economist, Will Smith's infant daughter gyrating and singing dreadful pop songs. No thanks. And so it was, like an obese and technologically spoiled toddler, that I stumbled into the living room one night and cast a weary eye over at the Xbox 360, sitting in the corner, fluttering it's lashes at me like Pandora herself. Well why not, I thought. It was either this or clean up the sardine tins I had left all over the kitchen. I chose a football game (soccer to you lot across the pond) and got down to giving myself arthritis. After figuring out the buttons I was surprised to find myself actually having fun. I could pass the ball about, score goals from 30 yards (quite far away to you lot across the pond) kick the referee and loads of other good stuff you can't really do if you go and play real sport. But something was missing. I had by no means mastered the game, but after a while, no matter what level I set the difficulty, I never felt particularly challenged playing against the computer. Of course, setting the opposition level to Professional meant that the other team would run faster and do their own wonder goals and referee assaults, but it always seemed so, predicable. And that, my friends, is when I saw it. Xbox Live. This game, like most of them these days I am told, can connect to the internet so that you can stay up all night, playing against other lonely people like yourself. Just one click and I would be thrown onto a roulette table with literally millions of other players, all waiting to kick my arse at an imaginary game. But who were these fuckers? Murderers in their underpants? Celebrities on yachts? Call girls at Puff Daddy's mansion? Gay deep sea fisherman? I began to feel nervous at the prospect of letting one of these freaks into my television set. But it was too late to back out now. I took another swig of Gentleman Jack and threw myself into the ring. I chose my team and than sat, memorised, as the other player, Prince Charles or Ted Bundy or Miley Cyrus or WORSE, flicked through the various divisions to choose their team. And then we were off. I decided to take no chances and play it straight, unlike my opponent, who I have since decided was either Diana Ross or Oprah, tried to intimidate me with fancy tricks. Whilst she was pissing about with some double step-over, I charged in and took the ball, played it down the left and tucked a neat shot in at the far post. 1-0 after 3 minutes. Before half time I was 3 goals up. Perhaps I was really good at this game? I tried to image my faceless opponent, in a Persian tent or a Romanian tower block, squirming away trying to score back. The game ended 4-1. And I felt great. My heart racing, I quickly started a new game. My next opponent, who I guess from his flawed brilliance was washed-up 80s actor Edward Furlong, would pose a much greater threat. I should have guessed that old Ed was going to play well when he chose Wolves, who are currently languishing at the bottom of the English Premier League. Only a true master would choose a technically inferior team. Every ball he played was perfect, every run into the box inspired. I was lucky to lose 2-1, my only goal coming when Furlong put the controller down to reach for a crack pipe. But I didn't need crack. I was hooked. Game after game went by. Every goal I scored filled me with glory, every one conceded pure agony. But nothing could stop me playing. I had been sucked into a vortex, my mind at one with the collective conscience of the all-night gamer. Until I heard the birds. Looking out of the window, I saw that the sun had risen and people outside were getting into their cars to go to work. My swollen fingers were clutching the controller. All I wanted was one more game. Just one more. But I couldn't, no I WOULDN'T, become one of them. I turned off the machine and headed towards my room. As I went to switch off the light I saw an apparition in the mirror. A bleary eyed, dry lipped fiend stared back at me, wearing a baggy T-shirt, covered in anchovy stains, and faded tracksuit bottoms... The transformation had happened. Dorian Gray had become the portrait. But as I went to switch off the light I saw an apparition in the mirror. A bleary eyed, dry lipped fiend stared back at me, wearing a baggy T-shirt, covered in anchovy stains, and faded tracksuit bottoms. Tracksuit bottoms that were both backto-front and inside out. The transformation had happened. Dorian Gray had become the portrait. Terrified, I climbed into bed, vowing never to touch the game again. As I drifted off to sleep, I saw tiny men on an imaginary playing field. Running and running. THINK BUDAPEST CITY MAGAZINE GOOGLE BEFORE YOU TWEET IS THE NEW THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK.

17 17 world, con t from page 13 életutak, folytatás a 15. oldalról VAN VALAMI, AMI A TENGERNÉL IS GRANDIÓZU - SABB, EZ AZ ÉG; ÉS VAN VALAMI, AMI AZ ÉGNÉL IS HATALMASABB, A LÉLEK. - VICTOR HUGO The developed world s youth are also in revolt. T he young Japanese, who work without giving to the national pension fund, or move away to find better opportunity than the calcified salaryman system will proffer them, is in revolt. The youth who throng in the thousands at every World Trade Organization meeting are in revolt. French protesters, be they angry workers or unemployed victims of racism, are in revolt. The growing number of articles on the unsupportable aging popu - lation s workforce presence in America is just the edge of a brewing inter-generational clash. But are conditions poor enough to warrant revolt? Surely they are not that oppressed? That there are no parallels in mature democracies and Mubarak s police state is a falsehood. In America, the Patriot Act and various state and federal laws have created a prison state wherein the basic freedoms they proudly tote now come with caveats that chafe with every patdown, nudity-generating scan and lopsided prosecutorial proceeding. The headlines speak of Egypt as anarchic violence, or soft-pedal it as a protest against an enduring dictatorship. But it's only a generational war's first skirmishes in the most remote corners of neoliberalism. Sarkozy s heavy-handed use of security forces during peaceful protests in France was a test run. It succeeded in pushing through undemocratic, unsupported pension reductions. Protesters rose in Greece, and the police were quietly escalated their brutality with almost no media outcry. But why not change the system and create opportunity to alleviate the sense of permanent, enforced poverty driving these protests? Simply because business demands it get its way, and increasingly does. Financial interests throughout the world manipulate lawmakers and bully currencies into massive inequities and debt to cut sovereign funds and attack social safety nets. Breton Woods establishments (the IMF and World Bank) offer aid loans, but only if the states in need hobble their sovereignty and people, or hitch their political and economic futures to the whims of currency traders, speculators, and outsourcing evangelists. Older generations profit by being established enough to steal some of the loot, being grandfathered in on better pensions and benefits, and generally eating the futures of their children in a kind of post-industrial infantivoric frenzy. But now the youth are no longer willing to be eaten. The youthful Egyptian protesters want what everyone wants. Whether they be the burgeoning majority in the developing world or the outvoted generations of the sclerotic Silver Democracies, they want a bright future and good prospects. The machinery of oppression within the democratic world is well aware of the coming storm, and is in fact preparing for harsh suppression of the inevitable clash. But the media of developed, mature, and stable democracies focus narrowed on something very telling in the proceedings in Egypt. And well they should. The army appeared as expected there, but then refused to attack the protesters. True, the army protected the precious national heritage sites, government buildings and treasures of Egypt. But it also heeded the entreaties of the people to join the uprising. If the powers that be think that their riot police can stop this tide of change with the help of a few tanks and soldiers, they should examine the demographics of their armies. With most of the soldiers being the same age, and facing the same futures, as the protesters, it just isn t a very promising plan. társadalomtól. Nem ugyan az a magyar kolónia Venezuelában, mint maga az ország. Tartottam, attól, hogy a magyar egy zárt közösség, nem tudtam, hogy lesz ez jó nekem itthon, újoncként. De észrevettem, hogy ha látják, hogy az ember tisztességes és szorgalmas akkor sokkal nyitottabbak, mint a latinok. Hete k en belül többen, egyszerre felhívtak, mert valaki mesélt rólam. Venezuelában más. Ott elsőre nagyon közvetlenek, de többet ígérnek, mint amit tudnak adni. Hogyan születik egy kiállítás? Tyúk vagy tojás? Kitalálod a kiállítás irányvonalát és aszerint fotózol, vagy meglévő fotókból kreálsz egy koncepciót? Változó. Vannak olyan témák melyeket kitalálok, mert egyszerűen tudom, hogy jó lenne belőle egy kiállítás. Ilyen volt például, a Szép lányok, csúnya fotók c. kiállításom. De voltak olyan kiállítások (pl. Venezueláról), melyeket egy meglévő anyagból raktam össze. Nem nehéz tudatosan fotózni? De, a dolgok maguktól jönnek. Ha egész nap, egy galambot akarsz lefotózni a lánchíd oroszlánjának a hátán, akkor az biztos nem fog összejönni. Inkább várni kell, hogy az impulzusok hozzák a témát. Ez történt a parti tájakkal is, melyek ezen a kiállításomon láthatóak. Bretagne-ban volt egy tengerparti táj, felhős volt az ég. Erre ráhangolódtam, és akár hova men tem, jöttek utánam a felhők. Még Venezuelába, Miamiba is ahol mindig napsütés van. Mesélsz egy kicsit aktuális kiállításodról? A Kempinski szállodával még tavaly megbeszéltük, hogy fotóimmal én nyitom meg a 2011-es évadot. Ennek a kiállításnak neve 3 in 1. Három különböző témát raktam össze, kihasználva, hogy nagy a tér. A parti tájak eklektikusabbak, méreteik kü - lön bözőek, s mint említettem nem a tipikus, napsütötte tengert mutatja be. A másik, a Városképek. Itt sem tipikus városfotókat láthatunk, hanem épület, szobor részleteket. Kíváncsi voltam, ki-ki hogyan találja meg egész Berlint egy töredékből. A harmadik a Caring, melynél mindig volt egy növény, mely előbb keltette fel a figyelmemet, mint a mögötte lévő épület. Közeli és távoli céljaid? Közeli: tartani a tempót, csinálni, amit eddig. Minél több ember ismerje meg munkámat. Távoli: továbbfejleszteni önmagam, több izgalmas projektben részt venni. Aktí van dolgozni, hogy minél több élményt hozzak az embereknek. Egyelőre Európában maradok. Magyarországon még sok lehetőség van (igaz, sok fotós is). De aki igényesen és szorgalmasan dolgozik, annak még mindig van itt helye. Mit javasolnál annak, aki érdeklődik valamilyen művészet iránt, de tart tőle? Ki kell próbálni, körül kell venni magad olyan emberekkel, akik a szakmában vannak, okosat tudnak mondani. A gyakor - latba kell vinni, amit tanácsolnak. Csinálni, csinálni, mert csak így tudsz gátakat átlépni. Édesanyám 45 évesen eldöntötte, hogy divattervező iskolát végez. Addig csak pálcikaembert tudott rajzolni, de utána ő maga is meglepődött milyen jól megy neki. Mi fontosabb a szorgalom, vagy az egyediség? Van, aki nagyon tehetséges, de hiába, ha nem csinálja rendesen. Van, aki nagyon szorgalmas, de hiányzik belőle az újítás képessége. Lehet, hogy minden nap felporszívózok, de mi van, ha egyszer fel is mosok utána? Sok olyan ember van, mint például én is, akik szeretünk fotózni, de re - mekművek nem kerülnek ki ke zeink - ből. Mit tanácsolsz nekünk? Ha elmész egy tanfolyamra, ott kapsz pár olyan irányvonalat, melyek biztosan segítenek. Csak fel kell világosítani az embereket. Ilyen egy gyerek is: nem tud magától olvasni, de ha megtanítod, akkor menni fog. Mindenkiben benne van a kreativitás, mindenkiben rejtőzik egy kis művészlélek, egy kis érzékenység. Ha valaki kitanulta, akkor egy bögréről is tud érdekes képet csinálni? Persze, ez azt fogja megmutatni, hogyan látja a világot egy fényképezőn és egy bögrén keresztül fotó formájában. A festészet ilyen értelemben könnyebb, mivel ott egy fehér vászon, melyre azt rakhatunk, amit csak akarunk. A fotógráfiában vannak adott faktorok, figyelni kell a komponálásra, mi ne legyen benne, mi lógjon bele, stb. Mindenkinek más a lelkivilága. Amit én mondok egy képről az az én ér tel mez - ésem. Lehet, hogy te benned teljesen más. Azért sem akartam a kiállított képeimről sokat mesélni. Találják meg saját maguk az emberek, akik nézik a képeket, hogy mit üzen nekik a táj, az épületek, a felhők, a tengerpart, a növények.

18 18 fair trade Bitter Sweet: THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE CHOCOLATE INDUSTRY ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES AS A KID WAS WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (1971). WHAT CHILD DID NOT WANT TO WIN THE GOLDEN TICKET? DAN SWARTZ (SOURCED FROM: BITTER CHOCOLATE BY CAROLYN OFF) W ho didn t want to see the mysteries hidden behind the tall walls of the factory? Who didn t feverishly ride their bikes to the Penny Candy Store at every chance and buy sweets with grubby hands and hungry eyes? Isn t this why we worked for our allowance money? It was not until 15 years later in college that upon watching the film again after many years that I realized the film was actually about imperialism and colonialism. That while I was taking out the trash and mowing the lawn for 5 dollars a week, other children in the Cote d Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Cameroon, Mexico, Ghana and elsewhere were literally slaves and worked to death by the thousands for those same chocolates. In fact, most do not know what they are harvesting or what it is used for. Cocoa was first used by the Olmec in Mezo- America as a drink, so highly prized, that the Mayans and Aztecs later used cocoa beans as currency, not gold or silver. Cocoa pods are the size of butternut squash, containing grey-purple seeds the size of almonds in tan-colored pulp. The pods are split and the seeds left to ferment and dry before being roasted. The Spanish first developed a triangular trade bringing weapons and salted cod to Africa, African slaves to the Americas (12-15 million) to work the cocoa plantations, and chocolate to Europe. It was Spanish priests and monks after Cortez conquered the area that began adding sugar and later spices to the brew. Chocolate s pharmaceutical properties are thought to include theo - bromine and caffeine that stimulate and dilate blood vessels; Phenylethylamine which stimulates sexual drive; Serotonin, a mind-altering chemical that can relieve depression; and perhaps antioxidants. Up until the 1800s, Europeans still bought cocoa in pharmacies. Until 1828, the cocoa butter content, so highly valued and warred over by the Aztecs and Mayans, was routinely thrown out by Europeans who found it unpleasant on the palate. They tried everything to reduce the cocoa butter content, but it was still 50% fat. Dutchman C.J. Van Houten invented a hydraulic cocoa press to squeeze the grease from the roasted beans. He later determined the right fat content to easily emulsify it for home preparation. In 1840, Quaker Joseph Fry attached a steam engine to Van Houten s press. He also began to mix back some of the cocoa butter into the cocoa powder, and the resulting mass could then be molded into the modern melt in your mouth chocolate bar. Quakers were integral in the chocolate trade, because unlike other commodity production, they did not find it sinful. Another Quaker, Cadbury, created the first box of bonbons in the 1860s, intimately linked chocolate to Valentine s Day, and in 1875 introduced the first chocolate Easter Egg. English investigative reporter Henry Woodd Nevinson began investigating the cocoa trade about this time. The Portuguese-controlled islands of São Tomé and Principe (Cameroon) were both the leading producers of cocoa, as well as the location of some of the worst abuses. The Portuguese brought slave labor from Angola, none of whom ever returned home. The British Government turned a blind eye to the Portuguese prac tices because they did not want dirt dredged up about their own use of slave labor in the gold and diamond mines of South Africa. Twenty years after the first reports, neither the British Government nor the supposedly socially-concerned Quaker chocolate magnates had done a thing to stop the slavery. Cocoa production was not the only commodity based on slave labor, nor was the worst abuses in this sector, but Cadbury, Rowntree, Fry, and others had made chocolate special, a symbol of joy, an innocent pleasure; but in reality it was made with blood, death and slave labor. Because of chocolate s symbolism, people expected a higher corporate and moral standard from chocolate companies than the diamond and gold pillagers. In 1887, Swiss Henri Nestle blended milk with cocoa solids to create milk chocolate. Hersey later used condensed and powdered milk to the same effect in the US. Meanwhile, UK companies mov - ed their operations to Trinidad and Jamaica, partly because their plantations in Africa were being decimated by disease, but also to avoid scrutiny. Corporations imported slave labor from China and elsewhere to work the new plantations. In 1910, the US passed a law prohibiting the import of cocoa produced with slave labor. However, US companies controlled sugar production in Cuba, a major component in chocolate, with slaves from China and Africa. In the 1930s, Forrest Mars introduced the Milky Way (Mars Bar in UK), Snickers and Three Musketeers candy bars, using solidified malted milk drink and nougat coated in chocolate. Rowntree introduced the Kit Kat, Black Magic and Aero about the same time. The US State Department has estimated that more than 15,000 child slaves worked the plantations in Children in the thousands were being enslaved and abused for CHOCOLATE. While cocoa plantations in the Americas were in turn destroyed by disease, and companies relocated to Africa again, Mars and Herseys joined forces to produce Smarties and M&Ms. The Gold Coast (Ghana) in turn became the world leader in cocoa production, but were then surpassed by the Ivory Coast in the 1980s. Benevolent dictator Felix Houphouet-Boigny converted the country s economy and bet the country s future on cocoa in the 1960s. But by the 1990s, the country had descended into poverty, chaos, war and child slavery. Child trafficking from Mali and Burkina Faso to the cocoa plantations in the Ivory Coast assisted the country in continuing to supply over 50% of the world s cocoa. Child slavery had become the secret ingredient in chocolate. THINK BUDAPEST CITY MAGAZINE WE'RE AT THAT POINT IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WHERE I'LL HAVE SEX WITH ANYONE BUT YOU.

19 UNICEF and the US State Department estimated that more than 15,000 child slaves worked the plantations in Children in the thousands were being enslaved and abused for CHOCOLATE. The Mali Government did very little to stem the practice, since the country depended on trade with its neighbor. US Congressman Eliot Engel introduced a law in 2001 that would have created a slave free label for chocolate like the dolphin safe label for tuna fish. Senator Tom Harkin joined him in the fight. However, the Senator had already learned that there was a fine line between human rights and economic necessity. Harkin had introduced the Child Labor Defense Act in 1992 that boycotted goods manufactured with child labor. Bangladeshi garment manufacturers panicked and 50,000 children were fired, who then took on even more dangerous jobs like rock crushing to help support their families. The balance is to find a way to take the hazards out of the work, not the child out of work. Big Chocolate hired Bob Dole and George Mitchell to lobby against the bill. The resulting wrangle produced an industry voluntary agreement called the Harkin-Engel Protocol that delineated six points to eliminate child labor in the cocoa chain by July, However, the protocol was voluntary, and did not include provisions for a fair wage, or a fair price for the beans. In 2002, the protocol was adopted by Big Chocolate worldwide, becoming the International Cocoa Initiative. Simultaneously, an industry-funded investigation found that while there was no slavery, 284,000 children worked in hazardous conditions on cocoa farms in West Africa, two-thirds of these in the Ivory Coast. The International Labor Rights Fund rejected the protocol and filed suit using a 1930 US law that prohibits the import of goods made by slaves. Big Chocolate did not make the 2005 deadline - not even close. They are now setting up a small pilot project in Ghana, now the biggest producer of cocoa along with Indonesia. The International Labor Rights Fund filed a class action suit against Nestle, Cargill and Archer Daniels Midland for trafficking, torture and forced labor on behalf of former child slaves. Smaller chocolate producers took the lead in slave free or sociallyconscious chocolate, later integrated into the Fair Trade system. Green & Blacks became the first Fair Trade chocolate in 1994, its signature product being the Maya Gold chocolate bar. High school enrollment for farming families supplying Green & Black have gone from 10% to 70%. If farmers are paid, they normally get around 25 cents/lb., whereas in the Fair Trade system they are guaranteed a minimum of 89 cents/lb. plus premiums. FAIR TRADE STARTED IN THE NETHERLANDS IN 1988 WITH THE MAX HAVELAAR BRAND. FAIR TRADE IS A SYSTEM IN WHICH: Trading partnerships are based on reciprocal benefits & mutual respect A fair price is guaranteed to small farmers and producers for their products Prices paid to producers reflect the work they do Workers have the right to organize National health, safety, and wage laws are enforced Products are environmentally sustainable and conserve natural resources Valentine s Day and Easter mark two of the biggest shopping days of the year when it comes to chocolate. By purchasing organic and Fair Trade chocolate, your money will no longer be going towards toxic pesticides, child slavery, and farm worker exploitation. This Valentine s Day or Easter, buy something made with hope and love, and help small farmers in the Third World break out of the cycle of poverty. And if you re looking around in Budapest, Fair Trade organic chocolates are available at Treehugger Dan s

20 20 food in the city A Repast to Remember REFLECTIONS ON THE CULINARY FOLLY OF A BUDAPEST VALENTINE PAST. SOMETIMES, ROMANCE IS JUST NOT ON THE EVENING S LIST OF SPECIALS. DAISY BLAZE, ILLUSTRATION: NORIO NAMURA Ah, Valentine s Day! A day that comes only once a year, when you are supposed to express your love to another person, while the other 364 you can act like a heartless bastard. From the time you wake up to the time you end up in bed again, you can feel the romance in the air. What better place to celebrate romance then among the elegant 18th century streets of Budapest, where luxury and exquisite taste from years gone by can still be seen? This fantastic world, combined with the chivalrous images we have in our heads of European men being Prince Charming Well, where else could romance be more alive? One February 7, I received the loveliest from a friend of mine, asking me what I was doing on this annual day of compassion. When I told him nothing, he responded, Well, now I am taking you out for a date you will never forget. I was flabbergasted to see a post on my Facebook early in the morning of February the 14th. It was emanating the sensuality of the 1980 s Hollywood courting culture. He wrote, For a day filled with love, I will make it all about you, so that all the love is yours. To be honest, it was a bit much, but as I am human, I take what I can get. Throughout the day, I received other little messages of affection from him. Feeling like a diamond in the rough, I put on a sexy red and black dress that left just enough to the imagination. After all the messages, my expectations were high for this date. We had decided to meet on the corner of Blaha Lujza tér and Erzsébet körút. Not the classiest part of town but it is just moments away from some of the imperial hotels. We met just as evening turned to night and started walking towards Oktogon. I had gotten my hopes up that I was eligible to enjoy the royalty of the New York Café. We walked right past the gargoyles, calling to me as we passed, beckoning with stone eyes of romance. I was trying to figure out where we were going, for it was not the warmest of evenings. Finally the lights and sounds of Oktogon were in view and he told me we are almost there. As we almost started into the roundabout, we stopped in front of a restaurant: TGI FRIDAYS. I had to bite my lip to stop from laughing at this absurd notion that an American only wants American food. As he was paying, I did not question his choice of restaurant. A free meal is a free meal in the end. After we were seated, he turned to me and said with a very heavy accent, I had thought you were missing America, so here is some America for you to feel at home. I had to bite my lip to stop from laughing, or emitting profanities at this absurd notion that an American wants American food. So I decided to go all out and order something special from the menu, a truly American experience full of burgers and fries galore. I decided on a classic, the Bacon Cheese - burger with a margarita, a very large margarita. As we waited for the food, the conversation was light and never went below the surface. Before the food arrived at the table you could smell it as it glided to the table on the waiter s tray. Then true love was delivered right in front of my face. A burger topped with crispy bacon, sizzling cheese and fresh vegetables, stacked on top of two buns that would give even the biggest mouths lock jaw. With every bite a wave of flavor washed over me pushing me further into a food coma of happiness. Each fry was crunchy on the outside and piping hot on the inside, with all the Heinz Ketchup you could dream of. Halfway through I was full, but it was just so good I had to keep on eating. Once I had cleaned my plate, like a good American would, I had had all the love I could bear for one night. The date was not the worst; the food was by far the best part though. One thing to keep in mind on dates is that if the romance is dead, the love of food will make it worthwhile. After all it is always better to eat with someone then to eat alone. FOUR LOCATIONS: WestEnd, 1062 Budapest, Váci út 1-3, Metro: Nyugati Pályaudvar Oktogon, 1066 Budapest, Oktogon tér 3. Metro: Oktogon, Mammut, 1024 Budapest, Lövőház utca 2-6, Metro: Moszkva Tér and T.G.I. Friday s Deák Tér, Deák Ferenc utca, Metro: Deák Ferenc Tér, THINK BUDAPEST CITY MAGAZINE MODERN ART = I COULD DO THAT + YEAH, BUT YOU DIDN T.