Holy Cow! No, Holy Elephant!

As Vándorló commented, the source was missing. I had to copy and paste this six times to get it to look proper and not a jumble or elephant sized words. Problems with Blogger. When I finally got it correct, I forgot to put the link in again. It is linked by clicking on the post title. Remember how Budapest was shamed two years ago after the local "Cowparade" resulted in the world's highest rate of artificial cow public art vandalism? Well, don't worry - it won't happen again. Instead, it looks like this time the city's irrepressible hooligans will be forced to kick over, spray paint, steal, blowtorch or otherwise ruin big colorful statues of elephants. As part of a charity/PR campaign un-creatively called the "elephant parade," almost 100 artificial elephants will be placed at intersections around the city. The first such statue, a pink pachyderm designed by artist/former Yoko Ono boy toy Sámuel Havatődy, was recently completed (right). Havatődy had this to say about his elephant, which is decorated with a lace pattern named "Hope": "Thread is very weak on its own, but if it is spun into lace, it makes a strong material." No doubt we'll soon be finding out just how strong it is.

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Now This is Customer Service

When I get excellent customer service these days, regardless of the originating country, I am bowled over. On Saturday, I sent an e-mail to Kingston Technology. I am not even certain where they are located, but I had purchased a 4 GB expansion card for my Treo 750. It would not work and I searched all over the 50 million pages of the Internet trying to find out why. It turned out that it is because I do not have Windows Mobile 6 on my phone and this particular card is a high capacity card, which is only recognized by Mobile 6 on Treo 750s. Today, I am at the grocery store and my phone rings. It is the support person from Kingston Technology wanting to follow up with me about my e-mail. They were concerned about my card not working in the phone. We had a rather lengthy discussion between the vinegar and pickle sections of the store. This gentleman and I don't use the term loosely, was truly concerned about the card not working. Kingston Technology has gained one loyal customer and as you can see, I am willing to share the experience for others to know the excellence in service.

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Who's Who? I Am Who

Some of my more cynical friends thought the only way to be included in this book was to pre-purchase it. I DID not pre-purchase it, purchase it, or make any contributions other than providing tedious information on a strenuously lengthy form. Dear Dr. Ryan James, Congratulations on the outstanding achievements that have earned you a position in the 2009 Edition of Who's Who in the World! This exciting, new edition – which includes your complete biography – has just been published and is available for immediate shipment. Once again, congratulations on your inclusion in this special edition of Who's Who in the World, and best of luck for your continued success. Sincerely, James J. Pfister CEO, Marquis Who's Who

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Frommer's Reader Writes

This came from a reader of my tour book.

Hello, Ryan!

My wife and I have bought Frommer's travel guides for many years, as we have prepared to visit a place and then as working guides when we got there.

We've just returned from several days in Budapest -- we're Americans based in London for the fall for my job -- and we wanted to get in touch and tell you that your guide to the city is the best Frommer's guide we've read. We digested it thoroughly before going there and carried it around with us at all times after we arrived in Budapest. We think the best travel guides are those that provide realistic and practical advice for sight-seeing, dining and getting around, just like a friend who's been somewhere and has come back to tell you about it. As a matter of fact, we eventually just said to each other "Ryan said this" and "Ryan said that." So thanks for a guide well-written and a job well-done.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Budapest and would certainly consider coming back in the future. Maybe we'll stay at your place next time, as we read in the book yesterday about your B&B. Sounds nice.

Again, thanks for helping us enjoy our vacation, and if you don't mind, at the end of this message, we have a couple of notes that you might consider as updates in future editions of the book.

All the best,

Keith and Jayne

Charlotte, North Carolina

P.S. We dined at the Blue Tomato Pub on Thursday evening (biggest plates of food we've ever seen) and enjoyed the Trofea Grill Etterem last night. Both were very nice, but apparently, the Trofea no longer accepts MasterCard or Visa. We learned this to our dismay at the end of our meal. Fortunately, there's an ATM just around the corner which bailed us out. I don't know if this was just our unique experience, but we didn't find credit/debit cards very widely accepted in Budapest, and had we known that we might have brought more forints with us.

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Comment from Bluefinbch

It will be a long time before I have to be concerned about Sam's Club or any of the US grocery stores, but for the rest of you, Bluefinbch sent this comment. "Wow! So many stores closing everywhere. Thanks for the heads up. I've shopped at Sams Club for a number of years and I notice for the lst time in the meat dept they are mixing old meat in the center new meat and selling it as new. This is in ground hamburger. So be aware to check out meats careful when you get home."

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Buyer Beware

An alumni member from University of San Francisco sent this out to our group, but without a source. Take it for what it is worth, but if nothing else, it is worthy of consideration. The "I" below is her note to the group. I wanted to give everyone a heads up that if you tend to give gift cards around the holidays, you need to be careful that the cards will be honored after the holidays. Stores that are planning to close after Christmas are still selling the cards through the holidays even though the cards will be worthless January 1. There is no law preventing them from doing this. On the contrary, it is referred to as 'Bankruptcy Planning). Below is a partial list of stores that you need to be cautious about. Circuit City (filed Chapter 11) Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide closing Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 stores nationwide Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January Cache will close all stores Talbot's closing down specialty stores J. Jill closing all stores (owned by Talbot's) Pacific Sun wear (also owned by Talbot's) GAP closing 85 stores Footlocker closing 140 stores mo re to close after January Wickes Furniture closing down Levitz closing down remaining stores Bombay closing remaining stores Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January Whitehall closing all stores Piercing Pagoda closing all stores Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January. Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ ( New Brunswick ) Macy's to close 9 stores after January Linens and Things closing all stores Movie Galley closing all stores Pep Boys closing 33 stores Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores JC Penney closing a number of stores after January Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores. Wilson Leather closing down all stores Sharper Image closing down all stores K B Toys closing 356 stores Loews to close down some stores Dillard's to close some stores

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Palm Treo the Mini-Series

After reading dozens of posts on the Treo forums, I had concluded that the phone would handle a 4GB expansion card, so I went to buy one. It takes a mini card, not a standard or micro card, so I wrote down what I needed to just hand to the salesperson rather than drag along an interpreter. I gave the slip of paper to the clerk at a large camera store. He looked at it and asked me something in Hungarian, but the blank look on my face made him realize my synapses were not firing. He tried again in English. Eureka! I hit the mother lode, an English speaker. He then went on to explain that the 4 GB cards were on HC or high capacity and he was uncertain whether my phone could handle high capacity or not. They quit making cards without the HC in the 4 GB size or at least they were not available here in Hungary. After sharing with him that my meandering through the Treo forums assured me it would work (I really had self-doubt in the back of my mind), I bought it. If it did not work, it was $25.oo down the drain, but the prices in the States were double, so I was still ahead in being behind in losing my money. After running home, I whipped the card out of the bag and realized it was a micro card with adapters. My heart sank, not knowing if the adapters would fit or not. The smaller one did fit the phone; I was off and running. Viola, the phone did not recognize the card. Back to the manuals and forums. Ah, ha! For the phone to recognize the card, which is FAT 32 system, you need Windows Mobile 6. Windows Mobile 5 only recognized FAT 16 system. These little nuggets of info were packed tightly and securely in the storage boxes of my brain, but not discovered and unwrapped when buying the card. How to get Windows Mobile 6, well that was the next search. You cannot download it from Microsoft, because they tie it into the phone company your phone has an affinity connection with. So if you have a Cingular phone, you have to get it from Cingular's web site. AT&T has their own version, each depending on what tools they want to allow with their phones. I, on the other hand, have an unlocked free roaming, not tied to any specific company wild as the wind phone with no Windows Mobile 6 to download. The hunt continues.

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Palm Treo Trilogy Next Scenario

I received a call from the store that my phone was ready to go and go I did to retrieve it. Now that the software has been reloaded, nothing I had in it is there, but it is working fine. Actually, it is better now than when it was new. The camera option used to freeze the entire phone and I had to do a soft reset, but it works now without a hitch. All of my data was synced on the computer, but first I want to get a 4 GB expansion card. I need a Hungarian-English dictionary on there, plus some other utilities. When I add some music, since this is also an MP3 player, it will fill a regular card quickly. I am jazzed and ready to play once I reset all of the settings back to where I had them. My sync folder looks to be empty, but I am hoping the data is only hidden. We will see. Otherwise, I will have to do a sync between my Gmail mail account and Outlook, then sync Outlook with the phone. If only I could remember how I did that in the past, because Outlook mobile is no longer on my phone. More hours of searching, studying, and remembering... I should write instruction manuals for myself as I go for future reference.

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Palm Treo Trilogy or Never Ending Story?

My Palm Treo 750, a phone I have come to love, has stopped dialing numbers. When I answer a call, I cannot hear a thing. On the 15th, I posted my initial trip to the repair place with a student. On Monday, I returned solo. The meck-i-nic as the young gentleman at the front desk called him was there to look at the phone. After some brief examination, no CT Scan at this point, he suggested I return in an hour with 8,000 Huf (about $45.00 give or take) and I could take the patient home with discharge papers and care instructions. Being only fifteen minutes from home, I went back, had a cup of tea, read e-mails, and then returned. Oh, dear! The patient has taken a turn. Although the dialing and receiving calls was fixed, when he turned the phone off and than on again, it no longer worked. Surgery was in order. He would have to remove all of the software and reinstall it. I should return on Tuesday at 3:00. Broken hearted, I left. Tuesday, at 3:15 I arrived with a skip in my step. The extra minutes were not to appear overly anxious. However, the smile was soon wiped from my face when I was told the meck-i-nic had a family 'program' and was not there. I translated this has 'problem' for surely if he had a family function, he would have known that yesterday. No one knew if he had worked on the phone or not. The nice young man said he would call me on Wednesday, today. I suggested after 3:00 since I had a full day at school and then a physical therapy appointment. Stupidly, I forgot my old mobile at home, so when I arrived, I expected a missed call. There was nothing. Being weary and a bit disgusted, I will wait until tomorrow and take a journey after my full day and see what is what. In situations like this, I often wonder how much different this would be in the States. I continue to remember the Gateway computer that I bought and had to return it forty-five miles away to be repaired six times within the first year that I owned it. Sure it was under warranty, but that did not make the drive or the time spent any easier. But if I had a Treo in the US, how much time would it take to fix? I really don't want to know the answer. I like to confuse myself that this is the trade-off for living in Europe.

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Okay, Not So Peachy

Vándorló commented on the post "Barack = Peach" post with: How does this constitute a 'prediction' unless it is in a really pathetic sense? I assume you know both the etymology or Obama's name as well as that of the name for the peach in Hungarian? And then, some underlying interesting relationship between their origins? No? Then this is just a street sign of house number 1 in Hungary? For the sake of students of American Culture perhaps they would be interested in a wider debate that Obama name led to: http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004187.html Assessment: Could do better!! Actually, the post was just a bit of tongue in cheek humor sent to me by a Hungarian colleague as a joke. I posted it for humor value. However, the article he sent alongis interesting for those interested in language. Thank you Vándorló for pointing us in the more academic direction.

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Barack = Peach

I almost forgot to post his picture. Barack 1. It was almost like a Hungarian prediction, but really it is a street sign. Barack is peach in Hungarian, while the u is short for utca meaning street. If you are curious, the small sign is a warning that the dog will bite. Perhaps, it is also a warning to Republicans that the dog Obama promised his girls when they get to the White House.

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Kindred Spirit

Ron came across an article by Dick Cavett in the NY Times, which starts out with "Electronic devices dislike me. There is never a day when something isn’t ailing. Three out of these five implements — answering machine, fax machine, printer, phone and electric can-opener — all dropped dead on me in the past few days." Although, the rest of the article is a Sarah Palin punch, this one part made me feel a bit better that I am not the only one that is electronically disadvantaged. If you are interested in the full article, it is here: http://cavett.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/14/the-wild-wordsmith-of-wasilla/ Yesterday, I took my Palm Treo to a repair shop. It will not make calls or receive them, but all other functions seem to be fine. A full reboot by removing the battery, letting it drop the charge to zero and refreshing the battery juice did nothing to help. My sidekick student, Balazs went with me to interpret as needed. As it happens, we missed the guy responsible for repairs by about twenty minutes and I have to return on Monday. I asked Balazs to ask the man there if the repair man spoke English at all. He said in Hungarian that he spoke English. When I said to him, "Wonderful, what hours will the repair man be here on Monday?" He turned to Balazs and asked him what I said. Monday should be interesting. This weekend will be a pantomime rehearsal for when I return.

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Per a Request...

I was sent this request, so you can follow-up if you wish. Hi again, Ryan I sent you an email on Veteran's Day asking if you would blog about Survivor Corps' program for U.S. veterans and service members, Operation Survivor. I never heard back and wasn't sure you had actually received it. Our troops still need our help. I put together this e-news release which explains everything. Please feel free to repost any or all of it: http://survivorcorps.org/returningtroops If you could share this with your readers on Budget Nomad - US Ex - Pat on the Move, or even post one of our donation banners, it would greatly help our American soldiers and returning troops. Please let me know if you are able to help and send me the link to your post. Let me know either way. Thanks so much. All my best, Dani

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A Bit of Humor Some May Not Find Funny

I know the housing problems are nothing to laugh at for quite a few people, but this video was too funny to pass up sharing. The original film was Der Untergang a German movie about Hitler's last days. The English title is The Downfall. If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it. If you speak German, try to ignore the dialogue and read the sub-titles only. This is where the humor is. Since we do not have a mortgage and own our place free and clear, I snickered and chuckled along. If it makes anyone feel better, all the humor evaporated when he mentioned this 401k.

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America the Beautiful

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Keith Olbermann on Prop 8

This was too powerful not to share.

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Fired It Up!

We went to a Democrats Abroad meeting last night. Our rep is going to a conference of all Dems Abroad committee chairs from around the world. The idea is to bring ideas of what we as Americans abroad can do for our government and what we want our government to be doing for the rest of the world. It has been a long time since I have been proud to say I am an American when traveling, but I can again hold my head high. We watched McCain's speech conceding the election. We were all moved yet again at his spirit and eloquence. This was followed by Obama's acceptance speech and his stirring ability to light the fire in our soul for a new America. Then we back tracked to watch a short, humorous Obama in the video now titled "Fire it up!" Enjoy!

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Qwerty

If the name Qwerty rings some bells in the back of your memory, look down at your keyboard's top row of letters from the left. This clever name is the store where we bought the computer for the kitchen for guest's to use. When we had the seemingly fatal black, not blue screen that said "Opps! Something is definitely wrong here!" we called the ex-pat American computer repair guy. His solution was simple. Haul it off, diagnose it and create a service plan. We allowed him to cart our box off to his office, but there was a niggling thought in the back of my mind. Hmmmm....the computer was not that old. Could it possibly still be under warranty? The strange thing here is that you have three business days after making a purchase to return it to the store. Even within those three days, the allowances for the return are limited to the item not functioning. Changing your mind about a purchase is as worthy of a refund as hoping to win the lottery without buying a ticket. You bought it, you own it. You want to return it? Break it within three days or you are out of luck. After three days, you are destined to bring or ship the item to the "Service Center" for repair or replacement. Guarantees can very from thirty days to a year, but what is guaranteed is that the service center will not be anywhere convenient. With all of this in mind, we had to debate the pros and cons of trying to find our guarantee for Qwerty or let our fellow patriot have a go at it. Since he charges 5,000 Huf an hour, we opted to rescue the computer, bring it to the store and see what happened. Our fellow American still charged us for an hour's time for coming to get the suffering patient. Ron took the computer to the store, sadly admitting we could not find the receipt. They looked it up on their computer (amazingly) and found to our delight that he guarantee was for a year and six months. Holy motherboard! Which was exactly the problem, the motherboard stopped being the intended nurturer and needed replacing. So in laymen terms, our mother abandoned us and we have been thrown out for adoption only to now have a surrogate mother...board. It took two weeks for them to discover our faulty lineage, but heck, it was free. We are up and running yet again. Thank you Qwerty, you have won our allegiance.

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Eastern European Living, Central European Living

I received this e-mail from a reader. I am posting his note and my response in case others have similar questions about living here. Reader Wrote: Hello,

I happened to randomly come across your blog while doing a google search about living in Budapest. I am looking forward to following your blog and learning more about Eastern Europe.

I hold an international chess rating and have been contemplating strapping on a backpack and competing in the various tournaments throughout Eastern Europe. I will be on somewhat of a frugal budget and was thinking that Budapest might be a good home base.

Any practical advise (web links and such) on how to live and travel frugally throughout Eastern Europe would certainly be appreciated.

Regards, Alex I wrote:

Hello Alex,

What is your country of origin? If you are American, you will only have a 90 stay within the whole of the EU on a tourist Visa. With the addition of Romania and Bulgaria into the EU, the time limits can be daunting.

Budapest is a glorious city, but the cost of living has risen considerably over the years. There has been a 12% and 13% hike in electricity and gas respectively on an annual basis for the last three years. Food prices have risen about 8% annually and housing about the same rate.

With that out of the way, there comes the question as to what your comfort needs entail? Are you willing to be a roommate? How frugal can you live? Do you cook or need to eat out for most of your meals? Although there are still some budget places to get a meal, they are all Hungarian fare and the menus will be repetitive after a week's dining. If you have a place to cook, you can troll the Great market and smaller farmer's markets for fresh fruits and veggies, but winter selections are limited. Meat and poultry are getting pricier by the day. When we arrived, 5,000 Huf would buy enough food for three days, but now it is just barely enough for one day's meals for two people. We certainly do not eat extravagantly either.

Are you thinking hostels or renting? Unless you choose a dorm room with 8 or more beds, most of the 'acceptable' hostels are rather pricey for more private accommodations. I would suggest http://www.roommates.com , www.caboodle.com or www.search4.hu ,

As close as things look on a map, Vienna and Bratislava are both 3 hours by train from Budapest. Prague is 7 1/2 hours if you get a good train. Krakow is 9 1/2 to 10 hours. Bucharest is a pleasant 14 hours journey, though Cluj, Romania is 7 hours. You can check out the times and costs at www.elvira.hu the Hungarian train site. Note the rates are listed in Euros, though Hungary does not use the Euro, so you will have to pay in Huf an the conversion when you are here. Buses may be a bit cheaper, but the journey will be longer still.

Budget airlines are falling from the sky. There used to be more than 20 budget airlines from Budapest around Europe, but the gas crisis forced many of them to cut their schedules, their airports they flew to, or go bankrupt without notice. Sterling is one example that left hundreds of passengers stranded just recently when they closed their doors without any prior warning. Those that continue to fly and seemingly prosper are:

Wizz Air

Ryan Air

EasyJet

Germanwings

AirBerlin

SkyEurope

Though some of them have very limited destinations from Budapest. Germanwings only flies from here to Cologne, Stuttgart, and Berlin as direct flights. From there you have to change to continue on elsewhere. SkyEurope only flies from here to Trieste and some other small city in Italy, but their site destination map does not even show Budapest any longer.

Good flight links are:

http://en.airtraffic.eu/

Or

http://www.airninja.com/

Air Ninja is a bit tricky, as they sometimes give routes that really do not exist, but multiple connections to get to the destination. There is the fear of missing one connection and then you have lost a ticket for the connecting flight. Budget airlines do not honor code shares or missed connections even within their own airline.

One thing to consider when flying into, out of or within the EU is that the EU has strict rules of how all airlines treat their customers regarding delays, etc. Every airline is by law required to give you a booklet of rules for the asking at check-in. This even applies to US airlines flying into the EU. The rules are written in simple English for the consumer to understand. I keep a copy in my travel on luggage for ready reference and have quoted the law for a free hotel room and meals when we have missed connections that were under the laws prescribed. Once the agent started hassling us tell us it was not their fault, I pulled out the laws and within minutes she was on the phone making us hotel reservations and giving us transportation vouchers. Meals were pre-paid at the hotel.

This will get you started. For more info, write again. For your information, I will be blogging this, so I will not need to retype it for future inquiries.

Thanks for writing,

Ryan P.S. What I forgot to include was that Hungarians HATE being classified as Eastern European. As they will all tell you, Hungary is actually the center of Europe, so they are Central Europeans.

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Yes We Did

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Victory

WE DID IT!

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AmCham Election Party

Last night, we attended the American Chamber of Commerce -Hungary Election Party co-sponsored with the US Embassy. For 2,500 Huf (about $12.50), they had an all you can eat American buffet and all you could drink wine, beer, juice, or sparkling water. They reached capacity of 2,000 participants and then had a waiting list to get it. When we arrived, the line was about a 1/4 of block long, but was so well organized, we were in checking out coats within 2o minutes. Four years ago, we attended this party. This time it was more than civil; the crowd was upbeat and friendly. Four years ago, we were verbally attacked for supporting Kerry. Although the party went until 3:00 am, we left at 1:00 am. Our friends Laszlo, Michael, and our B and B guest, David came back to our place to watch the returns. We could not hear a thing at the party. Laszlo and David lasted until 3:00, but Ron, Michael, and I stayed up to hear McCain's and Obama's speeches. I have to admit, the speech McCain gave was incredible and moving. Obama's speech was as eloquent as I would have expected. I had anticipated an early morning and cancelled my classes for the day. I am proud to be an American againa and can carry my head high.

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Palm Treo 750

My Palm Treo died on me. It is only one and a half years old. I knew there were problems when I had to do a soft reboot every few days to get the programs to work. Then it would ring, but I could not connect with the caller or when I dialed, it would not ring out. I tried removing the battery and trying it again, but it was no good. I checked the Sim card in another phone and it works without a problem. Now I have to hunt for a place to take it for service, but heard it will have to go to the Czech Republic for repair. My life with anything electronic is a disaster waiting to happen.

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My Worst Nightmare

Last night, we had eight others from Hungary for Obama come over with their laptops and mobile phones. Using Jajah accounts, we called undecided voters in Ohio, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. We worked in teams with one person on the computer and one on the phone, each pair making about 50 calls. It was a great feeling of being involved. This election, I have been more involved than ever before. A friend of ours sent this video. This is my worst nightmare, but I have voted already, so I am safe. Don''t make it your worst nightmare.

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Danube Express to extend route

from Berlin to Istanbul

Hungarian railways MAV will operate a special nostalgia train next year to link Krakow, Prague, Berlin, Gdansk and Istanbul, a company official said on Wednesday.

The Danube Express will include four luxurious sleeper carriages, MAV Nosztalgia director Andras Szentey said. A test run of the service is currently under way and has already attracted much success, he added.

The company will modernise its Candle Light Express service, which operates on special occasions, including Valentine's Day, Szentey said.

MAV Nosztalgia operates around 150 services yearly, including short excursion trains to domestic tourist destinations such as the Danube Bend and international luxury services to Europe. The company transports more than 10,000 passengers yearly.

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The Obama Song (World of Friends): Bridges for Obama

Click to play

Bridges for Obama: American supporters of Sen. Barack Obama have been staging rallies abroad at world-famous bridges to show support for the Democratic presidential candidate and his pledge to span old political divisions.

The Obama Song (World of Friends): Japan-based American musical artists created and performed this song to celebrate Sen. Obama's historic candidacy and to inspire us all to change the world. Hungary is here as well as Democrats Abroad from a number of countries. It gives me chills to see the support and love.

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Budapest Airport Ownership

Someone posted this comment "Good information, you know who is the new owner of the Ferihegy Airport? I've heard some rumors, but not sure." Here is your answer. The responsibility for managing and operating Budapest Airport lies with the airport company Budapest Airport Zrt. Budapest Airport Zrt. is a company run as a public-private partnership, with the Hungarian State holding 25 percent of its shares plus one vote. Since June 2007, the remaining 75 percent minus one vote are in the hands of the German company HOCHTIEF AirPort, one of the world’s biggest and private and independent airport managers, and three financial investors: Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Montreal, GIC Special Investments, Singapore, and KfW IPEX-Bank, Frankfurt. Owners of Budapest Airport Zrt.: HOCHTIEF AirPort 37,25% Malton Investment Pte Ltd. 13,625% Caisse de depot et placement du Québec (CDP) 13,625% Aero Investment S.á.r.l. 7,5% KfW IPEX-Bank 3% Hungarian State: 25.0% + 1 vote Total: 100,00%

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One Man, Many Faces

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Visa Free to the US

The citizens of seven countries, including Hungary, will no longer need visas to travel to the United States starting on November 17, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Secretary Michael Chertoff said in Prague on Monday.

The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and South Korea will be joining the U.S. visa waiver programme which currently has 27 members, mainly in Western Europe, Chertoff said.

During the initial period, travellers will need to possess a biometric passport for visa-free travel to the U.S., Chertoff added.

Although good news for Hungarians, many have shared with me that they have concerns about their countrymen abusing their status and having the no Visa rule revoked. Time will tell.

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Votes Are In - The Chain Bridge Wins

The National Bank has received some 200,000 votes for the Chain Bridge to appear on the tails side of the new Ft 200 coin. About half of the votes cast were for the bridge, which appeared on a shortlist of five symbols. The coin will replace the 200 Forint bill in 2009.

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The Final Stretch

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Sterling Falling From the Sky

Icelandic-owned Sterling Airlines to File for Bankruptcy Icelandic-owned low-cost carrier, said it will file for bankruptcy on Wednesday. The airline, which was trying to raise financial support for a restructuring program amid losses, collapsed following the Icelandic financial system meltdown that started last month. The bankruptcy announcement has resulted in the immediate grounding of all its planes, putting its customers in difficulties, especially those who have bought tickets from the company Web site. Sterling said it would not be able to refund such customers, or do anything for those who are availing its services. This is more bad news for Budapest as this was a budget airline from and to here.

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Absentee Voting

MYTH BUSTER: ABSENTEE VOTING Did you know some people believe that if they cast a vote by absentee ballot or by mail that it won't be counted on Election Day? Some believe those votes won't be counted at all unless the election is close. FALSE! Early votes, absentee ballots and vote-by-mail ballots sent in BEFORE Election Day are the first ones counted as soon as the polls close. These are the results announced by the media right away. Don't be afraid to vote by absentee ballot.

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Budapest - New and Improved Air Routes

It was announced today that the weekly number of flights to Hamburg, Munich, Stockholm, Timisoara and Stuttgart has been raised considerably for the winter schedule. The Lithuanian flyLAL, a new airline company will be using Ferihegy Airport operating non-stop flights to Vilnius. Wizz announced a new route from Budapest to Treviso in Italy with two flights a week. The Hungarian airline, Malev will start 14 regular flights a week to Cluj in western Romania.

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McCain Campaign Violated McCain-Feingold law with Palin Clothing Purchases

McCain Campaign Violated McCain-Feingold law with Palin Clothing Purchases by Steven Leser www.opednews.com In what has to be one of the most embarrassing turn of events for the McCain campaign thus far, it appears that in purchasing $150,000 worth of clothes for Sarah Palin and her family, McCain and his campaign and/or the RNC have violated the 2002 McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Act. A link to the entire text of the law and the relevant text are below. Only a lawyer would know for sure if this constitutes a breach of the law but the spirit of the law was definitely broken by the RNC, Palin and the McCain campaign: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h107-2356 SEC. 313. USE OF CONTRIBUTED AMOUNTS FOR CERTAIN PURPOSES. (a) PERMITTED USES- (b) PROHIBITED USE- (1) IN GENERAL- A contribution or donation described in subsection (a) shall not be converted by any person to personal use. (2) CONVERSION- For the purposes of paragraph (1), a contribution or donation shall be considered to be converted to personal use if the contribution or amount is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense of a person that would exist irrespective of the candidate's election campaign or individual's duties as a holder of Federal office, including-- (A) a home mortgage, rent, or utility payment; (B) a clothing purchase; (C) a noncampaign-related automobile expense; (D) a country club membership; (E) a vacation or other noncampaign-related trip; (F) a household food item; (G) a tuition payment; (H) admission to a sporting event, concert, theater, or other form of entertainment not associated with an election campaign; and (I) dues, fees, and other payments to a health club or recreational facility.' . Sec. 323 '(a) NATIONAL COMMITTEES- '(1) IN GENERAL- A national committee of a political party (including a national congressional campaign committee of a political party) may not solicit, receive, or direct to another person a contribution, donation, or transfer of funds or any other thing of value, or spend any funds, that are not subject to the limitations, prohibitions, and reporting requirements of this Act. '(2) APPLICABILITY- The prohibition established by paragraph (1) applies to any such national committee, any officer or agent acting on behalf of such a national committee, and any entity that is directly or indirectly established, financed, maintained, or controlled by such a national committee. ---------------------------------------------------- This puts McCain and his campaign squarely in the realm of slapstick comedy. Does anyone still think he has the managerial and leadership skills to be President? His first major decision was choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate, the most unqualified person on a major national ticket in over 100 years, now his campaign violates a campaign finance reform law that he himself wrote. It's hard to demonstrate incompetence any better than that. He makes Inspector Clousseau, Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello seem adroit by comparison. Will McCain and the RNC now stop whining about the money Obama has been able to raise? If they can afford to spend $150,000 on Palin's clothes, they obviously are not hurting for money. What does this say about the campaign's attempts to reach out to the 'Joe the Plumbers' and 'Joe Sixpacks' and 'Hockey moms' out there? Do those types of people spend $150,000 on clothes from Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue? To think that Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh and various other denizens of the Conservative Right went ballistic over a $400 haircut for John Edwards. Edwards' expenditures are minor league compared to the McCain-Shoppin' ticket. You betcha! McCain is now in the unenviable position of trying to convince the American people that he should be the Chief Law Enforcement official of the land when he doesn't even obey the laws that he crafted. If he were waging an issue based campaign and not hurling false accusations at Obama as fast as he could shovel, one would almost feel sorry for him. McCain had it right when he suspended his campaign a few weeks ago, but the reasons and duration were wrong. He should suspend it permanently because he clearly does not have the judgment or skills for the job. Steven Leser specializes in Politics, Science & Health, and Entertainment topics. He has held positions within the Democratic Party including District Chair and Public Relations Chair within county organizations. Steven Leser writes for www.opednews.com, an internet only media site that has grown to become one of the highest traffic news sites in America, reaching more traffic, according to alexa.com, than all but the thirty largest daily newspapers in the US. Mr. Leser is one of the 500+ liberal pundits who, each month, are published in what has become one of the top five Liberal/progressive media sites in the US."

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From Congress.org

By state, electoral college votes Obama 244 McCain 294 BATTLE GROUND STATES CURRENT RESULTS (EV=Electoral College Votes) Colorado Obama 45.7% McCain 44% 9 EV Florida McCain 52.9% Obama 35.7% 27 EV Iowa McCain 45% Obama 37.5% 7 EV Michigan Obama 42.4% McCain 41.7% 17 EV Missouri McCain 52.7% Obama 33.4% 11 EV Nevada McCain 45.7% Obama 35.3% 5 EV New Hampshire McCain 48.1% Obama 38.9% 4 EV New Mexico Obama 47.2% McCain 44.7% 5 EV Ohio McCain 49.3% Obama 38.5% 20 EV Pennsylvania McCain 45.1% Obama 42.7% 21 EV Virginia McCain 50.8% Obama 38.3% 13 EV

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David Brooks: Sarah Palin "Represents A Fatal Cancer To The Republican Party"

For those not in the know, David Brooks is a conservative Op-Ed columnist for the NY Times. David Brooks: Sarah Palin "Represents A Fatal Cancer To The Republican Party": "[Sarah Palin] represents a fatal cancer to the Republican party. When I first started in journalism, I worked at the National Review for Bill Buckley. And Buckley famously said he'd rather be ruled by the first 2,000 names in the Boston phone book than by the Harvard faculty. But he didn't think those were the only two options. He thought it was important to have people on the conservative side who celebrated ideas, who celebrated learning. And his whole life was based on that, and that was also true for a lot of the other conservatives in the Reagan era. Reagan had an immense faith in the power of ideas. But there has been a counter, more populist tradition, which is not only to scorn liberal ideas but to scorn ideas entirely. And I'm afraid that Sarah Palin has those prejudices. I think President Bush has those prejudices."

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Art Works: Integrating Creativity in the Curriculum | Edutopia

I am putting this here as a future resource for my classes, but also since I believe there are lessons to be learned.

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My Head is Swelling

I get dozens of e-mails from readers of my book. I been trying to be humble by not posting them here, but this one drove me over the edge. "Also, I have practically memorized Ryan's Frommer's Guide and would very much like to talk to Ryan if he is at the B&B at that time! I believe I will stay there only if Ryan is avaiable! I will return to Budapest, so there will be other opportunities to try the B&B...." Regards, David

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Airline Slowdown

European airlines: slowdown is reducing passengers

The Associated Press

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

BRUSSELS, Belgium: Europe's major airlines said Wednesday that the economic slowdown cut passenger numbers in September and they don't expect a turnaround in the near future.

Alitalia, Spanair and Icelandair were worst hit as the number of people flying on member airlines dropped 1.1 percent compared with the previous year, the Association of European Airlines said.

The group said this was the first time in 25 years that the economy caused traffic to fall and came after three months of slow growth over the summer.

With worse still to come as European economies slide close to recession, AEA's secretary general Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus said passenger numbers "cannot be expected to recover in the immediate future."

He blamed a "toxic combination" of a slowing economy, declining business and consumer confidence and high inflation driven by higher oil prices — even though they have come down from recent record levels.

Flights within European countries fell sharply, down 12 percent, while lucrative trans-Atlantic flights between Europe and North America did not grow at all. Only flights from Europe to the Middle East and to the South Atlantic grew — neither of them major markets.

Italy's flagship carrier Alitalia, which went bankrupt in August, saw the worst drop in passenger numbers, down 25 percent from a year ago.

Spanish airline Spanair was down 21 percent as the bursting of a housing bubble saw the country's economy slow sharply.

Another troubled nation's airline, Icelandair, flew 12.8 percent fewer people than it did in September 2007 as the banking crisis saw Iceland itself teeter on the brink of bankruptcy.

But Europe's biggest airlines fared better. Germany's Lufthansa — which flew nearly 5 million people last month — saw numbers grow 4.2 percent. Near rival Air France saw an 0.2 percent drop in traffic while British Airways saw a larger 5.1 percent decline.

The AEA represents 35 European airlines, mostly national flag carriers, that carry 380 million people every year. It does not count passenger numbers on budget airlines such as Ryanair or chartered vacation flights.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/22/business/EU-EU-Airlines.php

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Stolen Votes - Call to Action

ROLLING STONE: IT'S ALREADY STOLEN Investigation by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Greg Palast <http://www.gregpalast.com/> released today Don't worry about Mickey Mouse or ACORN stealing the election. According to an investigative report out today in Rolling Stone magazine, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Greg Palast, after a year-long investigation, reveal a systematic program of "GOP vote tampering" on a massive scale. - Republican Secretaries of State of swing-state Colorado have quietly purged one in six names from their voter rolls. Over several months, the GOP politicos in Colorado stonewalled every attempt by Rolling Stone to get an answer to the massive purge - ten times the average state's rate of removal. - While Obama dreams of riding to the White House on a wave of new voters, more then 2.7 million have had their registrations REJECTED under new procedures signed into law by George Bush. Kennedy, a voting rights lawyer, charges this is a resurgence of 'Jim Crow' tactics to wrongly block Black and Hispanic voters. - A fired US prosecutor levels new charges - accusing leaders of his own party, Republicans, with criminal acts in an attempt to block legal voters as "fraudulent." - Digging through government records, the Kennedy-Palast team discovered that, in 2004, a GOP scheme called "caging" ultimately took away the rights of 1.1 million voters. The Rolling Stone duo predict that, this November 4, it will be far worse. There's more: - Since the last presidential race, "States used dubious 'list management' rules to scrub at least 10 million voters from their rolls." Among those was Paul Maez of Las Vegas, New Mexico - a victim of an unreported but devastating purge of voters in that state that left as many as one in nine Democrats without a vote. For Maez, the state's purging his registration was particularly shocking - he's the county elections supervisor. The Kennedy-Palast revelations go far beyond the sum of questionably purged voters recently reported by the New York Times. "Republican operatives - the party's elite commandos of bare-knuckle politics," report Kennedy and Palast, under the cover of fighting fraudulent voting, are "systematically disenfranchis[ing] Democrats."

The investigators level a deadly serious charge: "If Democrats are to win the 2008 election, they must not simply beat McCain at the polls - they must beat him by a margin that exceeds the level of GOP vote tampering." Block the Vote by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. & Greg Palast in the current issue (#1064) of Rolling Stone. [Media enquiries - Dave Falkenstein, Sunshine Sachs & Assoc, via interviews@....] Note - Kennedy and Palast are releasing, simultaneously with the Rolling Stone investigative report what they call, the vote-theft 'antidote': a 24-page full-color comic book, Steal Back Your Vote <http://www.stealbackyourvote.org/> , which can be downloaded or obtained in print from their non-partisan website, StealBackYourVote.org <http://www.stealbackyourvote.org/> For updates and video reports, go to <http://www.rollingstone.com/> <http://www.rollingstone.com/issue1064> RollingStone.com <http://www.rollingstone.com/issue1064> , www.GregPalast.com <http://www.gregpalast.com/> and StealBackYourVote.org <http://stealbackyourvote.org/> .

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Kudos to Another Blogger

Ron came across this blog entry. The entry alone has received 1,724 responses. Jealous as I am, it deserves more media attention, so here is the story. The link is at the end, but the title below is hyperlinked also. Quote:

‘Alaska Women Reject Palin’ Rally is HUGE!

14 09 2008

I attended the Welcome Home rally for Sarah Palin this morning. Hooo. It was an experience. About a thousand (maybe) hard-core Palin supporters showed up to hear her speak at the new Dena’ina Convention Center in downtown Anchorage.

After shaking it off with a good double shot of espresso, and a brisk walk back to my car, it was time to head to the Alaska Women Reject Palin rally. It was to be held outside on the lawn in front of the Loussac Library in midtown Anchorage. Home made signs were encouraged, and the idea was to make a statement that Sarah Palin does not speak for all Alaska women, or men. I had no idea what to expect.

The rally was organized by a small group of women, talking over coffee. It made me wonder what other things have started with small groups of women talking over coffee. It’s probably an impressive list. These women hatched the plan, printed up flyers, posted them around town, and sent notices to local media outlets. One of those media outlets was KBYR radio, home of Eddie Burke, a long-time uber-conservative Anchorage talk show host. Turns out that Eddie Burke not only announced the rally, but called the people who planned to attend the rally “a bunch of socialist baby-killing maggots”, and read the home phone numbers of the organizers aloud over the air, urging listeners to call and tell them what they thought. The women, of course, received many nasty, harassing and threatening messages.

So, as I jettisoned myself from the jaws of the ‘Drill Baby Drill’ crowd and toward the mystery rally at the library, I felt a bit apprehensive. I’d been disappointed before by the turnout at other rallies. Basically, in Anchorage, if you can get 25 people to show up at an event, it’s a success. So, I thought to myself, if we can actually get 100 people there that aren’t sent by Eddie Burke, we’ll be doing good. A real statement will have been made. I confess, I still had a mental image of 15 demonstrators surrounded by hundreds of menacing “socialist baby-killing maggot” haters.

It’s a good thing I wasn’t tailgating when I saw the crowd in front of the library or I would have ended up in somebody’s trunk. When I got there, about 20 minutes early, the line of sign wavers stretched the full length of the library grounds, along the edge of the road, 6 or 7 people deep! I could hardly find a place to park. I nabbed one of the last spots in the library lot, and as I got out of the car and started walking, people seemed to join in from every direction, carrying signs.

Never, have I seen anything like it in my 17 and a half years living in Anchorage. The organizers had someone walk the rally with a counter, and they clicked off well over 1400 people (not including the 90 counter-demonstrators). This was the biggest political rally ever, in the history of the state. I was absolutely stunned. The second most amazing thing is how many people honked and gave the thumbs up as they drove by. And even those that didn’t honk looked wide-eyed and awe-struck at the huge crowd that was growing by the minute. This just doesn’t happen here.

Then, the infamous Eddie Burke showed up. He tried to talk to the media, and was instantly surrounded by a group of 20 people who started shouting O-BA-MA so loud he couldn’t be heard. Then passing cars started honking in a rhythmic pattern of 3, like the Obama chant, while the crowd cheered, hooted and waved their signs high.

So, if you’ve been doing the math… Yes. The Alaska Women Reject Palin rally was significantly bigger than Palin’s rally that got all the national media coverage! So take heart, sit back, and enjoy the photo gallery. Feel free to spread the pictures around (links are appreciated) to anyone who needs to know that Sarah Palin most definitely does not speak for all Alaskans. The citizens of Alaska, who know her best, have things to say. Unquote

http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/09/14/alaska-women-reject-palin-rally-is-huge/

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Job Predictions 2009

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My Own Worst Enemy

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Flip Flop – Forget Your Lies?

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McCain, No Straight Story

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McCain on Healthcare

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Wizz Air to Launch New Routes from Budapest

"Discount airline Wizz Air will launch new flights from Budapest from April 2009, CEO József Váradi has announced. According to napi.hu, four weekly flights will be operated to Madrid, three to Barcelona, and two to Naples and Oslo. The new flights were made possible by an agreement between Wizz Air and Ferihegy airport operator Budapest Airport, which resulted in considerably lower expenses for the airline. One change which is a consequence of lowered expenses is that passengers are no longer transported between the terminal and the aircraft by buses, but they have to walk the distance."

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Bush Drops Visa Restrictions for Hungarians

Bush drops visa restrictions for Hungarians - Caboodle.hu: "US President George W. Bush on Friday announced in the Rose Garden of the White House that the US is extending visa exemption to citizens of seven more countries: Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and South Korea, provided that they have purple passports, containing biometric data that cannot be forged. Bush did not set a start date for the scheme but it is thought that by Christmas travellers from the seven said countries will no longer need US visas, and will only have to fill in an electronic questionnaire. Foreign Minister Kinga Göncz who watched the announcement at a video conference at the US embassy in Budapest in the presence of ambassador April H. Foley and Justice and Law Enforcement Minister Tibor Draskovics said the news represented 'the cutting of the final piece of the iron curtain.' Foley said since she arrived in Budapest it had been her main goal to ensure that Hungary join the visa-waiver scheme. US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff will visit Hungary on October 28, Népszabadság reported on Saturday."

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Travel Alerts for 2009

Planning ahead, here are some changes in travel for 2009. Some only apply to US citizens, but some to others as well. Currently: ALL PERSONS traveling by air outside of the United States are required to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the United States. 2009: On June 1, 2009, the U.S. government will implement the full requirements of the land and sea phase of WHTI. The proposed rules require most U.S. citizens entering the United States at sea or land ports of entry to have a passport, passport card, or WHTI-compliant document. Note: The passport requirement does NOT apply to U.S. citizens traveling to or returning directly from a U.S. territory. EU Airlines: The European Parliament approved a “transparency” law mandating that airfares have to include all taxes, fees and charges added to the basic ticket price and known at the time of publication. It should take effect either later this year or at the beginning of 2009. This is meant to avoid unpleasant surprises when shopping around for a ticket within Europe or to Europe. Under the rule, airfare or air rate, taxes, airport charges and other charges, surcharges or fees, such as those related to security or fuel, have to be included in the price of the ticket. Visas going to the US: The Department of Homeland Security’s new Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) will become mandatory on January 12, 2009. It’s a fully-automated, electronic system for screening passengers before they begin travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. Currently, 27 countries' citizens can travel to the US for 90 days without a Visa for tourism, but not business or work. If you need a passport, apply early. Due to the backlog, delays can be months long.

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Keep On Keeping It On Like This

Let's keep this momentum through election day!

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Mask My Political Views

The following is from Mother Jones online. Isn't it nice to see that we Americans are so transparent, even our Halloween purchases reflect our political leaning? "According to Fortune magazine, more than one Halloween mask retailer has claimed they can correctly predict who will win the White House. Spirit Halloween, the largest seasonal Halloween vendor in the US, says Bush outsold Kerry two to one in 2004, Gore sold 14 percent fewer masks in 2000, and Clinton masks won with 71 percent in 1996.

We decided to update Fortune's presidential mask findings for 2008 thus far; here's what we found.

At Buycostumes.com, which tracks the sales of its paper masks, Obama is currently ahead 54 to 46 percent against McCain, though Sarah Palin masks are outselling Joe Biden masks three to one. Buycostumes.com's poll page has a US map with state breakdowns, including a few noteworthy results: Texas and Mississippi have gone blue this year, while Rhode Island, Vermont, and Maine favor Republican masks. The erratic results suggest that some are buying masks to support while others to mock the candidates, though in the past, total sales—regardless of motive—have predicted the winning candidate.

Over at Amazon.com a running tally updates each hour with the latest sales of vinyl and paper masks. Obama's ahead there, too, though his mask is slightly cheaper: $12.90 versus $12.95 for McCain.

Overall this year, Obama is ahead, with 66 percent of national sales. His mask has hefty margins in all of the swing states, though McCain's is close in Delaware, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina.

But nothing is set in stone: Most costume sales are made in the last two weeks before the holiday. Can your Halloween garb affect the election? Notes Buycostumes.com, "This poll can be bought!'"

—Brittney Andres

As you can see here, both candidates are a Head, so no clear winner.

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Jutka Wrote re the October 9th Post.:

Reader comment from Jutka: I'm still thinking about your point, but then my brother drinks his one bottle of beer in the evenings watching his nightly tv show.

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Scary, Scary, Scary

Pre-Halloween message. Be prepared to be scared out of your wits. http://www.palinaspresident.us/

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Schlep By Sarah Silverman

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Global Electoral Vote

Ron came across this web site at the Economist magazine site called "Global Electoral College: What if the whole world could vote". Quite interesting take on our politics from a global perspective. http://www.economist.com/vote2008/index.cfm

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