Focus

A scene from the 2006 German film The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen).

Hungary’s Orbán government invests in spying technology for use abroad

Since November 2010, Hungary’s Orbán government has spent over 571,000 euros to purchase highly sophisticated spying technology from an Italian firm called the Hacking Team, and the software is used to bug cell phones and hack into private computers, according to a report published by the liberal 444.hu news site.  The data on the Hacking Team’s servers was stolen by a group of hackers this […]

by · July 9, 2015 · Focus
The Said and the Unsaid / maryampaintings.com

RCA Viktor: His master’s voice in Canada – From the medium to the message (5)

You must leave now, take what you need, you think will last, But whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast, Yonder stands your orphan with his gun, Crying like a fire in the sun Look out, the saints are comin’ through And it’s all over now, Baby Blue. -Bob Dylan Overview Man is a tool making animal […]

by · July 8, 2015 · Focus
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

Hungary’s new left and the Greek referendum: Today Athens, tomorrow Budapest!

Greek voters rejected the dictates of the European Union and the International Monetary Fund in much larger numbers than initially anticipated. The decision was reasonable, understandable and, given the circumstances, it can certainly be appreciated. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s government received a remarkable mandate to continue the country’s economic and humanitarian war of independence. The results of the referendum […]

by · July 6, 2015 · Focus
Hear My Silence / Farshad Sanaee.

RCA Viktor: His master’s voice in Canada (4)

Inside the Boom-Box–The Technical Data on RCA Viktor’s 2015 Sound System How does Hungary’s ruling political Party, FIDESZ, use the language of political deception to get what it wants? How does Viktor Orbán’s government manipulate public opinion in Canada and around the world? How does it use the language of love and harmony, to generate applause, as it destroys the […]

by · June 24, 2015 · Focus
György Aczél

How an iconic Hungarian communist “found” his Jewish identity in Israel…

In many contemporary Hungarian cultural circles, a chill runs through the air whenever the name György Aczél is mentioned. Mr. Aczél was Hungary’s minister of culture and the Hungarian Socialist Workers Party’s (MSZMP) powerful culture “tsar” when it came to the arts and to the limited freedom of expression that characterized Goulash Communism, starting in the sixties. Hungary’s most prominent […]

by · June 20, 2015 · Focus
RCA Viktor–His Master’s Voice in Canada (3)

RCA Viktor–His Master’s Voice in Canada (3)

Why is Canada a key test-market for RCA Viktor? Perceived acoustic compatibility is not the only reason why RCA Viktor chose Canada as the place to roll-out its sound-system. There are important historical factors behind RCA Viktor’s secret attachment to Canada. This 3rd section in a series on the language of political deception used by the Orbán regime in Canada […]

by · June 5, 2015 · Focus
RCA Victor's Nipper in neon wonderland. The trademark of the Victor Talking Machine Company, in neon rendition. Source: The Reflecting Light blog,

RCA Viktor–His master’s voice in Canada (2): The rules of diplomatic conduct within the Transatlantic community

Before turning to the description of RCA Viktor’s Canadian sound system, a system in which Hungary’s diplomats in Canada play a commanding but not exclusive role, I want to make some general observations about the standards diplomatic representatives are expected to uphold in those countries that belong to the Transatlantic community (TAC). This is necessary in order to gauge whether […]

by · June 4, 2015 · Focus
Poster advertising RCA Victor radios in 1937. John Vassos papers, 1920-[198-], Archives of American Art.

András Göllner: RCA Viktor–His Master’s Voice in Canada (Overture)

We go abroad to wonder – at the towering beauty of the mountains, at the crashing power of the waves on the high seas, at the winding flow of a majestic river, at the vastness of the oceans, at the miracle of the stars above: but we often walk past ourselves, without wondering The Confessions of Saint Augustine Introduction How […]

by · May 25, 2015 · Focus
Vilmos Hanti

Vilmos Hanti: Dormant fascism sprouts in weak democracies

Vilmos Hanti is a prominent Hungarian antifascist activist and the 2005 recipient of the cross of the Republic of Hungary’s Order of Merit. Mr. Hanti is the president of the International Federation of Resistance Fighters and he submitted the text of his speech given in Moscow on May 7th, 2015, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary commemorations of the […]

by · May 14, 2015 · Focus
Alfahír's reporter, Adrian Magvasi, interviews Mr. Kisberk. Photo: Alfahír.

Hungary’s Jobbik builds far-right media empire

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán isn’t the only one trying to build a new media empire, after his public conflict with long-time friend, media magnate and oligarch Lajos Simicska. Jobbik leader Gábor Vona, who is a more astute politician than just about anyone else in the Hungarian opposition, is building a media empire of his own. And this media empire is […]

by · May 10, 2015 · Focus